Doors Open Toronto

DOORS OPEN TORONTO

This  past weekend , May 26-27 2012, I was participating into the 13^th Annual Doors Open Toronto. The event is commemorating the bicentennial of the war of 1812( 1812-2012)at Fort York  .As somebody wrote in one local newspaper   “ in 1812 people around here were most likely closing doors than opening them”.(Christopher Hume –Toronto Star, May 24^th 2012)

As usual new, insignificant countries on the world map, such it was  Canada  200 years ago, was caught up in yet another European conflict - everything bad starting  there most of the time - this one between France and Great Britain. Our part of the conflict began when Americans declared war to the British , which over here then meant, British North America. “American forces invaded Canada. English forces raided the US, and so it went , back and forth .Even today no one’s sure who won “ The story of all wars , I presume.

Regardless of the  war in 1812, now long forgotten, the military outpost, Fort York,  started to build up. From 1450 people in 1812, to 9250 people in 1834 ,when was incorporated to Toronto. The settlers poured and that young community grew into a conglomerate of over  6 million people(census 2011) who live now in Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Doors Open Toronto is a popular weekend event ,when hundreds of buildings  throw out the welcome mat and reveal themselves to the visitors. A citywide celebration of Toronto’s spaces and places showcasing important historical, cultural, social venues, 135 to be precise  .

This year’s event presented a number of locations with unique happenings including photographic exhibitions, re-enactments, landscape painting classes and crochet instructions.

On the visitors map The Distillery District  was site  #37,and was open from 10am to 5pm.We had organized tours , every hour , and we, the artists who have had chosen to be a part of the event,  interacted with many people who came to get inspired  by the old buildings and artsy atmosphere.

I had conversations about book binding, calligraphy, art history, the past royal visit, architecture, food and drink industry, politics, farming, global warming, music…the clashes of the generations…everything you can think about (sigh).Families with kids in search of cultural adventures, or lone photographers looking for the perfect shot, young artists looking for future studios, collectors, art lovers, tour guides, tourists from abroad, all poured in and brought me their stories. It was all  life  experience   exchange  time  , that enriched both sides- I know I felt” richer “after the weekend !

The Painting Prince

For the Diamond Jubilee (1952-2012) of the Queen Elizabeth , her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall visited Canada .On  the second  day, May 22^nd 2012, when  they came to  Toronto , one of the stops was in The Distillery Historic District where I have my studio/gallery.

Gold teaspoon in mouth at birth -no we don’t share that-, but we have  some things in common, like for example: the fact that we were both married in the early 80’s ,we both  have a son as a first born in 1982 ( Will is older than my Alex by six months) and we both …. love watercolour painting!! 

Yes , Prince Charles is the honorary patron of the  Canadian Society of Painters  in Watercolour (CSPWC) ,where I am an elected member , and there are some 60  Canadian watercolour paintings in his castle.

This past  Tuesday I met him and his wife, and I was pleasantly surprized by their accessibility and joviality with us “commoners”. It was a beautiful spring  day , with flowers in bloom and other royal decorations, to celebrate the  visit , but clearly ,they both were the rightful  “stars”.

 Many Torontonians came to greet them, and with them ,my friend, Jo Baumann, an artist from Willowdale Group of Artists (WGA)  and her daughter Camilla (  Jo has another   daughter, her name is Catherine) . In a bold move, when Prince Charles passed close to us, Jo  flew toward him ,and shook   his hand. He was very gracious ,asked her if she was working in the distillery and I took a picture of them. Her daughter taped the conversation with her phone  . All happened in a few seconds. It was unexpected , but he acted very natural, and wasn’t scared by us. We  were probably looking very benign, with our pearls and soft attire. The security people ,surrounding him ,were also unfazed by Jo’s courage. She was happy, she followed his visit in Toronto and knew the details of his hourly trip in the city.

I am still in owe by the royals  modest presence. She looked   like a real woman, showed her age(no facial  surgical interventions , extra-tanning…) , and  was much prettier than the media tries  to  portray her  .The meeting with the royal couple was a great  memory , worth to be cherished  for years to come.

And,  of course , iI  was very nice  to meet  my  fellow watercolour  painter, from UK ,  Prince Charles !!!

FACING THE CROWDS / THE ART SHOW OPENINGS

FACING THE CROWDS

 The Art Show Openings

It doesn’t end with you working on  your pieces, each and every day, sharpening your “craft”( I so much dislike this word when it comes to art), swimming in thick layers of knowledge, shedding some -acquiring others, forming the bud  taste for uniqueness…At the end   ,you have to face the crowds. Are they walking alongside, are they ahead of you or way behind? You need to face them all, wearing your own face , or wearing a grimace , the  adjusted self , to match their level. Smile.

Why should you panic, the ½ hour before the show opens and ½ before the first guests arrive? You did your share , now it’s time to wait for guests and their reactions. Who is going to be there for you and your efforts ? Who cares enough ?

Most of the times it’s family and true friends, the ones who loved and encouraged you all your life,  even when you didn’t know much about what  you did as an artist , many ,many  years  ago. They are your rock, they love you unconditionally, even if you will tell them that tomorrow you are done with art, tired off all of it, and decided to move on, let’s say you want to start to play tennis. They will come to the tennis court, cheering for you, you being the worst  ever tennis player.They don't care , they are there for you.They love you too much to see it right, so their art opinion  in art doesn’t count . It’ is awful to say it, but it’s  true, and you love them too much to tell them that either.

Then there are your students and clients, your peers , the people who understand your work, genuinely love it, and you are grateful for their steady reassurance, their benevolent coming and chatting , and they really are the salt and grain of any show.

There are also the new visitors, new clients who came in by chance, being there  at the right moment at the right  place , uninvited, and as happy to discover you as you are to find them-the stars  finally aligned

And , yes, there are these rare moments when a well known art critic or a great artist you really love and respect,  comes in,  goes around  once, then second time and they look at you and smile, they don’t have to say a thing, you know- they know, and you are on cloud nine.

"Nebulae" Series ,Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas

This is one of the reasons you get up each morning and go to your studio, you know, and they know !!!!

ART SOCIETIES

 Bayview Watercolour Society (BWS) 10^th Anniversary Annual Meeting (April 2012)and Juried Show “Luminosity”(May 2012) at  McKey  Art Center in Unionville, Ontario  

A few years after  I just arrived in Toronto, On  from Tel-Aviv, while finishing my illustration training at Art Schools in Minneapolis  Min , USA, I became a member of a local watercolour society , Bayview Watercolour Society (BWS).It was refreshing to try my hand at  the “medium from the devil” – watercolour- and the founders were very friendly. The camaraderie, during paints together, the monthly meetings, the demonstrations by local teachers, the workshops that they organized as well as the group juried shows and the trips to museums and outdor  painting were enchanting .

 After a few years of being a member of BWS I decided to give back something to the group that welcomed me so warmly, and I  became  a member of the executive and took  over the volunteering job of being the show coordinator from 2006-2008 and  I  learned so much from this small  job, about the Canadian way of connecting with the public.

After moving to another part of the city , I had to stop being a member of BWS but reminded in touch with many of the artists I met there and became my friends, continuing  meeting them   in other art societies in the GTA ( TWS, CSPWC,SCA…).

Last Thursday night, May 3^rd 2012, I was invited at the opening of their 10^th Anniversary Juried Show in Unionville, On, and I met their jury, the famous  watercolour artist  and watercolour book author Birgit O’Connor, from USA, who happened to teach a workshop at Studio Six , the place where I teach twice a year.

I was very impressed by the quality of the works and the way the show  was organized and attended.

I also met Birgit, who was gracious enough, after a  hard day of teaching ,to come and give away the prizes.

Being a member of art societies help us so much promoting our work in group shows and learning together about the dynamics of the learning and growing as artists. 

Well done BWS!!!!

SHARING WALLS WITH ARTISTS FRIENDS

SHARING WALLS WITH ARTISTS FRIENDS

I started a new “trend” in my gallery/studio in Toronto.

A few months ago I was having a discussion with one of my good  friends , an artist from Europe and we concluded that building an international world worthy CV involves so much money( finding   galleries , sending works, attending openings, …) that we, the artists, should try a  more clever way to beat the system.

So, with no further delays, I am sharing my gallery space in The Distillery  Historic District in  Toronto, for a couple of weeks , May 12-May 20^Th 2012 with a very talented ,non-objective abstract painter from Berlin, Germany , Christian Moeller.

He is an “old pal” from the Artmesh( an  artist /gallery international  website ) times .

Christian’s   B&W paintings  are  very strong and meaningful  and he had many shows in Germany   and abroad .If you visit his website   www.christianmoeller.eu  please, look  also at  his “ Idiosyncronist”  Blog .

For this collaborative project , we had chosen  to show six of his latest  drawings.

The  title for this featured grouping  is

“Modern Dehousing and Third Reich Part 2+3 ” .

These drawings are in sepia  and   filled with movement and sweeping  with   real power.

Welcome to Toronto, Christian!!!

The Art of Framing

The Art of Framing

Presentation is  an important part of any sales transaction, and art sales are even harder to disconnect from it. Modern art fails nowadays to play the pivotal role of being revolutionary , inspiring, the  center of attention, becoming more and more secondary, serving  as  an element of decor. Most of it is acquired to complete the neutral,  textural or  pale colour need, for visual comfort  . In most of the places, art doesn't have to intrude , to question or to scare people away. It has to show the status of the people who can afford it  , the grand scale of their solvency, but to carry only small stories for small conversations  , little  significance   that will make the owner look good.
 So much so, that the artist ,  being  left with the choice of  fighting  for a spot  place  on the  potential  patron's wall , needs to shed the raw and sensitive feel of his art, for shiny silvery and ash golden  frames or boxes that will blend in with the tasteless  beige  or white , that the en vogue designer  recommended it .Of course that the interior  designer  knows better what is good for the walls, the framer knows better what suits the work, everybody knows better than the creator of the art work .
These and many other thoughts , like how much  my husband will dislike the price of the frames  - any price- were just popping into my mind, when , reluctantly, I  entered the framing shop today with two of my rolled canvases under my arm. And I was right, because I was asked  to pay  an arm and a leg - and a divorce , I will add - even for  the modest of them all,  for these frames are  an artist's nightmare.
Waiting  now impatiently to see them framed , before next weekend , one natural wood and the second white , shadow box style .