Welcoming in the New Year
Let us remember our place in the universe.
Christmas has Melted...
...as if it were a dream.
Today is crisp and dry and sunny,
coming back down to earth,
landing on one foot,
trying to find balance again,
moving towards the new year.
Giving is a Gesture of Heart
Merry Christmas to you all.
Thank you for meeting us here.
It is our real pleasure to share images and thoughts with you.
May you find a moment of peace and contemplation this Christmas day.
s and d
Dancing Towards Christmas
A child's anticipation and joy.
Two Hands, Two Feet, Seven Eyes
For all the different things we see.
As the Sun Goes Down...
... on the day
on the week
the paper comes out
for one last hurrah
before the long ride home
Zephyr (mist over water)
The flower and the perfume
what has substance and what rises from that substance
a fine and subtle essence
mysterious, far reaching
a conversation that lasts all day
transforming one and the other into silence.
Today Jack Frost Came to Visit
sharp and pointed and cold
It's Tuesday Again!
"It's something like a dream
I keep coming back to this place that I know
It's different but it's also the same."
"I don't have dreams like this."
"This reminds me of a cat I met this morning."
"What kind of cat was that," I wonder.
"The cat didn't look like this at all but it reminded me of it."
The first lines are like branches
exploring the page
and the capacity to move, to make a mark
a kind of magic
that our gestures can be remembered
Keeping Our Eye On The Ball
Right now we are very focused on the
online collage workshop. Receiving
collages and comments, having a
relationship to others outside of our
immediate environment. It is an exciting energetic exchange.
A Brief Return to the Feeling of Fall
These two collages by Hanna Joy Farooq are contributions to our first online
collage series. They arrived a little late to go onto our collage workshop page
as we are just uploading the second series of works, but we wanted them to be seen.
Above are the first of the original copies of paintings that were used by participants in the online workshop.
Go to the Workshop link on our website to learn more.
Trying to Play Our Cards Right
We can't change what we have been dealt,
only do the best that we can.
What is Freedom?
a moment, nothing before or after
Moving Through the Day
we finally got it in the envelope
A Day that Somehow Fell Between the Cracks
...lost in reflections
Clearing the Visual Palate
One of the hazards of our job is visual overload. This was definitely today. Closing the eyes and becoming quiet like a stone is a good remedy.
Arriving Here In the Blink of an Eye
Something Completed
Sae n I have been constructing the village for perhaps three weeks or so, many of our blogs have documented this process. Today we completed it and proceeded to write the story in a form which we can share with you and our visitors to the gallery. We also found out today that a close friend of the gallery Chip Piatti had passed away. He would most surely have loved this exhibition and we have dedicated it to him. I sense that he has been overseeing its development.
Thank you Chip and God bless you on your next journey.
Finding the Beauty of Simple
Collage by Vivian Felsen
Building a Village
Using the stretcher frames which supported whale (we were resistant to carry them up to the fourth floor storage) we have joined them together in different ways, first as free standing shapes (see blog August 14) and now as the skeletal forms of village homes.
Cool in the Shade Warm in the Sun
An autumn story
Inside the Chambers of the Heart
light enters
Look Up!
Eric McConnachie paints the weather
Not Just Hanging...
..a new installation in the collage gallery.
Who Let These Guys Out?
Have a good weekend
View From the South Shore
These collages were sent to us by our comrade collage artist Vivian Felsen.
We miss working with her in person but we appreciate any and all communication.
A Visit to the Stone Yard
What has weight and gravity
a history more ancient
than our fleeting existence
polished smooth by eons of friction
something which does not disappear
Upstairs/Downstairs
...meeting on the landing
You Can't Be It and See It
All you need is a cardboard box
Watching You Watching Me
Looking for children's books today we found 'The Tea Party in the Woods' by Akiko Miyakoshi.
The similarity to yesterdays 'Ancestors' is striking. They seem to be looking at each other.
Windows are the Eyes
The immense satisfaction of polishing the glass until it disappears
when the outside shines inside
the two become one
Floyd is Back
After many months of isolation Floyd appeared today sitting across from the gallery.
We had our first visit six feet apart. Much laughing together and story telling, from him.
A Change of Palette and Presence
To be visited at the very top of the ascending gallery
Liberating Whale
Today we took 'whale' off of its stretcher.
The stretcher resembles some kind of strange skeleton.
Seeing it leaning against the wall it became potential
for something other, a new form to inhabit.
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in"
Lyrics from Leonard Cohen, Anthem
A Visit to the Farm
Riverdale Farm in the heart of the city.
Finding a Way to be Together After a Long Absence
Vivian Felsen
Vivian Felsen
Sae Kimura
deborah harris
Eron Boyd
Heat Rising
Trying to find a bit of shade
The Magic of Mirrors
Looking at what's behind me in the collage gallery.
Simple fun is the best
water
floating balls
feet
A struggle to get through to open sky
No sky
but a path
and a place to sit
Collage in the Time of Corona
During these past three months Eron Boyd has been
unusually prolific creating collages. It is this work
that we have chosen to be the reopening exhibit in the
Collage Gallery. It will be available to view as of this
Tuesday June 30.
Good News
Today we had our first meeting with everyone at the gallery to discuss when we will reopen.
It was decided that next Tuesday June 30 we will be our first day back.
We are looking forward to seeing all of you sometime soon.
If any of you would like to come at a time when you could be assured of having the space to yourself
we would be happy to be here at 11am for you.
From His Studio Up North
Painted sketches by Eric McConnachie
New work in the Up North Gallery
Creating the Subject for a Painting
In the corner of the Genesis Gallery
In the presence of green
Today we moved the plants from the east genesis gallery to the upstairs library.
In this different space each plant became revealed again
unique and exquisitely beautiful
their energy surprising and overwhelming
quiet and contained.
They know how to be what they are.
Cleaning Day
Today the sky was high, the wind was strong, the air was fresh.
It may not be possible to bring order to the world but we can clean and order our own environment.
The act of cleaning is physical it pulls us into our body and quiets the mind.
At the end of the day there is real satisfaction. This was today.
Hard to Comprehend
puddles and clothespins
scissors and cups
holding together
cutting apart
as different as coffee and tea
reflecting choice
Challenged to be an Individual
Collages by Eron Boyd
Who Is Being Hurt?
A question to ponder
Sunny Skies, Underwrap and Stacked
Still, no way in.
Social Distancing
West meets East
The dog park at Allan Gardens
A Meeting of the Guardians
from above and below
Facing one way or the other
Looking From Both Sides
Not Quite There
This extraordinary painting by Luke Gilliam is framed under glass
and reflects the the room it occupies.
The added layer seems to amplify the feeling of today... observing from the outside
'not quite there'
In Through the Back Door
Today we sat on a bench in small alley which surprisingly faces exactly onto the back wall of the gallery.
This back wall has many windows. In one of them we had the idea to put a painting facing out
so that those people living in the surrounding condos or, as we did, decide to sit on a bench to have their coffee,
can discover and perhaps even be inspired to visit us.
The Moment Lives On
And what is the moment?
It is a unity, a circle of beings,
content in that moment.
Not reflected
We see our selves most clearly, most truly, in the eyes of those we communicate with.
We reflect each other.
Waking Up
Sorry we were late.
Moved by Wind
This is a gift of spacious
Castillon writes:-
« Listening to Hania's music over and over, I began to dream of a single sequence shot that would follow her music floating in the wind of an unreal Icelandic landscape. I asked each dancer to give a personal interpretation of Hania's song. We were very lucky to succeed in this insane artistic performance despite the great cold (minus 7 celsius), it was such a moment of truth. Shot in Iceland on February 23, 2020. »
Directed by Neels Castillon
Music by Hania Rani
Dancers — Mellina Boubetra, Janina Sarantšina, Fanny Sage
"Caught in a web of contending forces..."
If Only We Were Pigeons...
"I guess a lot of people are feeling that" says Sae.
"Yes, a lot of people are wishing they were pigeons!!!" says I.
For the new blue flowers
Tis is the season for raking leaves and some of us are very enthusiastic about this task.
Unfortunately, the city has suspended the pick up of yard waste and so....
This morning we made a platform for the bags to sit on so that the grass and small flowers
will not be crushed while waiting, wrapping them with canvas in case of rain and tying them
'round with rope so that they will not fall and spill all over everywhere. Practical creativity.
Not particularly beautiful but somehow satisfying.
In the Twilight Zone
...trying to find the light
For Our Dear Friend Eron...
...in memory of his beloved mother Georgia Boyd - December 1939 - March 27 2020
Reconnecting 'Round the Table
It seems that what can be expressed through art cannot be translated into words.
None of us spoke while we were working today
even though we have not seen each other together for many days.
But the work speaks for us in inexplicable ways.
It is a mystery.
cOFFEE IS eSSENTIAL
Today we made this flyer for Stuart, the proprietor of our neighborhood cafe in hopes that he can stay open and solvent through this shutdown.
If you want to pick up a truly great coffee drop by B U L L D O G.
Don't Be Scared It's Just Us
It seems we are all a bit confused and shy to follow the directions for COVID 19 but it is our duty to be responsible
not only for our self but for those who share the world with us, those we love and care for and those who are unknown.
Many lives depend upon our correct action, this situation may be the shock needed to shift our awareness.
It gets easier if we are all in this together. (that's why Sae and I are practicing and trying to get you onboard)
Preparing
...it's not all bad
Remember to Step Outside
Today we walked and walked and remembered how good it is to breathe the air outside.
We are being asked by the conditions at hand to stay close to home and avoid crowds and travel.
A moment or two of this is advisable.
Today was a difficult day
...confusing and messy
ragged and sharp edged
There is a lot happening that we have not encountered before
inside and outside
we are challenged to be balanced
to use our common sense
to remain calm and disciplined
Today we were not quite there yet.
How Differently We Each Interpret The World!
Often we think that it is important that someone share our opinions but not so with art.
In art we can appreciate our differences, in fact we celebrate them.
Maybe it is not so vital that we all think and say the same thing.
Maybe we can look and listen and learn.
A Different Blue A Different Circus
The objects and subjects of the gallery basement.
The World is a Blue Circus
Marc Chagall
Blue Circus
1950
Pacino di Bonaguida
The Creation of the World
1309 - 1347
How the Body Remembers
After using collage with this Medieval set we went out on the street and photographed an old building in the state of demolition and salvation
and found that we had somehow created almost exactly the same construction as in the painting, (seen in our Feb 27th blog).
This was unconscious and therefore surprising, the way we take in impressions and remember them in our bodies.
Becoming Animated
... thanks to Eron Boyd
Picasso Steps Upon the Medieval Stage
St Francis Renouncing Worldly Goods 1295
The Mountebanks by Picasso 1905
The First Star I See Tonight...
Today Sae 'n' I worked on designing a new web page.
We will let you know when it's up and running, should be in two to three weeks.
Fishing for Mary
Night Fishing at Antibes by Picasso 1939 The Disembarkation of Mary Magdalene
possibly by Pietro Lorenzetti 1310
Collage by Sae Kimura
Collage by deborah harris
The Near and Distant Past
Vivian Felsen
Le Duo The Presentation in the Temple
Georges Braque Giotto di Bondone
1937 1267 - 1337
deborah harris Sae Kimura
For these collages we each had a copy of the two paintings shown above which we combined.
All in all we were able to finish thirteen collages using the same material.
These are the first three.
Not sure where the forest ends and I begin
and home is a thought I can't quite touch
Illuminated
Illuminate: To enlighten; to throw light upon; to light up with festal lamps
Cardboard is our new canvas
This strange coming together of elements to make what could be called a sculpture,
is a playful and spontaneous response to the objects and materials present in the space
but also to the inquiry itself. Irrefutable alteration provides a framework to
explore and to perceive variations on a theme.
Looking at the different images on the blog will give you a hint of those possibilities.
Alteration #8
This show that is currently evolving began as P R I M A L J O U R N E Y
with a solitary boat figure in a tumultuous sea.The figure descended and turned,
M E E T I N G W H A L E.
"And then what? we asked. How does this story continue?
Even whales must come up for air. Gravity below our feet keeps us standing or pulls us over.
As you probably saw in earlier blogs we cut the boat and stood it on its end.
A ladder of sorts leaning on the ramparts, an effort to climb away from earth's concerns.
The truth is, after meeting whale one is irrefutably altered and that is the new title;-
I R R E F U T A B L Y A L T E R E D.
The Space Where We Work... Lit by the Sun
This is where your blogs are born.
The Story Must Continue
One cannot stay forever underwater with the whale. One must come up for air.
What was once a vehicle becomes a shelter, perhaps a home, albeit somewhat quirky.
Still Life with Black Jug
For this exercise we decided to interpret the George Braque painting 'La Table de Toilette', using collage, working from a black and white reproduction and each choosing our own pallet. We did not look at the original colour painting til we were finished.
A Meeting Place
Today we all met back at the gallery again, Sae, deborah and Floyd, after a few days apart.
The gallery is a rare and special place, a place where creativity is allowed to live.
This was our second drawing based on 'The Ice House' by Lawren Harris 1923.
The house seems to represent a unique and solitary place, surrounded by the elements.
A mystery which invites one to enter.
We hope the gallery does the same.
...continuing LESSONS WITH THE MASTERS
Becoming Like Children
Today Sae n I spent the whole day with our very favorite 3 year old friend.
This is what we looked like when she left to go home.
Body So Full Head So Empty
collage ensemble by Vivian Felsen
Year Ending and Beginning
We seem to organize our lives into years.
Time lines, running parallel until they don't
a sudden turn in direction sometimes takes us
where we can't imagine going
and every new year we commit to being better
a noble resolution we hope to live up to
falling down,
standing up again
some semblance of structure that we can measure ourselves against,
a path to follow.