Tag Archives: Toronto artists

A GRACE-FULL ART SHOW IN TORONTO

I was thrilled to attend last night’s launch party for the new KELLY GRACE art exhibition and sale hosted by the lovely folks at Eleven Hair Salon at 11 Irwin Ave in downtown Toronto.

I’ve been a fan of Kelly’s for a few years now, ever since discovering her at one of the big art shows in Toronto where I purchased one of her unique miniature as a gift for one of my filmmaker clients (picture of an old-school moviegoer kid eating popcorn). I’ve been waiting to find the perfect picture for my own wall ever since. There were so many cool pics to choose from last night….if you’re a fan of the Wizard of Oz, you’ll love her Oz collection (below)… all the characters and Toto, too!

And Kelly’s friends are all featured in her various lifestyles collections – well executed illustrations of everyday life that are so much fun and real conversation pieces….

Several of her picture subjects were in attendance when I arrived early – and of course we all made a beeline for the bar…..shampoo, blow-dry and a merlot, please!

The salon itself was fun to check out…and everywhere I looked, the mirrors reflected Kelly’s art. Cool, eh?

Mikah Styles does wigs for Toronto’s glitterati and movies so if you’d like a cut, colour or wig styled, visit them at http://www.mikahstyleswigworld.com/

Well, I finally found the Kelly Grace artwork that just HAD to come home with me…a stunning pop-portrait of another Kelly…Grace Kelly (below), so I did my bit to $upport this local artist and now Princess Grace is here with me waiting to find the perfect spot on my office wall.

If you’d like to check out Kelly’s work, visit her website: http://kellective.com/ or better still, come on down to Eleven Salon at 11 Irwin Avenue (a few blocks south of Bloor, west off Yonge) where Kelly’s show runs through end of May.

GREAT ARTWORK SHOWCASED @ “LOVE ART FAIR” in TORONTO THIS WEEKEND.

There was such a crush of art aficionados at the VIP/media preview last night at the LOVE ART FAIR http://www.loveartfair.com/toronto/ taking place this weekend in the Heritage Court of the Direct Energy Centre at the Exhibition Grounds in Toronto.

I was thrilled to run into artist friend Stewart Jones (below) who left the city for the wide open spaces of Wellington County last year (http://www.stewartjones.ca/ ) …….

….and Mark Gleberzon of MJG Gallery (below) in Toronto who was busy chatting with media and fans ( http://mjggallery.com/ ).

One of the first booths that stopped me in my tracks was The Art Shop, a Dutch gallery representing a variety of artists whose work encompasses several mediums and styles (pictured below) http://theartshop.nl/en

Then I found the Forest Rain Gallery from Singapore representing numerous exciting contemporary artists from China and South Asia (below). http://forestraingallery.com/

BBAM! Gallery from Montreal offered some amusing (and sexy) paintings that would look fab in any “man cave” http://www.bbamgallery.com/

I enjoyed meeting the lovely senorita who managed the Galeria Standarte (Madrid) booth. She was so enthusiastic about her artists showcased here in Toronto, her joy was infectious. Aren’t these fabulous? http://galeriastandarte.com/

akasha art projects inc. is a great gallery and framing studio located at 511 Church Street in Toronto. Mark Gleberzon had previously told me about them and after meeting the ladies at the show and seeing their framing work, I must say, this is a must for all art collectors looking for unique framing. http://akashaart.com/

I really liked the work of Peter A. Barelkowski and Frances Patella (pictured below) who proudly showcased their work….so nice to speak directly with individual artists like these. Please check out their portfolios at www.peterbarelkowski.com and www.francespatella.com

The Workman Collective booth http://www.workmancollective.com/ hosted three handsome artists (below) – Joe Sampson, Adam Colangelo and Michael Toole. The gallery is located at 1655 Dupont in Toronto so I definitely recommend a visit there to see their stunning works in person if you can’t make it out to the LoveArtFair.

I really liked the work represented by Maine-based Carver Hill Gallery, especially Rose Umerlik (Pics 1+2 below) and Megan Hinton (3rd pic) http://www.carverhillgallery.com/

Fibre artist Sheila Thompson showcased a beautiful felt piece, complete with porcupine quills (pic 2) and photographer Lori Ryerson posed proudly under one of her large format photos (pic 3 below).

www.sheilathompson.ca

www.focalocity.ca

So many cool artists are represented here…I wish I had lots of $s and a ton of wall space! I really recommend you visit this show and I thank you for supporting the Canadian and international artists!

http://www.loveartfair.com/toronto/

URBAN GALLERY’S LATEST SHOW “EVOKE” CERTAINLY DOES PROVOKE!

Last night I attended the opening reception for EVOKE, Urban Gallery‘s current show featuring painter LINDA LANGERAK and sculptor SANDRA BILAWICH.

It’s the perfect antidote to the grey miserable unseasonal weather we’ve been experiencing here in Toronto – the bright colours explode off the canvasses and the tactile sculptures engage and amaze gallery visitors.

Linda (below) showed off a riot of colour and movement in her latest work and it was fun to stand in front of each piece and look for hidden images.

Journalists from Novella arts/lifestyle magazine (www.novellamag.com) also enjoyed the artwork and here they are, Tanya and Bojana, with Linda (below)

Sandra also enjoyed meeting the Novella ladies (below)….

and showing her work to other gallery visitors….

Sandra’s work included metal and marble carvings of nature, some of which you could actually spin on their stands…

….as well as some humorous pieces incorporating musical instruments (below)

Internationally renowned flutist Ron Korb dropped in and was fascinated by the vintage flute inside the skeletal “judy”….

..and Ron also enjoyed meeting Erik Chong (below), another artist who recently showed his work at Urban Gallery, who dropped by to support Linda and Sandra.

I caught gallery curator, Allen Shugar (below), here proudly watching the guests stroll through the gallery, viewing all the pieces he laid out for the artists.

Although the rain poured down outside, the gallery was buzzing with inspired happy guests…

EVOKE runs through end of April.

Please visit the gallery’s website for hours/dates: www.UrbanGallery.ca and visit each artist’s website to see their portfolio of works.

Linda Langerak http://www.lankyratcreations.com/paintings—2014.html

Sandra Bilawich http://elementaldesigns.org/

I VISIT PLAYDEAD CULT BOUTIQUE & GALLERY in TORONTO

One of us…one of us! I LOVE all things Playdead Cult – fashion, furniture, art – all done by artist & musician Stu Andrenelli who I’ve known for many years since buying one of his original paintings right off the wall of the old Shanghai Cowgirl diner on Queen Street W back when the neighbourhood was still groovy and the hipsters were still….well, hip.

Since then, I’ve added numerous pieces to my collection of original edgy art and watched Playdead Cult grow from a niche fashion and art boutique into a thriving design business, bringing a real sense of edgy cool to Toronto’s indie culture. Stu (pictured below) is also an accomplished musician – he’s the drummer of Toronto alt. rock band A Primitive Evolution (A.P.E.).

Playdead Cult was originally headquartered in a vintage auto body shop near Queen & Dufferin where Stu and then-partner Bean created art and fashion designs using the Playdead Cult logo/brand as the key element. Playdead then moved into a Kensington Market store where they built a loyal following among the artsy-fartsy market set, as well as attracting numerous recording artists and TV personalities such as George Stroumboulopoulos who is frequently seen sporting a Playdead Cult t-shirt.

Last year, Stu decided to bring Playdead Cult back to Queen West and found a great (and much larger) store at 1696 Queen West, just East of Roncesvalles, and after a grand opening party, has steadily been building an even more fascinating, engaging and intriguing identity….as soon as I walked in today I felt at home in this playful pandora’s box of a store/gallery surrounded by a riot of art, clothing, re-purposed furniture, toys, nic-nacs and even customized guitars. Check it out…..

One of my favourite art groupings are these insane customized Playdead Barbie heads (below) – d’you remember back in the80’s when little girls would style Barbie’s hair on these things? Yikes.

Speaking of hair do’s….Playdead Cult also has a very comfortable vintage shampoo chair and cut’n’style work station on-site (below) for any last minute ‘dos, too.

Stu has recently designed and decorated a local hair salon and diner so he’s now set to give Colin & Justin a run for their decorating dollars!!

Playdead Cult offers so many unique art pieces – great furnishings for your loft, condo or mum’s basement! Look at this sexy coffee table (below) which started out life as a old fashioned luggage trolley – Stu refinished and polished it up and made it into something a little less “in yer face” for the more conservative buyer. The skulls and stripes kerchief makes a great doily, dontcha think?

I just had to pick up one of Stu’s miniatures (pictured below) to add to my collection – it’s the middle heart & skulls on the bottom row, and it’s now hanging happily on my wall at home.

Big thank you to Stu and his colleague, Brett (pictured below L to R) who showed me around the new store. I suggest you allow yourself at least an hour to go thru all the shelves, looking at every little treasure in every nook and cranny. Check every inch of wall space for the unusual original artwork and definitely go thru the clothing racks

Playdead Cult Boutique & Gallery

Clothing, art and events for the black collar worker!

1696 Queen St West

https://www.playdeadcult.com

https://www.facebook.com/playdeadcult