FLY was thrilled to attend Saturday’s opening of LENA SHUGAR‘s solo show “Moonstruck” at the Women’s Art Association gallery at 23 Prince Arthur Ave in Toronto – runs until Sat. July 15th. So many beautiful paintings priced for collectors of all means. FLY just missed out on buying a small canvas as another fan beat her to it!! Here’s Lena to tell you all about her show…
FLY was indeed moonstruck by all the mysterious and exciting artworks featuring the moon, as well as other contemporary abstract works Lena brought in to the show. Here are just a few luna masterpieces…..
…and these two works (below) proved very popular will all the gallery attendees:
Guests were treated to wine, cheese and other assorted nibblies which seemed to fuel the buying mood. FLY watched as 2 red dots went up within a 15 minute period…bravo, Lena!
There was one ethereal portrait of a lady (below) that was very popular…
FLY spoke with Lena after the show and she shared the following….
What first lead you to pick up a paintbrush and start creating? My family and I were lucky to escape the horrors of the war which began in Poland in 1938, that was the beginning of the WW2.We managed to take the first train that was going east away from Poland towards Russia where we sought refuge at a farm for four years. My mother used to entertain me by drawing pictures, one in particular was a rooster on a roof! I was hooked from then on.
You’ve lived in several European countries as well as here in Canada – have the different cultures influenced your work? Yes they have, particularly living in Norway, with its dramatic landscape, of fjords and magnificent mountains.
As a teacher, how have your own experiences in the art world impacted your mentoring/lessons? I impressed the students to paint from the heart and from life experience. I encouraged my students to experiment with various applications of materials and tools that are available to them. I want them to feel free and confident that what they create is important.
This current solo show, Moonstruck, features beautiful, haunting images of the moon as well as pieces created prior – what would you like gallery visitors to come away with, apart from a canvas they just purchased? My hope is that they take away with them the mystery and beauty of our world in all its forms.
So congratulation to Lena for a successful opening and, hopefully, a very successful week-long show.
Women’s Art Assoc., 23 Pr. Arthur Ave, Toronto. T: 416-922-2060
www.lenashugar.com