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RIVERDALE ART WALK WELCOMES ARTISTS & ART LOVERS BACK AFTER 2yr COVID LOCKDOWN.

FLY enjoyed buzzing along the rows of artist tents at this weekend’s RIVERDALE ART WALK in Toronto. This is the first Art Walk since the Covid lock-down so it was wonderful to see so many art lovers strolling around, chatting with the artists and enjoying the lovely weather today. Nancy Bennett, whom FLY has known since the later 70s, appeared thrilled to be there and was already busy selling artworks….

Learn more about Nancy and her paintings (above) at www.nancybennett.ca

Upon entering Jimmy Simpson Park, FLY found Mirek Bialy whose bold acrylics incorporate copper and FLY has a lovely piece purchased a few years ago. Learn more about Mirek here:  https://www.mirekbialy.com/ Christopher Masoure was busy securing his tent (below) as high winds threatened to blow his large canvases away. FLY caught some quick photos of his stunning blue paintings before being hit by flying monkeys! Yes, the wind was that high today. Learn more about Chrisopjer at www.studiomazur.com  Next up, we found Celina Melo, an artist FLY had not met before. Her beautiful frosty paintings of the far north created a cool space to retreat from the sunshine, and FLY was very attracted to that smaller piece in the upper left. Check out her work at www.celinamelo.com  Wendy Cho of OnceUponaDesign.ca (below) offered some delightful illustrations and animal portraits – all the adults FLY saw going into her booth walked out with mini canvases or cards. Wendy was very popular! Then FLY found a friend from last week’s Rosedale art show – Andrew Stelmack. Again, a big blue painting caught FLY’s attention…wow! www.astelmack.com Shaan Taseer was taking a quick break when FLY flew into his tent – his work simply drew FLY in as well as others who were intrigued by his unique & exotic abstract landscapes. Learn more about Shaan at https://www.shaantaseer.com/ Kate Taylor (below) was busy chatting with potential art buyers. FLY is proud to own a small piece of KT art! www.katetaylorstudio.comMark Glebezon brought his Barbie series which should definitely prove popular considering movie star Ryan Gosling just released a sneak peek photo of him as Ken in the upcoming movie. What a doll! www.markgleberzon.comFLY fell madly in love with the adorable robots created by Jeff Walker, so much so that she had to buy a small painting of a wee robot eye (2nd photo – 2nd row down, 3rd from the right). Check our Jeff’s colourful cuties here: www.gowalkergo.com Morgan Jones (below) had a cute assistant in his tent who was certainly helping to draw in the visitors! www.morganjonesart.com

Further along the aisles, FLY came across Cat from www.CityBonez.com (below) whose photos of old decorative bricks stood out at The Artist Project a couple of months ago. Unique and quite beautiful, the bricks tell stories of our city’s past.Rea Kelly always has a lovely smile on her face – her beautiful floral paintings will ensure you, too, will have a smile on your face when you enter her tent! If you don’t have massive wall space, Rea has smaller canvases as well as beautiful greeting cards – something for everyone. Learn more about Rea at www.reakelly.com FLY discovered a fabulous new artist – Amanda Gonsalves (below) – whose abstract portraits of mythical and amusing figures are delightful. You can follow Amanda on her Instagram @nonconformist.art  Ex-baker turned fine artist Andrea Bailey presented her Yummy Arty paintings (below). FLY met her last week at the Rosedale art show and loved the gold paint that glinted in the sunlight.  www.yummyarty.com Gail Williams showcased some cool paintings like these wild abstract portraits. FLY met Gail last week at the Rosedale art show.  Visit: https://gailwilliams.partial.gallery/ to learn all about this fanciful abstract artist.So it was a very enjoyable afternoon and FLY encourages you to visit all the artists who have taken the 2yr Covid period to create wonderful artworks. Tomorrow promises to be another lovely day so pop down to Queen St East and support local artists, Check out details, directions and hours here: https://riverdaleartwalk.ca/

 

ROSEDALE ART FAIR THIS WEEKEND @ RAMSDEN PARK, TORONTO

Thank goodness the weather cooperated today with more sunshine than raindrops, and FLY was able to buzz around the artists’ tents of this year’s ROSEDALE ART FAIR – the first time for nearly 3 years, thanks to Covid. Usually held further up Toronto’s Yonge Street at Summerhill, the park setting was lovely with lots of green grass and leaves.
FLY’s first port of call was the charming display by Michelle Hutchinson – her abstract florals were so colourful you’d expect to see bees hoping from flower to flower!  www.MichelleHutchinsonArt.com…and next door to Michelle was Gail Williams whose paintings were fun and filled with wonder. www.gailwilliamsartist.com  FLY particularly like one titled “Prince” so here’s a closer look… Sculptor Chaka Chikodzi always has a busy tent…FLY had to do some pretty fancy flying between his potential buyers just to get a couple of great close-ups!  www.chakachikodzi.com  Mark J. Gleberzon has been a friend of FLY’s for many years, and his work is definitely a favourite of the winged-one! Mark recently had great success exhibiting in Chicago, selling multiple paintings and even before today’s Fair opened, he had already sold 2 of his Barbie & Ken pop portraits. Bravo, MJG!  www.markgleberzon.com Jibola Fagbamiye was too busy selling his fabulous portraits to stop and chat with FLY – bravo Jibola- but FLY grabbed a few shots of his booth in action!  www.jibolastudios.comThe weather started to cloud over so to avoid getting wings wet, FLY flew over to another aisle sheltered under the trees and immediately stopped when spying FLY’s favourite colour…cobalt blue…at Andrew Stelmack‘s booth. www.astelmack.com  Next door was another FLY favourite, Michael Toole, who greeted FLY with another gorgeous blue graphic artwork! www.michaeltooleart.comMeet the delightful Ghazaleh Naderian who showed FLY around her booth, filled with beautiful floral mini-paintings. Perfect for that little space you need to brighten up.  www.ghazal-arts.com
 FLY’s bestie, Erena, ran into one of her favourite artists, Olaf Schneider – she has a number of his paintings herself. Those parrots were magnificent but scared FLY somewhat as they like eating little insects….oh dear!  www.olaf.ca  
You still have another opportunity to visit the Rosedale Art Fair tomorrow, Sunday June 12 so please go visit and say hi to all the artist – they’re so pleased to get back to “normal” and show their work to art lovers and (hopefully) buyers. 

Artist DONNA WISE introduces spring/summer ’22 series with new colour palette

After wintering in sunny warm Florida (and avoiding the final few months of Covid lockdown) Toronto-based contemporary abstract painter DONNA WISE has been busy creating a beautiful series of spring/summer “flavoured” large canvases – some reminded FLY of ice cream cones and sundaes. Here is From the Sea (48×48), including a close-up from the canvas.
And this blue & white 40×40 painting is titled Shadow Play The 48×48 header canvas is titled On the Bright Side…here are a couple of close-ups:

FLY’s favourite is Dragonfly Dancing (48×48)
The close-ups allow you to see Donna’s textural canvases…she seals each painting so you can run your hands over the artwork to feel as well as see her work.
She has also done a series of smaller paintings (24×24) with bold colours and compositions…

Donna is planning a big exhibition at the end of the summer and FLY expects to see lots more new masterworks between now and then so watch this space for news of date and venue. In the meantime, you can reach Donna via her social media – IG: @donnawisefineart or on Fcbk: donna.wise.921677   And you can learn all about this exciting & prolific octogenarian artist at www.artbydonnawise.com 

FLY VISITS COLLECTIVE 131 GALLERY TO SAY HI TO ARTIST MARK J. GLEBERZON

If you’re strolling through the mall under Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street W, Toronto, do drop in to say hello to the artists whose work is on show at the Collective 131 gallery opposite the lower level Holts entrance. One of them will be there to guide you through the collection and perhaps introduce you to new works that would look perfect in your home or office. Mark  Gleberzon (pictured above) was at the helm the day FLY dropped in and he was hard at work completing more small works for his upcoming US shows. Mark loves creating unique artworks from beautiful Barbie and Marilyn photos, as well as other pop art subjects. Other artists include Morgan Jones, Vanessa Drew, Amey Lai, Todd Monk, Kari Serrao, Adrienne Jackson and J&J Photo Art. There’s a stunning, impactful portrait of Biggy Smalls for the hippest of art collectors….as well as fun works for the comic book hero in all of us!There are works for all contemporary art lovers….…and FLY was intrigued with the soft, fluffy toques and greeting cards for those lacking in wall space!FLY gives Collective 131 Gallery 4 wings up! You can find the artists at 50 Bloor St West, lower level.

TORONTO’S GALLERIES ARE RE-OPENING AND HOSTING SOCIALLY-DISTANCED SHOWS

Finally….galleries are open for business here in Toronto. From large public galleries to small indie showrooms and outdoor art exhibitions, painters, sculptors and photographers now have venues in which to exhibit their art and FLY will be visiting them throughout the coming months to bring you stories from the walls.Throughout the pandemic, artists of all genres have struggled to navigate the many online platforms that put their work in front of art-lovers, dealing with the challenges of spatial perception, true colours & textures and that all important one-on-one experience with potential buyers and collectors. Facebook, Instagram, event Tik-Tok have hosted “virtual galleries” but without targeted marketing and promotions just to get people to click on to artists’ sites, it’s been a battle esp. for those who are technically challenged.

FLY hopes to continue to support upcoming gallery re-openings, indie artist shows and special events in Toronto and surrounding cities.

TORONTO’s ARTISTS’ NETWORK CELEBRATES NEW HOME WITH AN EXCITING EXHIBITION

Last night (Wed. Nov. 6) FLY was thrilled to be invited to the official opening of The Artists’ Network new digs in downtown Toronto. Located in the vibrant cultural community of Leslieville at 1158 Queen St East, the gallery hosts a juried exhibition of Artists’ Network members that includes original works inspired by a broad interpretation of the theme MOMENTUM, from the act of moving forward to the poetics of spiritual growth. FLY was invited to the celebratory soiree by the fabulous Connie Gorsline who posed in front of her wonderfully energetic seascape (below)The gallery filled quickly with members and fans of fine art ….….who discovered lots of stunning artworks on the walls…….and FLY was pleased to see a favourite photographic art piece by Lori Ryerson (below)And here’s Connie with fellow artist Nancy Bennett (below) enjoying a glass of cheer and the great company!Congratulations to Kate Taylor and the entire Board of The Artists’ Network in securing such an amazing new HQ, and FLY recommends a personal visit to see the talent contained within its walls. The current show runs until November 24 (see details below) and to learn more about the organization and upcoming events, visit their website: www.theartistsnetwork.ca 

4 MORE DAYS TO CATCH JOHNY DELUNA’S SOLO SHOW “STILL LIFE WITH FRUIT” @ ART SQUARE GALLERY IN TORONTO

FLY braved the lower humidity yesterday and headed down to Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas West (opp. the AGO) to visit super talented artist JOHNY DELUNA whose solo show “Still Life with Fruit” closes this Sunday, August 4th. The A/C is fabulous so no excuses…hurry hurry hurry to this unique showcase of extraordinary works.The main inspiration for my work is observing the human condition. I try to say things about happiness, sadness, confusion, hypocrisy, ignorance, cruelty, indifference and self delusion. I never put myself above these frailties but I laugh at my own weaknesses more than I laugh at others. I try to embed my stories deep enough in the paintings so that each viewer can experience them in their own way. I try to entice the viewer into the work through color, energy, humor and curious or bizarre imagery.  Behind all that is the story – the viewer is free to go as deep as they want. I hope everyone see’s the works differently.
I believe that humor is the best way to connect with others, because if we can laugh at ourselves there is still hope. As an artist, the only thing I can do is be honest, brave and stay true to my vision. ~ Johny Deluna

FLY  strongly recommends you see these stunning large-format paintings to appreciate the intricacies of each – pointillism meets surrealism meets contemporary meets…OMG!Each of Deluna’s paintings portrays deeper, darker stories beneath the exterior of bright, joyful images. The textural quality of the “pointillism” inspired works creates a 3D effect for each canvas. Every masterwork has been thoroughly thought out, exploring abstract themes in his signature riotous palette of primary colours. See close-up details from 3 of his paintings – belowWhile FLY was in the gallery, several visitors came by and took several minutes in front of each painting – so much to discover on each canvas…So don’t forget…Still Life with Fruit closes end of day Sunday Aug. 4th so plan on including a visit over the next few days – you will be amazed, inspired and mind-blown by Johny Deluna’s paintings.For more info on the artist, visit his website www.johnydeluna.com   or follow him on Facebook.  Johny’s work  is in several distinguished collections in Europe and the US, and he also works on corporate & private commissions.

TORONTO POP-ART STAR, ROB CROXFORD, UNVEILS NEW WORK STUDIO & GALLERY

FLY has long been an admirer of the fabulous and funny ROB CROXFORD whose humorous pop-art paintings are immediate smile-inducers! In late May last year, a studio fire all but destroyed his Toronto studio and his complete inventory of artworks. This new studio at 100 Sunrise Avenue in the east end, offers Rob a fresh start and, as with all new beginnings, Rob is focusing on new experiments and new artworks.  This year marks Rob’s 15th year as a professional artist and the completion of some 1,500 works of art – CONGRATULATIONS, ROB! He’s shown in over 125 juried & solo exhibitions here and in the United States. His work is in the permanent City of Toronto’s Art Collection, and in the private collections of several Mayors, and celebrities such as Alex Lifeson, Stuart McLean & Ann Marie MacDonald. You will find his art and his commissions in many private collections all over the world from Istanbul to California. Here’s Rob to tell you himself about the new space and his new collection….

Media-darling Rob has been profiled in Argyle Magazine, Neighborhood Living Magazine, The Society for Commercial Archaeology, Spacing Magazine and many others. Rob’s acrylic paintings are intentionally upbeat and humorous. His vintage-inspired work is instantly identifiable and has a clever approach to pop culture that often merges political topics within whimsical compositions. 

FLY recommends a personal visit to Rob’s studio so reach out via social media or check his website for upcoming shows: www.robcroxford.com Apart from his large-format original paintings, Rob also offers quality prints and giclees of his most popular pieces.

ANOTHER FLYING VISIT TO SANDRA AINSLEY GALLERY, TORONTO

Fly was thrilled to drop in to the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in Toronto’s east end the other day and the thrill of opening the plain, unassuming outside door and walking into the spectacular gallery was breath-taking!  The huge lofty warehouse-like space showcases some of the most spectacular glass artworks, including many pieces by the legendary Dale Chihuly (below)Sandra herself offered a warm welcome then her associate, Daniel, introduced glass masters previously unknown to FLY via the stunning colourful and delicate works currently on show. First off, this showcase of 5 monochromatic pieces by Tobias Mohl  that immediately catches one’s eyes: 

Tobias Møhl’s training came from his on the job experience as a glassblower for the well-known Danish firm Holmegaard Glasværk, where he started in 1989 at the age of 19. By 1992 he was a master glassblower. He was an assistant glassblower for Lino Tagliapietra’s master class at Pilchuck in 1996 and at Tagliapietra’s master class at Haystack in 1997.  Blowing for Tagliapietra gave Møhl good exposure and his reputation in the U.S. began to soar. By the  end of the 1990s Møhl had earned international recognition.  Møhl’s work is a unique marriage of classical Venetian technique with a clear Scandinavian aesthetic. His work is testimony to his considerable skill and interest in traditional technique and craftsmanship. At the same time he also explores innovative options with glass. He uses a traditional process, creating a mosaic of glass that is picked up with a gather of hot molten glass and then blown into shape. The blowing process stretches the mosaic into intricate patterns on the glass. While this technique is traditional, the patterns he creates express a contemporary aesthetic. Many of Møhl’s vessels are white on white or white on black. He uses color sparingly and often he’ll use just one or two colors from his simplified palette.

FLY then decided that the colourful, very tactile pieces by Michael Behrens were favourites of the day… 
German-born artist Wilfried Grootens trained as a teenager in glass & porcelain painting, then after several self-discovery journeys around the world he started performing with the German bands Embryo and Dissidenten, groups known for their avant-garde approach to a style of music coined the “world beat movement.”  He returned to his glass roots and the results are now on show in the gallery…

Grootens’ current glass work (above) uses the optical float technique. He paints on layers of glass and assembles them in stacks, laminating them together to create cube forms. The cubes are cut and polished to perfection. One sculpture in the series, “Where the Shark Bubbles Blow,” is made from 35 layers of painted glass. For this piece, Grootens painted a circle shape on the surface of each thin layer of clear glass. Made of thousands of very fine brush strokes of varying tones, the painted circle creates a wonderful aqua blue. The circles on each layer recede or expand in size gradually and, when seen together, form a miraculous three dimensional globe which seems to be suspended in the cube.

Daniel then directed FLY’s gaze to the big bold colour glass blocks by John Kiley …wow! Not only did the actual pieces generate excitement and wonder, they also cast amazing reflections on the gallery floor – see below

Similar to abstract expressionism, Kiley’s work captures the motion AND emotion of the artist, but in three dimensions. When glass cools, the atoms are arranged randomly. In glass, fractures from an impact follow these random pathways – because of this it’s impossible to re-create the exact same fracture twice in glass, each Fractograph is an indelible and irreproducible record of impact, energy, time and place. The self-imposed rules for the initial 10 blocks were simple, start with a brand new 10lb. sledge hammer, a perfectly polished 80 lb block of optic glass, and you only get one hit. Whatever happens, happens.

Lots more exquisite pieces to view in the gallery – lots more artists to discover….

SPECIAL PRESENTATION – runs until May 21st:  Sandra Ainsley Gallery is hosting “Translucent Bloom”, the Sheridan College graduate showcase. So many lovely, unique pieces from future glass stars! If you get a chance, hurry down to support these young talented artists.

SANDRA AINSLEY GALLERY
100 Sunrise Avenue, Unit 150, Toronto
www.sandraainsleygallery.com
Follow on Facebook & IG: @ainsleygallery

URBAN GALLERY WELCOMES 1st YR STUDENTS FROM CENTENNIAL COLLEGE FINE ARTS STUDIO PROGRAM

This past Saturday, Toronto’s URBAN GALLERY hosted the opening reception for the annual student art exhibition from the Centennial College Fine Arts Studio Program and what a resounding success it was! Within minutes of opening the door to the show titled “Syzygy”, the gallery was packed with enthusiastic art students and their families excited to view their work hanging on the walls – their first experience with a professional gallery. Here are just a few of the exciting works on show…. “SYZYGY” is described as: Everyone has a colourful story…this is ours!  An alignment of celestial creations by Toronto’s emerging art stars from Centennial College Fine Arts Studio program.
This year’s participating students are:  Hiba Abdul-Kareem, Edwin De Villa, Janset Evcimen, Lauren Faughnan, Alice Gong, Adriana Gruszka, An Ho, Manasi Joshi, Vaishak Muralidharan, Yenny Nguyen, Peter Onovo, Haewon Park, Ye Jin Park, Kyeongmin Park, Walter Penado-Vasquez, Shreya Praveen, Paul Rajan, Selenea Rikkonen, Talha Saaed, Erik Sanderson, Alexis Santha, Alexandra Seventikidis, Ghanwa Shahnawaz, Darja Sikorova, Cameron Tausch, Noah Tuomisto, Ruby Urlocker and Madeline Wong-Mayhew
Congratulations to all the participating young artists whose work will be on display until March 30th so come out and support these emerging Canadian artists. URBAN GALLERY is located at 400 Queen St East, Toronto – just 1 blk E of Parliament.
Visit their website for hours and directions:  www.urbangallery.ca