G A L L E R Y
A R C T U R U S
Daniel Hanequand had direct experience of war. Some years after surviving that experience he made these
pieces, eight in total. We did not have occasion to meet him but we met his wife, Maria Carla, and she
bequeathed some of his work to us. I think that we are living in a time when we need to reflect upon the
madness and sacrifice of war. It is a privilege to be able to show this work which does not champion
political sides but instead awakes us to the enormous cost to all of us if we allow ourselves to be infected
by hate.
Collage by deborah harris
Collage by Eron Boyd
Today's inquiry... what is skill , the ability , through repeated practice to do something well, what part does skill play in all creative endeavors and
what is that other part, the mysterious inspiration which sparks that skill.
A ship takes skill to build, the skill and strength of many workers.
A wave does not take skill, a wave happens.
Today we added three paintings to the Genesis Gallery.
As is happens when you add or subtract one object everything must shift,
and so it was.
In the top image we hung 'Awakening' by Andrea Maguire
In the context of 'moved by the invisible' it seems to be the spirit which animates the figure in the black kimono.
In the middle image we see 'Fairgrounds' by Chris Langsthroth.
In this painting there are seven figures walking together.
The pillars behind by Ramona Zoladek seem to emerge from the strokes of paint.
There are also seven figures in the painting 'Returning Home' by deborah harris.
All the figures have perhaps left what appeared to be the 'ark'.
They have landed and disembarked to begin another part of the journey.
Floyd Kuptana drawing his line in the studio some years ago
Collage by deborah harris
The day that I received this photo from Sae (still in Japan) I had a conversation about planes and how
I could not be complacent about how strange and extraordinary it is that we can make something so
huge and make it float in the air. I thought that if I could make an image of whales in the sky perhaps
it would remind us. Sae sent me this image in reverse, the reflection was not as obvious because
it was upside down but when we turned it around it became the image I had imagined.
Mount Fuji as seen from Ashigar-toge Pass, north -east of Odawara, Japan.
Today the sun came out!
I don/t want to blame Sae's visit to Japan for our lack of sunshine but...
Sae and I made these two collages simultaneously, sitting across from each other.
While we always do everything exactly opposite there is also always a connecting feeling.
In the blue collage the figure or being is looking directly at you the viewer, there is a relationship
between you and the creature. In the cactus collage the two figures are looking at each other,
we are witness to them and we can see that the feeling is gentle and direct. The expression of
the figures of both collages have a very similar quality.
It seems that it is easy to see the obvious differences in the works, the colour pallet, the subject,
the composition, all conspire to convince us of their incompatibility. It is fun to contemplate the
pieces to find what is shared, hence the title 'The looking between One and the Other' .
The good wishes and blessings of all those who care for us,
and who travel with us in their hearts.
Collage by Eron Boyd
from the etching 'The Circus' by Picasso
It is extraordinary to be reminded that even as we sit next to each other,
at the same table just inches apart,
even as we look out of the same window
what we see through that window is not the same.
It is easy to imagine that what we experience with those close to us
in what seems to be a shared circumstance must be the same
but each of us has a very unique perception which informs our knowing.
It is always a challenge to express that perception to another.
Milo Saly is a photographer and a frequent visitor to the gallery.
When I first saw his work these stood out to me as extraordinary
in their composition, depth and surprise of colour. What makes
great photography is the ability to frame what you see in a
way that allows the viewer to share in the experience.
Paintings by Rachel Berman 1946-2014
Rachel Berman's work is represented by the Ingram Gallery, Yorkville, Toronto
and can also be viewed online.
Bronze sculpture of Frederick Banting and Charles Best in front of the MaRS building
where they did much of their work on the discovery of insulin ninety years ago.
This must be a fairly new acquisition because I have not been able to find out
who the artist is and when it was installed but I will keep looking.