Tag Archives: Janna Kroupko

URBAN GALLERY OPENS THEIR DELICIOUS “ART OF FOOD” GROUP SHOW

Be prepared to leave hungry when you visit URBAN GALLERY‘s yummy “ART OF FOOD” group show that runs throughout August. The paintings are simply delicious with works featuring both sweet and savory images and some that are even thought-provoking such as Judy Sherman‘s collection of farmyard beasties striking back against their potential farm-to-plate future (below)20180811_134718

20180811_142825Anushka Deshpande‘s art is called “quilling” which is sculpting and rolling paper to create stunning representations of her subjects, like these (I love the tropical cocktail).20180811_135307 20180811_140336 20180811_140257Anushka is pictured above (centre) with (L to R) her husband, a friend, Calvin Hambrook (gallery director) and Allen Shugar (gallery curator).

Lisa Hemeon is best known for her evocative seascapes and you can imagine all the fishies swimming just under the surface, waiting for lines to be cast with big juicy baits. Look closely and imagine dinner just below Lisa’s waves…20180811_134803

Aisha Chiguichon brought wine…or at least a lovely painting of wine…to go with the colourful forks skewering treats for gallery visitors! Aisha is a self-taught visual artist and it’s obvious she delights in her inspirations for this show.20180811_134505URBAN SOURCE CATERING partnered with the gallery to present some real “art” of food – just look at this delicious spread for gallery visitors to enjoy and admire, prepared by executive chef Lyndon Wiebe.20180811_135017 20180811_135035 20180811_13504920180811_135029One of Urban Catering’s previous employees, Valerie J. McMurray, is also an artist of some note. Here is her triptych titled “Spanish Lemons” – you can almost smell the fragrance emanating from her juicy, ripe fruit.20180811_134559Janna Kroupko has previously exhibited at Urban Gallery, both in group and solo shows. Here, her delightful “Cherries” sits elegantly above the buffet table. She’s also an accomplished textile artist and weaver.20180811_134631 CHERRIES 12_ x 12_ oil on canvas by Janna KroupkoUrban Catering’s chef, Lyndon Wiebe, loves photography as well as food and has previously exhibited his photos from tours around the world (Lyndon is one of the chefs featured in the tv series “Chefs Run Wild”). Here he shares a couple of his storefront photos…20180811_134642Popular Toronto artist Kirk Sutherland brought three distinctly different artworks to the show, all featuring his signature colourful imaginative energy.  With titles such as Theatre of Saccharine and Confectionery Planetarium, Kirk’s work fits perfectly into this group show.20180811_134651 20180811_152632Even NEWZ4U editor KJ Mullins was entranced by Kirk’s work! (below)20180811_134709Gallery visitors enjoyed the art, the food and the chance to meet and chat with so many artists…20180811_135621 20180811_145430 20180811_140038ART OF FOOD runs until August 31st at Urban Gallery, 400 Queen St East, Toronto (1 block E of Parliament). For directions and gallery hours visit:  www.urbangallery.ca

UKRAINIAN-CDN ARTIST JANNA KROUPKO LAUNCHES “TAPESTRY” SHOW OF WOVEN ART & PAINTINGS @ URBAN GALLERY

URBAN GALLERY, 400 Queen St East in Toronto, is presenting a unique show over the month of July – the stunning woven art and paintings by JANNA KROUPKO, a Ukrainian-Canadian artist now residing in Toronto. This is Janna’s second show at Urban Gallery and I spoke with curator, Allen Shugar, during yesterday’s launch party.

Bold and colourful, Janna‘s hand-woven textiles and paintings are imbued with the artist’s vibrant energy. She brings her forms to life with her intuitive sense of space, colour and design. Like her 2015 Dreamscapes exhibition at Urban Gallery (pictured below) , these current works show her immense talent and passion for art in nature and the world around us.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABorn in the Ukraine, Janna arrived in Canada in 1997; her artistic career had developed in Kazakhstan working in Fibre Art (Gobelin), oil and acrylic painting, and interior design. Her works range from miniatures to multi-panel installations, and can be found in public collections, museums, and institutions in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, and in private collections all over the world.20160709_142839 20160709_145123Janna welcomed a number of fellow artists to her opening, including painter Erik Chong and sculptor Olga Nabatova (pictured below)…20160709_143112 20160709_145341Apart from Janna’s large woven pieces, she is also showcasing a number of miniatures that are quite charming……20160709_142930(0) 20160709_142938Everyone seemed attracted to this stunning colourful vertical tapestry (below) so I took a close-up to show the intricacy of Janna’s work.20160709_143017 20160709_145111And here are some more close-ups of her hand-woven art….20160709_143054 20160709_143609For gallery hours, details on this show and other upcoming events, visit www.urbangallery.ca20160709_142901 20160709_142831

URBAN GALLERY UNVEILS STUNNING PAINTINGS BY UKRAINIAN-BORN ARTIST JANNA KROUPKO

Oh my, these paintings took my breath away! I arrived this evening just as Urban Gallery was opening its doors, and walking in to the empty gallery I was able to take in the full power and glory of Ukrainian-born artist JANNA KROUPKO‘s colourful exuberant work.

20150709_170352 20150709_170328 20150709_170437Janna arrived amidst hugs and congratulations from a happy group of friends and admirers, one of whom presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (below) to mark the opening of her month-long exhibition titled “Dreamscapes”.

20150709_170239 20150709_173650The paintings in Dreamscapes represent the painter’s vision of a dream-like fantasy world of flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon in America’s southwest.

20150709_173739 20150709_170455Born in the Ukraine and emigrating to Canada in 1997, Janna Kroupko graduated MFA from the Moldavian State Academy of Fine Arts & Design. Her artistic career developed in Kazakhstan working in fibre art (Gobelin), oil and acrylic painting, and interior design. Her works range from miniatures to multi-panel installations, and can be found in public collections, museums, and institutions in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, and in private collections all over the world.

20150709_174422Fellow artist Olga Nabatova (above right, with Janna) dropped by to add her congratulations, as did artist, poet and performance artist, Brenda Clews (below) with performance artist and painter Philip Cairns.

20150709_182636My personal favourite was this one (below) featuring wild horses galloping, snorting and grazing across the canvas. Stunning in person.

20150709_170425The gallery was all a-buzz when Britney Townsend from snapd newspaper dropped in to snap a few pics (below)

20150709_182156The gallery even hosted a celebrity or two, like Alexa Petrenko of Classical 96.3 FM radio fame, shown below (left) enjoying the art with Olga as Britney snapped them for next month’s issue of “snapd Cabbagetown”.

20150709_181536Janna posed below with gallery curator, Allen Shugar….

20150709_170903…and with some of her closest friends (below).

20150709_180205Gallery director Calvin Hambrook enjoyed meeting Janna’s friends, too (below)

20150709_175742Everyone enjoyed the hospitality and there was lots of interest in her work so hopefully there’ll be a few red dots next to Janna’s paintings soon.20150709_170940

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20150709_171636 20150709_173633Dreamscapes runs through to July 25th at URBAN GALLERY, 400 Queen St East, Toronto. www.urbangallery.ca
Gallery hours:
Noon to 5pm Monday through Saturday
Noon to 8pm Thursdays
Closed Sundays & Holidays

20150709_174110Thank you for supporting local Canadian artists!