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Archives:
Fall 2009 Gallery NewsThe gallery’s new space at 11 Queen Street in Lakefield affords almost triple the exhibit area of the previous location, which means that the material objects can be viewed with some breathing room, the gallery can hang many more paintings and display a nice variety of handcrafted jewellery by top Canadian jewellers. Gallery patrons have been delighted with the new premises and quite relieved that we’ve survived the vagaries of the recent economic woes of the world.
New ArtistsMartha Markowsky:Born in Lachine, Quebec, Martha Markowsky, an elected member of the Canadian Society of Artists, was honoured by the City of Lachine for her accomplishments in the arts with "le fils de l'excellence" in November 2008. On March 12, 2010, Martha's 25 years in the artistic world will be celebrated with a major retrospective to be held at L'entrepot (Guy Descary Centre) on Boulevard St. Joseph in Lachine. This exhibition will showcase works seldom seen, from her early career, to current paintings. Martha is probably best known for her impressionistic paintings of orchestral musical ensembles – brightly coloured depictions of tuxedoed musicians and groupings of women happily making music. Particularly intriguing are her oil paintings of dark interiors of bar rooms full of men and women in convivial – or perhaps intense – conversations. Viewers also delight in Martha’s scenes of vibrant and nostalgic urban landscapes of children at play in old Quebec. The Village Gallery has a great selection of Martha’s scenes of musicians at play, as well as bar scenes.
Pauline Bradshaw:I first discovered Pauline Bradshaw’s paintings in early 2008 at the Toronto Artist Project. I was immediately drawn to the profound quality of brushwork, although I also found the way she conveyed light and shadow particularly exquisite. This painter dedicated many years to the intensive study of old master drawings, paintings, plaster casts of antique sculpture, anatomy and the nude model. Bradshaw took studies in Italy with experts on the old masters techniques and was also granted rare access to Queen Elizabeth’s private library at Windsor Castle to research and copy selected old master drawings. While I normally define The Village Gallery as a venue for contemporary paintings and fine craft, I knew that my clientele would be as entranced by Pauline’s work as I am. Her paintings are painstaking labours of love and require substantial time to produce. For this reason, and because she also generously passes on the techniques that she has learned to art students, Pauline’s output is limited and she has sought representation by only a couple of galleries in Canada, one in Vermont and the other in New York city. For this reason, I am extremely honoured that Ms. Bradshaw has enabled The Village Gallery to exhibit and offer her work for sale to its clients.
Brent McGillivray:By day, Brent is a set designer and art director in the film industry in Toronto, and this work has enabled him to photograph and record many of the Province's disappearing historic and otherwise interesting sites. Brent says these photographic records have inspired him "to create paintings and prints of disappearing urban and rural artifacts." His watercolours take a nostalgic look at architectural and advertising images of a fading era. The viewer is drawn into witnessing disparate themes such as the dilemma of the death of the family farm, with the watercolour, "Going Home", and reminders of bygone urban places with the painting, "Rosedale Diner". These watercolours are deceptively spare, perhaps that is because his subjects evoke a simpler time in history. Upon close examination, however, one notes that his images are highly detailed and have been painstakingly rendered. While many of his paintings are hauntingly beautiful, they can also be seen to broadcast a political message, such as the image of the decaying industrial building whose window panes each display a portion of a worn and ragged stars and stripes flag. Brent has named the painting, done in 2007, "State of the Nation." Brent McGillivray was born in Wakefield, Quebec. He is a graduate of Architectural Technology at Algonquin College, Ottawa, the Fine Arts program at the Ontario College of Art, Toronto, and printmaking at the Alberta College of Art, Calgary. He now resides in the Haliburton Highlands in Ontario.
Rob Brown:Now, The Village Gallery, being a venue for contemporary material objects and fine craft as well as paintings, recognizes the value of well designed and finely crafted furniture in the world of art and design. Furniture designer/maker, Rob Brown, makes high quality furniture that is beautiful, functional and durable. Traditional joinery methods - proven by time for their strength and enduring beauty – contrast with a contemporary aesthetic culled from nature. The result: home furnishings with simple, clean lines, strength, purpose and style. Wood is the foundation for all of Rob’s designs. Its warmth and natural beauty combined with its workability makes it easy to understand why. However, other materials are often incorporated: rock, hand-made Japanese paper, copper, fabric, reeds and glass. Rob is one of the few studio furniture makers in Canada that merges these beautiful materials into heirloom quality furniture. With their textures and colours, added to the warmth of solid wood, Rob Brown’s work is becoming more recognizable to discerning collectors every day. The Village Gallery is pleased to be able to carry some of Rob’s furniture pieces as well as his wood and hand made Japanese rice paper table lanterns.
Carmella Karijo Rother:Carmella is a fabric artist who works in the abstract. She is drawn to colour and shapes. She prefers to work with Dupioni silks because of their beauty, richness, and subtle textures, as well as their responsiveness to differing light sources. Carmella builds multiple textural elements, leaving the edges of fabric pieces raw and loose threads unfettered. Stitching is done one row at a time as she guides the fabric assemblage through the sewing machine. This stitching binds the layers, adds texture and rhythmically contains the energy and movement underneath. I’ve found that visitors to the gallery see Carmella’s works and, from some distance away assume they are paintings but as they draw closer to the pieces, realize with delight that these are, in fact, bits of fabric carefully assembled together to create one whole, expressive, artwork.
Christy Haldane:Christy’s art training was in the glass program of Sheridan College School of Craft and Design but she might more properly be called a sculptor as much as a glass artist. After Sheridan she studied for a semester in Australia at the Canberra School of Art, and it was there that she began to use window glass as the main material for her sculptures. Today, she produces site specific installations for private residences as well as one of a kind glass work. Haldane continuously experiments with other materials - concrete, steel and rock are materials she has recently incorporated into her body of work. The gallery currently has a collection of laminated rock and glass sculptures, some of which are totemic in nature and reflective of her interest in history and anthropology. This time and place series are called “Direction Home” and reference the GPS positions for various spots at Christy’s hobby farm home and studio.
Michelle Sturley:Michelle Sturley is a Vancouver artist who specializes in metal fabrication. When she isn’t making huge wall murals, Michelle will experiment with jewellery. So, luckily, the gallery has acquired a small collection of Michelle’s unusual steel bracelets – in these, she has created a beautiful array of textures and colours. The colours, quite rich, are burnished onto the steel through the use of heat. Her large scale pieces are built mainly in British Columbia and include public art installations as well as metal fabrications for commercial premises. One such commission, for the Oliver Woods Community Centre in Nanaimo, B.C., is a 15 foot high and 12 foot wide metal mural on interlocking sheets of aluminum titled “A Thousand Fibres Connect Us”. The piece depicts a sense of harmony in nature and conveys a sense of community responsibility.
Ron Eccles:Ron Eccles has been a professional artist for the last 35 years, receiving numerous grants and awards. His work is in collection in Canada and the United States. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, the University of Guelph, with a Masters from the University of Iowa. He has also taught at all three institutions, having recently retired from a long teaching career at Ontario College of Art and Design. Paintings by Ron Eccles explore parallel relationships between surface and primary structures. His work challenges the viewer as minimal planes of colour and shape are poised between physical and internal space. It is with a great deal of reflection on the history of vision, optics, geometry, colour and light that one begins to think about the paintings of Ron Eccles. Throughout his career as a painter and his transitions from representational to non-representational work, Eccles contemplates the complexities of formal space. The gallery has a number of Ron’s mixed media paintings as well as several colour intaglios. The paintings are terrific examples of his explorations in geometric abstraction. I would also recommend viewing some of Ron’s huge canvases which are part of an exhibition of his work currently on display at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington in Bowmanville. “Parallel World” is an exhibition exploring the complexities of surface, paint, colour, scale, and challenges the viewer as minimal planes of colour and shape are poised between physical and internal space. You’ll have to be quick though, the show ends on October 11, 2009.
Jewellery The Village Gallery has always carried the exceptional work of Valerie Davidson, as well as the innovative designs of Heidi den Hartog. Following the gallery’s move, several new jewellers have been added to the roster of artists and their work is dazzling gallery patrons. Patrycja Zwierzynska:Patrycja is the newest jeweller to join the gallery and this young lady is proving to be a rising star in the Canadian jewellery world. Patrycja was born in Bialystok, Poland and moved to Toronto in 1995. Always interested in art, she pursued an education at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where she was first introduced to jewellery design and metalworking. She describes her interest in jewellery as an exploration of beautiful objects. Patrycja’s work has a clean aesthetic and involves simple but innovative design. Her work is made from thin sterling silver wire, which she ties into knots, solders together and flattens in a rolling mill. The flattened wire is then formed and once again soldered together to make a three dimensional form or is left flat. To finish, Patrycja treats the metal with a process called depletion silvering that brings the fine silver to the surface of the sterling; this is what gives the pieces the raw white look. Some pieces are varnished to protect the metal from tarnishing and scratches. Of her work, Patrycja says “In making jewellery, I explore various materials and processes to capture form and volume. The materials I use are integral to my work and are chosen because of their exclusive qualities. For example, metal, for its ability to retain strong form and mylar for its weightless presence. These qualities determine the final look and feel of the piece. Jewellery making, for me, is a process of discovery, of finding a material’s possibilities and restrictions, it is a process of constantly asking ‘what if...’ and of being open to the infinite answers.” Patrycja is in the midst of a two year Artist in Residency in the Jewellery Studio at Toronto’s Harborfront Centre and has been earning awards and accolades such as the Ontario Crafts Council 2009 Emerging Professional Award and Best in Category for Decorative Arts for two consecutive years of the 2008 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. In addition, Patrycja is one of five gallery artists whose work will join various other artists to represent Canada at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea (more about that below).
Lisa Ridout:Lisa Ridout’s exclusive jewellery is sold across Canada and in the U.S. at selected retailers, and is regularly featured at craft shows and exhibitions across Ontario. Since graduating with honours from the Jewellery Arts Program at George Brown College in 1992, Lisa has been dedicated to producing the fine art of handcrafted, precious metal chains. Lisa is known as a leader in her craft, honouring and continuing a traditional art form at threat of becoming a lost art in this age of mass production. The traditional skill of chain making is a delicate and time consuming craft. The chain is entirely hand made by drawing silver into wire form of varied thicknesses, then turning and weaving rings into delicate patterns. Drawing on historical patterns, as well as new combinations of her own creation, Lisa also blends her love of beads, stones and crystals into her pieces. The results are exquisite, award winning examples of tactility and timeless beauty. Of her work, Lisa says:
Kim Drosdick:Kim Drosdick is on the leading edge of contemporary jewellery design in Toronto. Attracted to natural shapes, simple forms and texture, this talented maker is turning heads with her diverse, dynamic and divine jewellery collections. The result is a body of work that is beautifully bold and classically simple with a modern, funky and playful twist. Having been professionally trained to work with almost every material and request imaginable, Kim crafts a variety of materials like platinum, diamonds, roughly finished minerals, wood and lava into must have offerings and custom designed works. Kim also provides her original designs to film and television productions as well as producing custom work for that industry.
Michel de Bellefeuille:Michel’s studio is in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The jewellery in his collections are made of sterling silver and/or gold, at times enhanced with another material – platinum, bronze, exotic woods, etc. – and they are a testament to his commitment to offer original and high quality jewellery. He follows the time tested traditions of his craft yet always searches for audacious and contemporary aesthetics by focussing on the expressiveness of lines, shapes and volume, the interaction of materials, the vibration of texture and the tonality of patina. The gallery carries Michel’s lovely brushed/oxidized sterling pendants and earrings.
New Work in The Village Gallery:Kelly Winsa:Kelly recently began experimenting with oil on board and the results are an interesting departure from her watercolour and pencil paintings on paper. The colours are vibrant and florals large and nearly abstract.
David Hickey:David’s freestanding metal sculptures depicting women in multi-coloured and patterned dresses walking arm in arm have been favourites in recent years and there are again several of these in the gallery. Also on hand are his page wire baskets and paintings on steel.
Patti Fontaine:Patti continues to explore abstract painting with a variety of textural materials such as pumice and alumina and her recent acrylics involve rich, luscious reds, oranges and just that little bit of gold shining through.
Thomas Aitken & Kate Hyde:With the ongoing popularity of Thomas’ functional porcelain, the gallery does attempt to make available a good selection of his work. Fortunately, Thomas and Kate also reserve an impressive array of their collaborations for The Village Gallery. I had a satisfying peek at some of the collaborations which were eventually shipped to Burlington for an exhibit of Thomas’ and Kate’s individual and collaborative work at the Burlington Art Centre. The show began in August and ends on November 4 and is curated by the BAC’s Curator of the Permanent Collection, Jonathan Smith. As a result of the dedication and drive of Mr. Smith, the BAC has amassed what is regarded as the finest collection of ceramics in Canada.
Lillian Forester:Just recently in are some striking raku pots, beautiful as usual!
John Boorman:Following the exhibit of his work from June to August, 2009 at the Norfolk Arts Centre in Simcoe (the show was called Human Nature: Contemporary Folk Art), John has been busy preparing for the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour which runs annually on the third weekend of September. Some of John’s more contemporary sculptures are currently on exhibit in the gallery.
David Thai:David is a glass artist who continues to push the boundaries of his craft. His recent work, called the Signature bowls, are a series of organically shaped bowls of varying sizes; David continues to incorporate Japanese silver foil in his glass. The Signature bowls have been very popular in both Canada and the U.S.
Special Mention:Cheongju International Craft Biennale (CICB):CICB began in South Korea in 1999 and has grown steadily over the last 10 years to become the largest multi-disciplinary fine craft Biennale in the world. The CICB has invited Canada as its 2009 guest country, which means that the work of Canadian craftspeople will take centre stage in the Guest Pavillion with a national exhibition including over 200 works. This exhibition is called Unity & Diversity and includes the work of four Village Gallery artists: Jim Lorriman (woodturning), Bill Reddick (ceramics), Christy Haldane (glass sculpture), Patrycja Zwierzynska (jewellery). Additionally, while woodturner, Mark Salusbury, is not part of the Unity & Diversity exhibit, his work will be showcased elsewhere in the Cheongju event. Both Jim Lorriman and Bill Reddick will be travelling to South Korea to participate in the CICB exhibitions and discussions. My enthusiastic congratulations to all five artists for being acknowledged by the jurors of the Canadian Crafts Federation as top in their fields in Canada!
Following his 2009 win in the top group of the American Craft Association’s Niche Awards, Jim Lorriman has received notice by several venues in the United States, including one of the oldest craft organizations there, the Craft Alliance of St. Louis, Missouri which is featuring Jim’s work in November. (Do you recall that Bill Clinton purchased one of Jim’s Lilac stick bowls at the Guild Shop in Toronto a couple years ago?). Jim will also be at the esteemed Chicago SOFA (Sculptural Objects and Functional Art) show in November, 2009.
Last, but most certainly not least, is the news that Mark Salusbury and his woodturning received the notice of the world’s most respected woodturning periodical, “Woodturning” published by the Guild of Master Craftsmen Press in the U. K. They are featuring Mark and his work in a five page spread in their November, 2009 issue. Mark is thrilled and reports that he is honoured to be receiving this level of recognition.
Coming to The Village Gallery soon: painter, Paul Cade and new work from woodturner, Taylor Ledden Have a wonderful and artful Fall! Lexy Cameron
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