Tag Archives: Toronto tourism

URBAN GALLERY’S “VISIONS OF TORONTO” GROUP SHOW LAUNCHES TO A PACKED HOUSE!

Last night, I was thrilled to see so many art fans and collectors in attendance when URBAN GALLERY, 400 Queen St East, Toronto, launched their annual group show. This year, the focus was on our own city – Visions of Toronto features paintings and photographic art showcasing the city’s stunning streetscapes, waterfront and familiar views interpreted in multiple mediums. Here’s gallery curator Allen Shugar to explain…..

I took a stroll around the gallery prior to the doors being opened so I could take some pics of the artwork…. …then I ran into some of the artists arriving early. Here’s Nik Buczok whose “View from a Mimico Balcony” photo features a sweeping view of the Toronto skyline from the west. And gallery favourite Erik Chong (below) brought his intricate view of the CN Tower titled “The Six Phenomenon 2016”

Celebrity chef and photographer Lyndon Wiebe showed 2 photographs printed on linen. They looked like hyper-realistic paintings – I particularly liked the blustery harbourfront winter shot.Lindsey MacKay has 2 pieces in the show – below is her “Gooderham” painting (below)…most Torontonians will recognize this spot.Ian Strulovitch is pictured below with his “Passing By #2” metallic print on plexiglass which shows a subway train in full flight! I watched as the gallery guests stood in front and shared their own interpretations of this piece. Exciting!One of the big hits of the show is “Union” an oil on canvas b&w graphic by Colin Nun (below). Is it an optical illusion or is it a name? Well, maybe both. It’s inspired by Union Station…see if you can read it.…many of the guests posed with Union including fellow artist Erik and famed blogger Vernon Chang a.k.a. MoVernie (bottom pic) who said it was his fave painting of the show. Urban Gallery was thrilled to welcome Larry Ostola, Director, Museums & Heritage Services and the Acting Director, Arts & Culture Services, Economic Development & Culture for the City of Toronto. Below, curator Allen shares his thoughts on the Toronto art scene with Larry and bottom, gallery owner Calvin tells Larry about the gallery’s commitment to supporting local artists.

Let’s take a quick 360 degree walk-thru….

It certainly was a night to remember for the participating artists With prices ranging from $375 to $3,400, Visions of Toronto runs throughout the month of August – if you’d like to view the art in person (and maybe pick up a piece or two), check the website for hours: www.urbangallery.ca

Congratulations to Calvin, Allen and Wayne for such a successful launch!

“EVENING @ THE MARKET” RAISES FUNDS & AWARENESS FOR FOOD SHARE

Last night, I over-indulged in some of Toronto’s yummiest food and beverages, thanks to a last-minute invitation from KJ Mullins, publisher of www.newz4u.net. The event was Evening at the Market (hosted at the St. Lawrence Market) to benefit Food Share (foodshare.net) a non-profit organization that works with communities and schools here in Toronto to deliver healthy food and food education.

All the market vendors shared samples of their products with the crowds of eager foodies and I was thrilled to sample my favourite peameal bacon sandwiches from Paddington’s and Portuguese custard tarts from another fave store (lower 2 pics)

I always visit Peter’s Natural Health Foods (below) to buy my raw redskin peanuts – the only place in town I can find them. I enjoyed meeting the folks at Urban Fresh Produce, a brand new store in the Market. OMG, their samples were soooo deelish. And the salmon hors d’oeuvres across the aisle were tasty, too.So many fabulous treats, thank goodness I wore my stretchy pants…LOL! KJ and I found the ladies from Baci chocolates and spent a very long time taste-testing!! …followed by a nice shot of espresso, which meant I was up watching TV infomercials late into the wee small hours…yaaaawn!KJ just had to have one more dessert so we visited the lovely lady downstairs with the yummy macaroons.

Stonemill Bakehouse (below) offered so many different pastry and bread samples, it was hard to choose…Earlier in the evening, it was easy to belly up to the oyster bar at Seafront Fish Market (below), but by the time we left (around 9:30pm), the aisles were jam packed and I couldn’t even back up enough to take a picture. Glad I snapped this one before the hordes of foodies arrived!Thanks to the folks at the St. Lawrence Market for a fantastic event, and to all the friendly volunteers from Food Share who managed the soiree with elegant aplomb!

ANDY WARHOL: REVISITED

It was Saturday afternoon of this long weekend…I was bored, wandering around Yorkville just window shopping and bemoaning the fact that I had no “play money” (it’s rent weekend, big phone & internet bills to pay…blast it) I then suddenly remembered…Warhol! Yes, there’s a pop-up gallery that’s taken over the old Guess boutique space on Bloor St just west of Bay, featuring paintings and prints from the most prolific and important artist of the 60’s and 70’s…Andy Warhol.Most people have seen his “Marilyn Monroe” series at least one time or another and yes, she’s there in all her glory, but there are also many other brilliantly coloured works of art featuring political leaders, royalty and society mavens, as well as his advertising images, paintings of Hollywood divas and cartoon characters…all are represented in the space, thanks to Ron Rivlin’s Revolver Gallery.

One jaw-dropping image that stopped me in my tracks almost as soon as I walked in was a painting I was not familiar with…Red Lenin (below). This bright red image looms large over one section of the gallery and I felt pulled right in to his eyes – quite hypnotic.Next to Lenin is this gorgeous Alexander the Great painting (below) which I was also unfamiliar with.

Then there were the socialites, the men who made million$ and spent million$, who supported Andy with commissions and entertained him at chi-chi soirees and Club 54 (below). I surprised myself by recognizing many of the names…then realized how damned old I am that I actually remember who these guys were!!

I had forgotten Andy’s “wild west” series that included Geronimo, Col. Custer, Sitting Bull and “The Duke” who took centre spot on this wall (below). The portrait of Teddy Roosevelt, tho, looked disturbingly like Robin Williams in Night at the Museum but I soon realized just how important an artist Warhol was, considering major movie stars still fashion their on-screen characterizations after his work.

Muhammad Ali was there, as were Judy Garland and Ronald Reagan…even Uncle Sam and the Wicked Witch of the West are on display….

But for me, the piece de resistance had to be the giant Mickey Mouse portrait….although I’m not a big Disney fan, I had purchased a museum quality print of Warhol’s Mickey back in the early 80’s. There was something very endearing and magical about it and the original didn’t disappoint, with some sparklies in the background paint and his big silly smile -I fell in love all over again with my own Mickey.

As you can see (above), Mickey was in great company surrounded by Aunt Jemima, Howdy Doody and Andy himself!

All hail Her Maj!

Blue Mao...part of a series of Mao Andy painted in various bright colours. Very provocative at the time.

Blue Mao…part of a series of Mao that Andy painted in various bright colours. Very provocative at the time.

The Revolver Gallery at 77 Bloor St West, Toronto, will showcase these incredible works of art until December 31st, with general admission tickets $10 (Seniors $8, Students and Youth $5) and VIP passes for $30 (lots of perks and return visits incl.). If you love art or simply have a soul(!), you MUST go visit in person.

And a big thank you to Korbin and his crew of knowledgeable art interns who guided me thru the exhibit.

Great gift shop with tons of cool souvenirs

And here’s my very own Warhol poster, purchased during the 1982 Hamburg, Germany, exhibition. He’s freshly dusted off and awaiting a re-hang; now if only I could find some space on my walls….

For more info on ANDY WARHOL’s work and life, please visit: www.artsy.net/artist/andy-warhol

URBAN GALLERY FEATURES 4 TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR CONTACT FESTIVAL

Every May, Toronto’s galleries host talented photographic artists as part of the annual CONTACT Photography Festival and this year, URBAN GALLERY at 400 Queen St East, is pleased to present OUTSIDE IN, a group show featuring 4 Canadian photographers whose works explore landscapes both familiar and exotic. Their images reveal the extraordinary in the world around us, bringing the outside in.

This afternoon I attended the opening reception and met all four photographers whose beautiful images will grace the walls of this downtown gallery until the end of the month.

Julia Lehmann (below) was born in The Netherlands, raised in Germany and now makes Montréal, Quebec, her home base, travelling and photographing the world. She states “the best way to capture life is through photography.” [www.jklehmann.com]

Toronto photographer Kaspara Albertsen (below) studied performing arts in Norway and continued her studies at Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University where she discovered her passion for photography. Dimitri Traganis (below) is an Oshawa, Ontario, fine art photographer whose passion is capturing the beauty in nature and people all around the world. “It’s a beautiful way to see the world – through the camera’s eye”. [www.dimitritraganis.com ]

A lifelong photographer, Toronto-based Kathie Tutter (below) studied at Parsons School of Design in Paris, and later graduated from the photography program at OCAD in Toronto, Ontario.

The gallery soon filled up with artists’ friends and family as well as CONTACT festival attendees, all appreciating the fine works of photographic art. Artist, poet and performance artist Brenda Clews (below) dropped by, too. Brenda hosts monthly poetry salons in the gallery so watch for the announcement of her May soiree.

If you enjoy photography, especially beautiful landscapes, do drop into Urban Gallery to view these stunning photos for yourself. For gallery hours and information, visit: www.UrbanGallery.ca

IGNITE MAGAZINE / CANADIAN SPECIAL EVENTS TRADE SHOW INTRO’S LOTS OF COOL SERVICES AND …. STUFF!

Every year, several special events, meetings and incentives organizations host industry expos featuring speakers, workshops, panels and great trade show floors featuring lots of vendors with event venues, catering, nic-nacs and logowear, everything an event planner could wish for. This year, Ignite Magazine and the Canadian Special Events organizations combined forces and held a joint business expo at the Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre and yesterday, I had a blast wandering the aisles discovering new businesses and products, so come walk the trade show floor with me….

I was greeted by the pretty showgirl working the Hart Entertainment booth http://www.hartentertainment.com/ – a lovely way to start things off with a great big smile, eh?

As I was one of the first people there, I was able to navigate the hall quickly and see how they set up the performance stage…then I turned around to be greeted by the “town crier”. Hear ye, hear ye! Loved the aqua blue and white of the Iris Blu booth below http://irisblu.ca/ and I even won a prize by picking a rose so I now have a discount off their event services (okay clients, who wants to take advantage of this?).

It was time for “breakfast” so I shuffled on over to the PAL Insurance sponsored candy bar to enjoy a Cinnabon…..flavoured vodka shot!!!! LOL (hic)…never do this on an empty tummy (hic)

Thank you to the ladies of PAL Insurance Brokers (below) http://www.palcanada.com/en/

The crazy folks at PartyPix (below) did a great job of entertaining everyone with their interactive customized photobooths. http://partypix.ca/

I just loved the mystical space that Eclectic Events created …only wish I’d had enough time to enjoy a woodland massage. But I did meet the talented glass sculptor, John (bottom pic), who created lots of cute animals…and he kindly gave me a dragon!! http://www.eclecticevents.com/

Always a favourite must-taste exhibitor was the Ninutik maple syrup food artisans (below) ..oh so sweet and deelish! Great for catering fancy-schmancy soirees and they even have gift packages. http://www.ninutik.com/store/home2.php

One of the nicest, funniest and coolest magicians working the corporate and party circuit, Mike D’urso. I highly recommend Mike for all your magical needs! http://www.megamagic.ca/

The Snapshot Photobooth people intro’d their new “Hashtag printer station” enabling events to brand their guests’ Instagram photos. Great marketing opps. http://snapshotphotobooth.com/

An old industry friend, Raviv Krikunets, has just joined another design and events mgm’t firm R5 Events, and I was blown away by his beautiful set-up…wow, check it out below. http://www.r5e.ca/

And here’s Denise and Anna of Lucky Strike Lanes ( below) who always make the trade show fun….http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/

Here’s a new talent supplier – Genevieve Demerchant of You Will Love it Live! She brought in musicians & a magician to entertain the event planners (below)…and they did a great job. http://www.youwillloveitlive.com/

Aussie Aussie Aussie…oy oy oy! That’s our “war cry” when Aussies meet each other and here I ran into Kristen Thomason, originally from Melbourne, who is Dir. of Sales for the exciting new iFLY – the indoor skydiving venue out in Oakville. I really wanna try this out – looks like so much fun. http://iflytoronto.com/

Knights and wenches and swords, oh my! Medieval Times was there, too, and I can never say no to a knight with such a big….sword! The saucy wench kept him in line, tho. http://www.medievaltimes.com/toronto.aspx

Nice to run into Kris and Maria, the sales reps for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (below). I enjoyed a nice cuppa coffee and a 20min. rest in their relaxation seating area. http://www.mtccc.com/?m=0&t=0&c=1

Have you ever been to Moncton? I have and I love it…the people are so friendly, great facilities, fantastic downtown waterfront. Nice rep. at the City of Moncton booth reminded me what a great place it is to visit either with a business group or on a personal adventure. http://www.moncton.ca/page4.aspx

Clearwater and St. Pete’s are two of my favourite places for a quick vacay from the cruel (and long) Toronto winters, and the ladies at this booth certainly made me feel welcome. http://meetamplified.com/

Michelle of Northwest Territories Tourism (below) welcomed me to her spectacular booth…think I may have to visit myself soon. I wanna see the northern lights before I croak so I’ve just added Michelle to my bucket-list!! http://spectacularnwt.com/

Here’s a great idea for team-building fun – the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts offers group candy & sweetie making events. Chef Michael J. Smith (pictured below with events coord. Esther) was doing whisky tastings and food infusions…yumm…hic! http://bonniegordoncollege.com/

Lots more to see and do at the show…

…but I had the most fun at the Ripley’s Aquarium Canada booth where they fed me to the sharks! www.RipleysAquariumCanada.com

Many thanks to the organizers for presenting a great trade show.

www.ignitemag.ca & www.canadianspecialevents.com

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.