Tag Archives: contemporary paintings

URBAN GALLERY LAUNCHES “FACADE”, THE FIRST SOLO SHOW BY OSVALDO NAPOLI

This past Saturday, Toronto’s URBAN GALLERY proudly introduced a new artist – OSVALDO (Ozzie) NAPOLI – whose solo show FAÇADE caused quite the stir with stunning wire sculptures and paintings.  Ozzie was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, migrated to Toronto in 1975 and now resides in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  He attended the Ontario College of Art & design (OCAD) in the 80’s and took courses in the Art Department at Central Technical School; he was also mentored by long-time friend and legendary Canadian bronze sculptor, Sorel Etrog.

Ozzie (R) with gallery curator Allen Shugar

Ozzie (R) with gallery curator Allen Shugar

I’ll let Ozzie tell you about his work in his own words…

Artist’s Statement: I am mainly self-taught and I express myself through sculpture and painting, and a combination of both disciplines. I’m taken by the three-dimensional world and the beauty of the human form and social condition. The inspiration behind all of my work is people in general and the intricacies of social behaviour. I am fascinated by the complexity of the human mind and the mysteries about how we all perceive reality.  I’m particularly interested in the superficialities that can be presented and at the same time considering what else might be there beyond appearances.  I use art as a platform to communicate with the world and examine the humanity within us. ~ Osvaldo Napoli20181006_142319 20181006_142936Ozzie welcomed many art loving friends and was interviewed by KJ Mullins, publisher of NEWZ4U.ca (pictured below with Ozzie).20181006_142855 20181006_142328Ozzie presented several large pieces and free standing sculptures as well as a series of smaller artworks comprised of wire, acrylic paint, modelling wax and other mediums that caught many an eye….20181006_150836 20181006_142235 20181006_152543…here are a few in close-up. 20181006_144813 20181006_144536 20181006_144804 20181006_144824 20181006_153659….. more examples of Ozzie’s unique and intricate metal work and molding – so much to see in each piece and each has a story behind it:20181006_144657 20181006_144708 20181006_142245 20181006_143448 20181006_143455And even more free-standing figures (below)…plus one of the gallery visitors looking eye-to-eye with one mysterious metallic creature:20181006_142254 20181006_14244920181006_153407Not only did gallery visitors love looking at all the artwork, they were also thrilled to pose with the artist!20181006_150845 20181006_153302(0) 20181006_150703Below, Ozzie’s wife, France (below, centre) with family friends who dropped in to cheer on Ozzie at his first ever solo show.20181006_15324620181006_154300 If you’re weren’t able to attend the opening reception, Ozzie will be present in the gallery on 3 additional dates:
Meet the artist: Saturday Oct. 13 • 2pm to 4pm
2nd Reception: Saturday Oct. 20 • 3pm to 6pm
Meet the artist Pt II: Saturday Oct. 27 • 2pm to 4pm

FAÇADE, Solo exhibition by OSVALDO NAPOLI runs October 4 to October 27, 2018 atUG-Letterhead-BCAnd here is Ozzie’s tribute in bronze to his long-time friend and mentor, Sorel Etrog:20181006_142239

TORONTO ARTIST JOHNY DELUNA READY TO LAUNCH SOLO SHOW “SPONTANEOUS LEVITATION” THIS THURSDAY

With a final few brushstrokes left and the selection of which painting goes where on the gallery walls, Toronto contemporary artist JOHNY DELUNA is just a few days away from launching his exciting new solo show, “Spontaneous Levitation”, at the Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas St West (opp. the AGO).

I caught up with Johny over the weekend and asked him to share some last-minute thoughts on his new show….

As your solo show, Spontaneous Levitation, draws closer, how many new works of art will be represented at the show?  I will be showing about 10 new works from this year and about 15 works from prior years.img442From where have you drawn inspiration for these new canvases?  The genesis of most paintings starts with one small event or observation My inspirations come from observations of the human condition.  I try to depict the fragility of our lives, the unusual effects of random events, the consequences of our behavior.  It seems that issues rarely disappear they simply re-emerge in a modified form. I want to articulate these ideas in a new and fresh way, so I let the work express itself intuitively. Sometimes I don’t recognize the finished piece as mine. (No Free Lunch, below).No Free Lunch 36x48Can you share the story behind one or two of these new masterworks? The piece titled Eating Spaghetti With Scissors (below) is based on our need to add unnecessary complexity to our lives. Perhaps this complexity gives us comfort, the feeling that our life is richer and better.  I think we mistake motion with progress and quantity with quality.  When we can’t answer an important question with a straight answer, we fake it with circuitous logic. We vigorously defend this opinion with a mind numbing jumble of half baked ‘truths’, opinions, rumors and petty biases. We end up ‘going to the wall’ defending these opinions; opinions that that we don’t fully understand ourselves.Eating Spaghetti With Scissors acrylic on canvas 34 x 48What would you like gallery visitors to come away with after viewing your work?  I hope people will find the show to be very fresh, humorous and thought-provoking.  I hope the works will speak to each person in their own way. I hope visitors will encourage their friends to visit the show as well.art squCome meet Johny at his opening reception and view his provocative large-format paintings (acrylic on canvas) this Thursday June 8th (6-9pm) at Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas St West, Toronto. Show runs until June 19th.

 

ARTIST COLIN NUN UNVEILS SOLO SHOW “PROTOTYPE” @ URBAN GALLERY, TORONTO

Last year, artist COLIN NUN displayed his typographical painting “Union” during Urban Gallery‘s annual group show and it turned out to be the show-stopper of the exhibit (see below).20160804_191109This month, Toronto’s URBAN GALLERY proudly presents Colin’s solo show “Prototype” featuring his unique and intricate paintings including a smaller version of his popular painting from last year, this time titled “Union II” (below)20170408_134424As I wandered around the gallery, each painting threw down the challenge “read me” – so standing back and squinting a little, each painting became the word and the meaning. A recipient of an Ontario Arts Council grant, Colin’s work is fascinating and I was intrigued by a smaller piece, a 12″x 12″ gouache on paper titled “Coop” – the more I looked at it, the more I related to the meaning of the word. Hopefully I can afford to put a red dot alongside it within the next week or two. Sold!20170408_134842Colin has a number of big bold paintings such as “Crux”, “Cycle” and “Barber” (below)20170408_134626 20170408_134817 20170408_134807…and I especially liked his “Void” – can you see the word on the canvas below?20170408_134502Colin’s proud dad, Frank (below, right) brought along some family friends and they gravitated towards his large canvas titled “Deluxe”. 20170408_140418Colin’s twin sister Erin also dropped in to support her brother – here she is enjoying some refreshments along with the artwork (below).20170408_142512These super cool dudes, all friends of Colin’s, dropped in and added their thumbs-up to the show…20170408_14501920170408_140740…especially his buddy Frank who seems to have a personal connection to “Cream” (below).  In order to maintained his dignity and integrity, tho, I employed my “don’t ask, don’t tell” interview style with him…LOL!20170408_140806(0)Let’s watch now as Colin tells us all about his work….

Gallery curator, Allen Shugar (below L) enjoyed hanging this show and he spent some time chatting with Colin during the reception.20170408_144812Two of my fave pieces are “Joy” and “Silence” – each is subtle and the texture Colin achieved with the oil paint makes them both very tactile (but I restrained myself and kept my hands to myself!)20170408_134518 20170408_134522 20170408_135003 20170408_135006Colin shared his creative insights with gallery guests and he attracted attention from fellow artist Erik Chong (2nd pic below)…20170408_142428 20170408_142627 20170408_150106If you’re looking for an exciting gallery experience, definitely consider dropping into Urban Gallery while Colin’s work is on display. All paintings are very affordable for the budding art collector, and each is mind-expanding and visually challenging.  You can learn more about Colin at:  www.fineart.colinnun.com/20170408_134413 20170408_134443 20170408_134855Urban Gallery is located at 400 Queen St East (just E of Parliament) Toronto. Hours and directions here: www.UrbanGallery.ca   And please do follow the gallery on Instagram and upload pics of your visit to Colin’s show (just like these two guests) @UrbanGalleryTO20170408_150416(0)

ARTIST LINDA LANGERAK INTRO’S ME TO SUPER WONDER GALLERY, TORONTO

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.com20151121_203325 20151121_203916What 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

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.20151121_203042 20151121_203821 20151121_212357I must admit there were two pieces that really resonated with me….what do you think of these?

Relianece by Freya Kazemi

Relianece by Freya Kazemi

Bull Painting 1 by Thelia Shelton. Photo courtesy Linda Langerak

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..20151121_204101Linda intro’d me to several of her fellow artists whose work also hung on the walls -here’s the handsome and talented Paul Dolgov….Paul DolgovAnd below, here’s the fabulous Gaya Kairos….Gaya KairosMeet Michelle Dinelle (below) all colour coordinated with her art…Michelle DinelleAnd here’s the super suave Ricardo SilvaRicaro SilvaSo come take a virtual walk thru the gallery with me and enjoy more stunning works…20151121_204304
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20151121_212722I caught Linda snapping away, capturing some of her friends’ works….20151121_203201Big 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.com20151121_213343