Tag Archives: contemporary abstract

OCTOGENARIAN ARTIST DONNA WISE KEEPS UP FAST-PACED CREATIVITE OUTPUT!

FLY is in awe of Toronto-based artist DONNA WISE who came to contemporary abstract painting late in life but whose output exceeds that of so many younger artists. www.artbydonnawise.com During Covid lock-down, Donna retreated to her studio and created gorgeous, lush acrylic-on-canvas masterworks as well as experimented using paper as a medium. And the results were a series of extraordinary artworks – Road to the Moon (60″x60″) – full size & close-up-images and From the Sea (48″x48″)-full size & close-up detail plus Shadow Play (40″x40″) – full size & close-up detail …and her paintings on paper were equally as exciting…here’s Triumphant (below)and this red one is called Celebration.FLY is thrilled to share the news that Donna has been selected to showcase her work (below – “Chantilly Lace” and “Numbers of Music & Poetry”) at next month’s ArtBox Project showcase in New York City, so Donna is hoping to attract collectors in the Big Apple (her work is already in private & corporate collections in Miami and San Francisco).

FLY wishes Donna much success with her stunning paintings in New York and here in Toronto. You can check out 2 of her canvases in person at the Westmount Art Gallery in Etobicoke, and watch for news of upcoming exhibitions during the summer months on her Fcbk & Instagram (linked via her website).

FLY VISITS INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS & GALLERIES

Travelling around Australia over the past 2 months, FLY visited numerous galleries featuring indigenous artists’ work and is thrilled to share photos with you here. So many aboriginal artists did not want photos of themselves or their work taken so these photos are from accredited galleries who represent some of the best artists in the country. FLY will be posting several blogs to cover the vast expanse of space and tribal imagery, let’s start with the story of Short Street Gallery in Broome, located in the north west of the state of Western Australia. www.shortstgallery.com.au Located in Broome’s Chinatown, upon entering this heritage building, you are immediately struck by the 125+ years history of pearling in this town, as well as the incredible art contained within. Established in 1998, the gallery is Australia’s leading contemporary Art Gallery specializing in Aboriginal art, sourcing works from remote Indigenous communities and art centres from the Kimberley, Tiwi Island, the APY & Ng Lands, Central Desert, Pilbara and throughout regional Australia The main hall displayed large artworks, all of which had red dots next to them. Bravo for all the sales!

Short Street also has a secondary gallery space where hundreds of works are stored (and on show) – they frequently rotate the art into the main gallery. Wow, such stunning works and FLY wanted to buy everything!
If you love contemporary abstract and are looking to support indigenous artists from different countries, Short Street Gallery can offer you hundreds of unique paintings with stories from country and the dreamtime. They ship around the world…or come for a visit! You can follow them on social media – links can be found on their website: www.shortstgallery.com.au

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