This afternoon (Sat.Mar.19) Toronto’s URBAN GALLERY launched a new exhibition – twenty five emerging artists strut their stuff as adventurers in the realm of lures, traps, and transcendence in this year’s Centennial College Studio Arts Program 1st year student exhibition entitled TEMPT:an exploration of tainted grace in the contemporary world.
Urban’s curator, Allen Shugar did an inspiring job presenting each work – here he is greeting gallery guests (below)….…and above with business partner Calvin (R) and Centennial’s arts program coordinator David McClyment(C) .
Lots of family and friends came out to support the young painters (below)The artists were all excited and pleased to see their works hung on a professional gallery wall….promises of things to come!My fab assistant, Gabriella, was busy posting pics to Instagram but I managed to snap her quickly (bottom left of picture, below)The show runs until Saturday March 26th so I encourage you to drop by and support these young artists. Gallery hours and directions: http://www.urbangallery.ca/ but if you can’t make it down in person, enjoy this brief virtual walk thru the gallery. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CANADIAN ARTISTS!
Thanks to the generosity of the promo experts at Universal Links Inc. http://universallinksinc.com/ I was able to attend the PPPC National Convention 2016 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre yesterday, accompanied by my trusty side-kick and photographer, Gabriella Luchetta. PromoCan/PPPC presented their annual tradeshow featuring the newest trends in the promotions and corporate incentives business (like these wacky pens above), and I wanted to share the sights and sounds with my readers…so come walk the aisles with Gabriella and me on this virtual tour.Everything and anything you can stick a corporate logo on is featured here. Coffee mugs, coasters, stickers, pens, apparel, frisbees, decals…all shapes and sizes are available. Companies like Universal Links source merchandise like these then offer to their clients (known as end-users) who distribute to their customers as give-aways or special promotions and corporate gifts. Gabs and I saw so many cool things we’d like to be given as “gifts”…..We had a lot of fun with the folks in the Soft Stuff Creations booth hugging teddy bears, I even tried to hug the hunky “booth babe” manning the display but I just made him laugh…LOL!Of course, we went straight to all the chocolate promotions like the Taylor-Grant booth below where Gabs chowed down on samples and I made do with just looking at the yummy catalogue (I really MUST lose some lbs).There’s always lots of fun squishy stress relievers…here are some of our favourites:Gabriella found this cute froggy (below) which she promptly pulled apart… it’s actually a memory stick/USB as are those other cute characters behind.Great to meet Karen (below) from Martini Promotions who showed us some funky sparkly apparel and reversible totes.Suddenly, Gabriella and I were stopped in our tracks when we spied this stunning grey wrap jacket. Are you kiddin’ me? This is a promo item? So stylish and feels like a baby cashmere goat….wow, who made it?Founder and President of Redwood Classics, Kathy Cheng (below) came over and introduced herself…and then told us the story of her family business that makes high-quality apparel here in Canada. Kathy showed us one of the unique items that are made from re-purposed overstock like this 3M umbrella – its materials have been made into this cute cushion (below), creating a stylish functional and fashion-fwd promo gift for the company. This saves unused products going into landfill and allows companies to “re-gift”. Brilliant!We were so engaged and inspired by her family’s story that I promised Kathy I would do a special feature blog on Redwood Classics later and interview her once she has recovered from the long hours of the tradeshow so stay tuned.
Lots more groovy products like these watches, custom labelled bottles of wine…wow!For fans of “Caddyshack” the movie, you can even find sassy gopher golfclub covers….LOLAnd here’s one of my favourite booths showcasing sparkly, glowing lights on all their products.
Thanks again to Universal Links Inc and the folks at PromoCan/PPPC who hosted the show. Bravo all of you!
What a fabulous morning I had, schlepping around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, strolling down the most fashionable interior designer aisles of this year’s INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW. Thanks to artist and artist’s representative MARK J. GLEBERZON of MJG Gallery, now an online gallery showcasing the works of exciting local artists, my photographer Gabriella and I were given carte blanche to play among the chi-chi furniture and decorating & design booths on the main floor of the Metro Toronto Convention Ctr. (I’ll be posting a full show blog later) and I videotaped this quick interview with Mark from his booth at IDS …..
I recently asked Mark to share his thoughts about being a working artist in Toronto and the move from a storefront gallery location in Leslieville to a virtual environment (his proposed rent increase was just too outrageous). Here’s what he said…..
Mark, after moving your bricks’n’mortar MJG Gallery in Toronto to an online gallery, have you found you’re reaching a wider audience for your art and the artists you represent?
I haven’t yet found an increase per-se in inquiries or sales since I closed my gallery (see below) but I’ve always tried to make my presence known online, one way or another. Many people thought when I closed my gallery that was that. I always tried to explain I will always continue offering my own work – which I’d been doing for nearly twenty-five years – as well as promoting other artists I’ve worked with over the past four years and do so using the internet more and more. I would like to think doing shows like IDS as well as continued participation in other gallery and trade shows, including possibly doing the Affordable Art Fair in New York City in a few months, will continue getting me and the MJG identity noticed by a broader audience. Also, making sure to continually update my Facebook page, release periodic newsletters, Twitter feeds and Instagram posts are important to let people know what I’m up to, what’s new and reach out to new contacts.What was the best (or most interesting) experience you encountered as a gallery owner?
I can’t think of a specific event but I suppose being told mine or another artist’s painting was a client’s first art purchase ever is always a nice thing to hear….popping their art cherry, if you will !
What was the downside to running a storefront gallery in Toronto?
First and foremost, the actual costs of maintaining a gallery are always the bane of any retailer. On top of rent (or mortgage if you own the space), there’s electricity, heat, internet, phone and many other expenses. In my case, there were also my art supplies which were rather costly. There’s certainly the ebb and flow of sales that occur in the gallery but any ‘free’ money is almost always rolled back into the business. Plus, being in the physical space, somewhat isolated (as was my case, where I didn’t have an assistant) one can be feel locked away from what’s happening outside the gallery. I found trying to visit other gallery openings and art-related events and sometimes just plain socializing was extremely difficult when you’re beholden to your business and trying to be there as much as possible. Retail in general is not for the faint of heart. You really have to be dedicated to what you do and feel confident in for what you’re selling.You’re exhibiting at this year’s Interior Design Show, a very prestigious expo where you’ll meet many interior designers & decorators – do you anticipate making new connections and expanding your art business?
As I often say, it’s making ONE new important contact that’s always key with any of these shows. Yes, I always enjoy working with clients looking for one painting just as much as with those looking for a larger purchase, but it’s always important to continue reaching out to more and more people. IDS (see Mark with a new client in his IDS booth today, below) is a show that can potentially introduce me to those in the interior and design industries as well as architects, film industry folk and others. In a recent home show, I met someone who was the building manager for two downtown condos. Eventually, she and the Condo Board oversaw the purchase of nearly two dozen works from several artists including those represented by my gallery. With the closing of the physical gallery, I hope to be able to direct people to myself, the artists I work with and the services I provide, including art consultancy via shows like IDS. My hope is to match clients and designers with artists and their work as well as coordinating personalized commissions. I always make it a point that when I meet someone at a show like IDS, I follow up with them immediately. They may not need me right away but at least the connection was made. As a working artist, what inspires you and how do you separate your own work from the business side of representing other artists who entrust their work to your online gallery?
It’s always a fine balance when you’re both a working artist and representing other artists as well. I always did my best to bring as much attention to my gallery and the roster of artists I represented as to my own work. That’s why I tried to balance my participation in self-representing shows (incl. the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, the Artist Project and RAW to name a few) along with gallery-exclusive or home decor shows (incl. IDS, Love Art) as much as possible. A gallery owner needs to assure a relationship of trust between them and the artists they work with and it’s easy to break that trust if an artist feels you’re compromising them or their work. Luckily, it seems all of the artists I worked with in my gallery space, are just as happy to continue working with me as I shift online. Now as far as my own work is concerned, I’ve developed several series of art – both painting and photography (see below) – and I’ve decided to make 2016 the year I explore others genres. I may find inspiration from what’s going around me or simply (and usually) thru sheer desperation to try to develop my own voice in the visual world. Any advice for emerging Canadian artists?
I think in this day of insta-everything, an artist needs to make their presence known by making the Internet their friend. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and other services are terrific and often free ways to get work noticed. If you’re working with a gallery, make sure that gallery’s hanging and consignment arrangements are as fair with ‘newbies’ as with the more established artists in the same space. NEVER sign an exclusivity clause unless one really feels secure the gallery owner will direct a lot of attention to your work. It’s easy to get trapped thinking – or being convinced – that getting ones work hung ‘anywhere’ will lead to good exposure or sales. Try to be as strategic as possible and feel secure that “Yes, this is somewhere I’m proud my work is being shown”. And don’t always be willing to do things for free. Many people feel they have the upper-hand offering exhibition opportunities to new artists, offering little compensation. That’s not fair…it’s taking advantage of people.
Any other comments you’d like to share? MJG is poised for a fresh, new start in 2016. Although the format of the gallery has changed, I’m looking forward to new opportunities that already seem to be coming my way.Mark can be reached via MJG Gallery’s website http://mjggallery.com/ and you can follow him on Facebook (MJG Gallery); Instragram (#mjggallery), and Twitter (@mjggallery)
I headed down to URBAN GALLERY (400 Queen St East, Toronto) on an unseasonally bright and sunny Saturday afternoon to attend the opening soiree for local artist JOAN ANDAL ROMANO, whose beautiful and colourful works will hang on the gallery walls until January 9th in her solo show GRATIARUM/GRATEFUL. I had the pleasure of interviewing Joan in between receiving congrats from her friends and family on such a stunning showcase and here’s what she told me about her work and inspirations…
Above, Joan chats with a friend as her young daughter looks on….and below, everyone was snapping pics of Joan and her work.Below, Wayne Abell of UrbanSource Catering enjoys the paintings with KJ Mullins, publisher of Newz4U.net news website.The festive spread by UrbanSource Catering is always a fabulous treat and Joan’s launch event was no exception. I managed to grab a quick pic before it was “appreciated” by hungry gallery guests….…and drinkies were served by Michael (below R) ably assisted by gallery director Calvin Hambrook (below L)Here are more of Joan’s paintings….
And this one already has a RED DOT – SOLD!
This one (below) is my favourite…something about the delicate colour palette, the pretty light yellow background and the pattern of the kimono. What do you think?You can learn more about Joan by visiting her website – http://joanromano.weebly.com/ or why not visit Urban Gallery yourself and view her works in person? Gallery hours: www.urbangallery.ca
But if you’re too busy with Christmas shopping, join me for a quick virtual walkies thru the gallery here:
Last night, FIFE HOUSE presented their annual “Spotlight” concert and fundraising gala (produced by Michael Rubinoff) at the Glenn Gould Studio in downtown Toronto and their guests of honour were the incomparable ANDREA McCARDLE (Broadway’s original Annie) with the equally amazing musical genius SETH RUDETSKY. They chatted about Andrea’s incredible career in musical theatre and Seth accompanied her on piano as she belted out hit after hit. Wow!
My friends at URBANSOURCE CATERING presented platters of the most delicious, scrumptious hors d’oeuvres throughout the pre-concert reception, ferried by an army of friendly servers who kept the goodies coming!Calvin Hambrook, Urban’s Catering & Events Manager, ensured everything went smoothly and he enjoyed schmoozing with the guests, many of whom are long-time clients of Urban. Below, here’s Calvin (l) with Fife Hosue’s Dir. of Development & Communications David Currah (r). Apart from the amazing concert, there was also a fabulous silent auction featuring tons of donated prizes including a framed photo (titled “Quietude” 20” x 30” photoprint on Dibond) by Urban Gallery’s own Kaspara Albertsen, perfect for the festive season….here’s just a few of them:
Even some of Urban Gallery‘s artists donated paintings to the auction including Joan Andal Romano whose show opens next weekend. Below – “Life is Art” (from her Alice Series) 18” x 24” mixed media on canvas…and Nancy Jane Price (below), whose work was on show this past September at Urban Gallery (her donated painting is titled “Together 24” X 24” Acrylic on canvas)Also featured were paintings courtesy of previous Urban exhibitors Janna Kroupko and Brenda Clews (pictured below with Calvin) – her donated artwork was titled “A Spring God” 24″ x 30″ oil on canvas (lower pic) It was truly a great turnout for this event benefiting Fife House whichprovides secure, supportive, affordable housing to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater Toronto Area.
Here are a few more gala pics – see if you can spot anyone you know in the crowd……and more of the great Urban staff …Check out the UrbanSource Catering website for catering ideas for your own swanky soiree: www.urbancatering.com
Thank you to everyone involved for making the FIFE HOUSE “SPOTLIGHT” CONCERT & FUNDRAISING GALA such a success.
What an unexpected pleasure to receive a last-minute invitation to join contemporary artist Linda Langerak last night at the super cool Super Wonder Gallery at 876 Bloor St West, Toronto. The gallery was hosting a show inspired by Rorschach, featuring multiple local artists’ work incorporating the Rorschach inkblot concept and Linda was one of the participating artists (below) with three distinct pieces on show. lankyratcreations.comWhat an explosion of colour! I was blown away by the number of pieces cleverly curated by Daniel Anaka, also an artist himself…and very cuddly, too! (see below)
Photo courtesy Linda Langerak
Below are a few of my fave works that really stood out, and I encourage you all to drop in to see the show yourself – Rorschach runs until Friday Nov. 27th.I must admit there were two pieces that really resonated with me….what do you think of these?
Relianece by Freya Kazemi
Bull Painting 1 by Thelia Shelton. Photo courtesy Linda Langerak
I ran into artist Kris Hamilton who has recently moved to Toronto to pursue her painting career and I loved the two pieces she showed me here..Linda intro’d me to several of her fellow artists whose work also hung on the walls -here’s the handsome and talented Paul Dolgov….And below, here’s the fabulous Gaya Kairos….Meet Michelle Dinelle (below) all colour coordinated with her art…And here’s the super suave Ricardo Silva…So come take a virtual walk thru the gallery with me and enjoy more stunning works…
I caught Linda snapping away, capturing some of her friends’ works….Big THANK YOU to gallery owners Christian Aldo (artist & event booking) and Kevin Bushman (operations/bookings) for hosting such a grand event and supporting local Canadian artists. Super Wonder Gallery is also available for event bookings (live entertainment shows, corporate events, private parties) and is fully licensed so check out their website for details. www.superwondergallery.com
It may have been a dull overcast day in Toronto yesterday but inside Dead Dog Records, 1209 Bloor West, the lights were bright and the music was blasting out “Rock’s Not Dead” by local rock singer/songwriter LAURA ROCK (known as L’Rock to her friends and fans) who dropped in for an in-store promotional visit in support of her current CD, Rock’s Not Dead. http://www.lrockmusic.com/Below, the Newfie-born now Toronto-based Laura was joined by bandmates Les (rhythm guitar) at left and Bleeding Betty (bass) far right with Dead Dog’s Stephen in grey DDR t-shirt.Between 2-4pm, a number of Laura’s friends and fans showed up (below) to support CD sales and buy the super cool Dead Dog Records t-shirts!Work with me people….make the duck face! I’ve been watching way to much America’s Next Top Model…LOLEven celebrities showed up @ Dead Dog Records…here’s my old friend Gemini and 3x Cdn Comedy Award winner George West below with Laura. George and I go waaaaay back to the late 80’s when he was part of a brilliant comedy duo, Al & George, and has since gone on to a successful solo music, writing and acting career. http://georgewesterholm.ca/ In between meetin’ and greetin’ fans, Laura and the band browsed the bins, unearthing all sorts of musical treasures……and I loved the t-shirt rack and lots of other pop-culture merch.
But even tho the store was rockin’, work still had to get done….BIG THANKS to Stephen, Maesy and Kristie of Dead Dog Records for having us in their store. If you love music, esp. vinyl, they can find anything you want or desire. Drop in, spend an hour going thru the racks and bins and I guarantee you will find something you didn’t know you wanted but just had to have! Their website is launching soon but you can follow them here: https://www.facebook.com/deaddogrecordsto
As the Irish Rovers used to sing…wasn’t that a party? Last night friends, family and fans of comic magician GLENN OTTAWAY gathered at the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles in Toronto to raise funds and awareness of Glenn’s encounter with a known scam artist who swindled him out of his life savings in a fraudulent theatre deal. On stage, well-known comedians, magicians and even a pair of mentalists celebrated Glenn’s career and encouraged the audience to dig deep to help Glenn and his depleted bank account. Thanks to comedian/magician Matt Disero, who created the one-night only comedy concert, some of the country’s top headliners volunteered their time and talent, so here’s a brief pictorial account of The Rocky Horror: It’s a Wonderful Life Anyway show.When I arrived at the Revue Theatre, I first ran into the adorable and funny Mini Holmes (below) who was making some last-minute tweaks to her set.Matt took the stage to greet everyone (below) and share a few thoughts about the evening’s meaning and to thank all the acts who came out to support Glenn, and even showed a groovy videotaped message from Canadian music legend, the one and only Gowan, a longtime friend of Glenn’s, then introduced the night’s MC, Mike Bullard.As usual Mike Bullard (below) was brilliant, acerbic and swift to pounce on hecklers and the poor unfortunate man, Kyle, in the front row who became the night’s comedy punching bag!First up was Mike Carbone. I used to book Mike (below) back in the 80’s and always loved his king-of-cool delivery whether he was performing to business crowds, hipsters or in biker bars. Then next up was the amazing and baffling mentalist duo, The Evasons, who confounded the audience, including our man Kyle, (below) with Tessa’s psychic gifts while Jeff sought out the volunteers. They fooled me, that’s for sure.Then Mike brought up another brilliant and baffling sleight of hand artist, David Peck (below)Make way for Mini Holmes and her maxi comedy set…she nailed her set and had us all laughing our asses off! Next up , the dapper and dandy Brian Roberts whose suit hid a multitude of magical mysteries!Brian was followed by Richard Forget (below) who again picked poor Kyle to play along with a card trick that involved some awe-inspiring deck choreography.Young comic sleight of hand artist James Alan (below) took the stage and had us all enthralled with his “dance of the red thimbles”…how did he do that?Then it was time for us to welcome That Canadian Guy…Glen Foster (below). Glen and Glenn has been working together since the 80’s – I frequently booked them into Yuk Yuk’s and for road gigs way back then so last night was a real Glen, Glenn and Glenda kinda night..LOL!Mike then brought the man of the hour up on stage……ladies and gentlemen…Glenn Ottaway. Huge ovation, laughter and quite a few tears! Glenn shared more of his story with us and thanked everyone who helped put the night together as well as the performers. He then presented Matt Disero with a special gift for being the captain of that evening’s ship and we could all see how moved Matt was. Bravo, Mr. Disero, you did good. As the generous folks of The Revue Theatre gently herded us all out afterwards (they had a 9:30 film to show), there were lots of hugs and smiles and I grabbed a few more pics like this one below with “Magic” Mike Segal (left) and Gordon Precious (right).Here’s Mike again with Gordon and Bob Taylor (far right) and a young lady fan of Glenn’s. That Ottaway guy is a real chick magnet!!FYI: Gordon and Bob are both past presidents of the Toronto ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Below, James Alan waves goodbye from backstage…what a charming young performer.Glenn bids farewell to his fans and thanks everyone for coming out.You can follow Glenn here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glenn.ottaway
as well as all the wonderful entertainers who made The Rocky Horror such a success.
URBANSOURCE CATERING is really ending their 30th anniversary year on a high, catering last night’s special VIP reception and screening of the new James Bond flick, “Spectre”, hosted by the British Consulate at College Park in downtown Toronto as part of their “12 Days of Great” promotional campaign.With menu selections such as 00Salmon, License to Grill, Casino Rouelles, Golden Eye mini potatoes, The Spy Who Loved Meat and (my favourite) Thunderballs, the tasty hors d’oeuvres were devoured with enthusiasm by the guests.Desserts were, of course, Goldfingers! Sweet meringue fingers with cream filling. YummmmmUrban’s Catering & Events Consultant, Jean-Marc (below) ensured the guests were never without a glass of wine…….and the folks over at the Belvedere Vodka station (below) were shaking, stirring and smiling as they prepared Mr. Bond’s favourite martinis.There were lots of British-made products on show, including this awesome Norton motorcycle, another of 007’s getaway vehicles of choice. As the event progressed, the velvet rope came down and we were able to get up close and personal with the bike and I was able to capture my own reflection in the shiny tank (2nd pic).
Meet some of the guests…including the fabulous Hilary Farr of “Love It or List It” tv series (3rd pic, ctr) and a lovely lady accompanied by her corgi purse – Her Maj would be proud!The food kept coming and Urban’s cater waiters worked their trays off!
I, too, made a “great” impression on the night and played at soldiers, posing in a Coldstream Guard cardboard cut-out…but I was a bit too short to pass muster (or the head hole was too high)….LOL!
I met a lovely “Bond girl” – one of the Consulate staff who could easily fit 007’s requirements!And look who else was there – the absolutely fabulous TV hosts Colin & Justin !As the party ended, Consul General Kevin McGurgan (below) thanked all the guests & sponsors then encouraged us all to head over to the AMC cinema for the special advance screening of 007’s latest thrilling adventure, Spectre.Thanks to UrbanSource Catering, the catering sponsor, for inviting me to both the party and the exciting screening….yes, Spectre is a must-see for all Bond fans! Enjoy my quickee event video (below)