Reluctantly but thoughtfully called to celebrate
Collage by Eron Boyd
(Sorry to be late)
On the shores of the unknown
Much of our days are spent moving through the familiar
but there are times when the familiar takes leave and we are stopped and quieted
in the presence of something we have as yet no explanation for.
Collage by Vivien Felsen
How do we see the wind?
Etching by David Blackwood
Illustrating the story Wake of the Great Sealers by Farley Mowat
Conversation around the table
Sharing our Christmas lunch
The looking between One and the Other
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' .
Paper and glue
... and attention.
What is needed for the journey?
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
Three views of the same window
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.
A Cast of many coming to the collage gallery
Papier-mâché sculptures by Sae Kimura
Up North
The feet came here.
Walking towards winter
A preview to the Up North Gallery
The beauty of winter light
Photographs by Miloslav Saly
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.
Couples
Paintings by Rachel Berman 1946-2014
Rachel Berman's work is represented by the Ingram Gallery, Yorkville, Toronto
and can also be viewed online.
I wanna stay...I wanna go... keeps me in one place
movement today seems impossible
Over the Falls
The Sky Over Niagara Falls
Photos by Eron Boyd October 7/8, 2023
Observers of Time Passing
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.
Finding pieces that converse together
Photographic work
Far left and Right by Sim Posen
Glass triangle with transparencies by Sim Posen
Middle photo by Pamela Williams
Friends
a mysterious recognition
and appreciation of the other
the sameness and differences
somehow balance
in an easy play of being
Reflecting Upon....
...the day
what has been accomplished
the world
relationships
the season and what it portends
and what to make for dinner
Painting by Luke Gilliam
Cabbagetown Arts and Craft Fair
The fair is set up from Friday til Sunday in the park next to Riverdale Farm
and many residents have set up yard sales throughout the neighbourhood.
Come and wander through.
A New Beginning
September always feels like the beginning of a new year, more somehow than January.
We are embarking on a journey that will take us who knows where.
All we can do is ready the ship, collect all of what we might need
and set sail.
Gifts from a friend afar
Paintings by Nancy Thielemans
One
Above are the copies of the paintings that we collaged with
shown in Blogs Four, Five, Three, Two, One.
Four
Today we had a visitor, Jill Lawrence, come to work with us. We shared images, copies of four paintings and each of us chose, unbeknownst to the others, to use this sitting character in our collages. Placing him up a tree, in the clouds, on a wall, in a room.
You met this character in yesterday's blog 'The Bathers' by
Seurat. Starting with the same resource is a great way to appreciate the unique imagination of each person.
Today was a good day.
Cooling off
Painting by Georges Seurat
We're here to tell you...
...that the gallery will be closed for the month of August,
opening again on the 5th of September.
Our blogs will continue to keep you updated on what's happening on the inside.
Waiting to Dive In
'Looking for Go Home Bay' Photograph by Shozo Ushiroguchi
A copy of this piece is on display in the photographic gallery in Arcturus.
Tamed by the Beast
Collage by Sae Kimura
today
The temperature of colour and of a day
cooler in the shade, a welcome breeze
softened by clouds drifting over sun.
Heat is something we can smell, can breathe in
and out
coloured by weather.
Polkadogs, Steeples and Chair
A day of seemingly unrelated elements, moments,
translated into black and white,
a quieter version of chaos,
letting the differences slide, one into the other,
dots and dogs a typo
mistake or nothing in common
steeples rise and clouds float, faster in the wind
an expression of inward and outward contemplation,
embodied quizzically
in the holding of blue chair.
Please, take a seat.
Calling the Apple Angel
It takes time for a tree to bear fruit
and what is time?
seasons and weather
snow melting to roots drinking deeply
years of many days
small branches growing thicker almost imperceptible
leaves unfurling and blossoms few enough to count
each one a possibility
sapling to tree
colt to horse
puppy to dog
one moment you notice it has happened
something becomes what it was meant to be
maturity
the readiness to bear fruit.
Today's Crazy Quilt
It is not the individual pieces that matter here
but the fact that we sat around a table together
engaging attention in a shared activity.
photographic gallery
In the last couple of weeks we have opened up
another space in the building to be a photographic gallery.
Here we can exhibit the many works that we have
collected over the years.
Sim Posen whose work has inspired this project
will be showing work from earlier shows as
well as new work.
Maybe this is not so far from here
we hope you can find such a place
Smoke in the City
Collage by Eron Boyd
Boxes
boxes
coming in going out
more in than out it seems
possible containers for some future use
possibilities
filling the space til there are none
At 7's and 8's with each other..
collage by deborah harris
collage by Eron Boyd
collage by Sae Kimura
collage by deborah harris
collage by Eron Boyd
out of the box
Collage and photo Eron Boyd
Drawn to the Mysterious
Collage by Eron Boyd
Sneak Preview
We will host an opening reception on Saturday of this week from 2 - 5:30pm
You are invited to attend.
A Cast of Many
A show happens in a gallery and a gallery takes daily care and management.
The behind the scenes actors are essential.
When a show is in process everyone does extra time.
We are such a good team at the gallery that it is easy to take it for granted just how smoothly we all step up
but this is why the atmosphere of the gallery can be so enjoyed by visitors.
Sincere thanks to Eron Boyd, Mark Tai, Ed Drass and Cathy Stilo.
It would take many words to describe all that you do.
Building a Show
Building a show;- ideas born in another time and place enter into the now.
The space of the gallery has its own nature and proportions and ideas must reshape to accommodate factual reality. This is not a concession but an opportunity for something unexpected to be revealed. We created a form to support an idea and that form took up occupation in the space in a way that could not have been imagined before. If we become rigidly tied to our ideas we can not recognize these gifts and will miss the possibility to grow creatively.
After all is not creativity the ability to continually improvise with our surroundings and circumstances?
This show is a collaboration between the works of Gustavo Jabbaz and Joachim Oepkes photographers, Lysias Harris builder designer, Manny Parmar print installer, Sae Kimura mixed media artist and assistant to every possible task invented by deborah harris, her impulsive and erratic cohort and curator.
'Leave your face on the sidewalk'
That was the old message.
Now we have our faces back.
May the sun smile upon you
as you also smile upon others.
Mask or Portrait
Collages in Collage Gallery by deborah harris
Collecting Attention
Painting by Luke Gilliam
A Visit from George
Paper mache puppet by Sae Kimura
Surfing the Big Wind
Collage by Eron Boyd
From the Library
The spring rays of sunshine through the library windows
When the three of us get together this is what it looks like!
Ariel
deborah
Sae
Faces
Collages by deborah harris
Two sides of the same coin
Paul Gauguin
Collage by deborah harris Collage by Sae Kimura
Yesterday Sae and I (deborah) took on the challenge to interpret the Gauguin painting in collage. We sat at the same table but did not see each others work til we were finished.
Surprisingly each of us had focused on
opposite aspects of the painting, background and foreground. We were curious to see how they merged. The results are shared here.
Broken but mending
we demand so much from our bodies in all that we do
expecting they will follow our command
but sometimes they rebel and declare themselves wounded
we are surprised to find ourselves embraced by limitation
and the need to obey.
After the Weekend
This is our latest video from the online collage workshop...#17. Enjoy!
Full Moon is on Her Way
Arrives Sunday 1:28pm
Cranberry Muffin Day
Dry Ingredients;
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tblsp buckwheat flour
Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 bananas
2 eggs
Stir dry and wet together (bananas and eggs have been blended separately) and add 1 cup cranberries. Bake in 350 oven til done.
Considering
Consider: To fix the mind on, with a view to a careful examination; to think on with care; to ponder; to study; to meditate on; to observe and examine; to regard with pity or sympathy; to have regard or respect for; to think seriously, maturely, or carefully; to reflect upon
drawing room
We have just added these drawings by David Sapp to the Drawing Room Gallery on the third floor of Gallery Arcturus.
On a Mission
Collage by deborah harris
Somedays what you want to accomplish just doesn't happen
Collage by Eron Boyd
Ninety-nine Sitting Birds on a Wire
Ninety-nine sitting birds on a wire,
ninety-nine birds on a wire.
If one of those birds should happen to fly...
Ninety-eight sitting birds on a wire.
Change happens one bird at a time.