Tag Archives: Sandra Ainsley gallery

CELEBRATING CONTEMPORARY ART GLASS GALLERIST SANDRA AINSLEY’S 40th ANNIVERSARY

What a wonderful celebratory event yesterday, Saturday Sept. 21, at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery in Toronto, marking Sandra’s 40 years of  presenting the finest glass artists in the world in her spectacular 6,000 sq. foot gallery. I’ve had the opportunity of attending several exhibitions over the past decade, but this was a really special occasion with a dozen of the 60 international artists she represents joining  Sandra along with collectors and friends to mark this curatorial milestone.  Here’s the lady herself…
The Sandra Ainsley Gallery is one of North America’s leading contemporary glass galleries. Founded in 1984 by Sandra Ainsley, the Toronto-based gallery has been recognized as a force in the international glass market. The Gallery represents the world’s leading artists working primarily in glass, as well as a roster of diverse, contemporary emerging artists. For over 35 years, the Gallery has established strong relationships with both private and corporate clients, assisting them in finding the perfect piece for their collection. Located in a converted warehouse space, with 22-foot ceilings, dramatic lighting, and an open concept layout, the Gallery is the ideal backdrop to exhibit the outstanding collection of glass sculptures. Sandra Ainsley Gallery has represented world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly (below) since 1989.

About Sandra: Since she established her first gallery in Hazelton Lanes in Toronto’s Yorkville area in 1984, Sandra has developed and nurtured her passion for glass into a thriving and successful business. She expanded in 1989 to become the premier gallery in the Financial District’s Exchange Tower. This location allowed Sandra to better meet the needs of both private and corporate clients with an impressive roster of international artists. Today Sandra Ainsley is one of the leading dealers of contemporary glass in North America.  The Exchange Tower space launched in 1989 with a Dale Chihuly exhibition then her gallery at The Distillery opened November 2002, with over 2000 people in attendance, and pioneered the largest exhibition by Dale Chihuly in a private gallery.
In September 2012, Sandra Ainsley Gallery relocated to an industrial warehouse in Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway and Eglinton Ave area at 100 Sunrise Ave, Unit 150. It was a surprising move but the space, with its 22 foot ceilings, is an ideal backdrop to show sculpture, especially the pieces with scale. This location enables Sandra to spend quality time with her clients and artists, many of whom Sandra has represented for over 3 decades and she enjoys her long standing relationships with them. The gallery works with private collectors, corporate clients, designers and architects in placing major pieces and installations as well as more intimate sculptures. She has become an integral part of the international glass community, establishing herself as one of the leading dealers of contemporary glass in world. Arriving early in the day, FLY was able to watch as Sandra’s clients, friends and artists arrived, filling the gallery with so many ooo’s and aaah’s and lots of heartfelt congratulations and love. She truly does care about her artists and it was lovely to meet a number of them in person: Wilfried Grootens‘ work was fascinating and so beautiful (and tactile). Here he is with his intriguing pieces that offer mesmerizing illusions for the viewer…. Loved meeting Jason Christian whose work included the colourful “yo-yos” in the key photo as well as this friendly dragon who greeted visitors… And it truly was exciting to see 2 pieces by FLY’s favourite Australian artist Noel Hart (below) for whom Sandra created a live Zoom seminar a couple of years ago. Noel bases many of his pieces on the colourful birds of the Australian bush. Such a wonderful afternoon, complete with speeches from Sandra and the artists, and so many gasps of appreciation for all the work.  The special anniversary show runs until November 15, and you can get all the details, directions, gallery hours at Sandra’s website: www.sandraainsleygallery.com

FLY highly recommends you visit the Sandra Ainsley Gallery to enjoy the impressive and remarkable glass art.

ART TORONTO WELCOMES OVER 100 NATIONAL & INT’L GALLERIES, INSTALLATIONS, PROJECT SPACES, and more!

FLY was thrilled to be invited to the “media day” preview of this year’s ART TORONTO art fair and it was exciting to meet new artists and galleries as wellas lots of favourites like the McMichael Gallery which was front and centre at the top of the escalator. FLY was fortunate to view their current Tom Thomson exhibition and they were busy promoting their upcoming show…. https://mcmichael.com/
Just around the corner from McMichael was Montreal’s www.Blouin-division.com featuring the stunning “bead” works of Renne Condo. FLY then discovered a new gallery along Dundas West (website coming) Zaal Art Gallery and the charming booth hosts welcomed questions about the art, esp. the 3rd image below – what do you see? The artist has actually painted his face mid-shaving – it’s a foamy portrait.

FLY was welcomed into the booth of Halifax-based IOTA Gallery and the lovely ladies representing Nova Scotia artists were happy to share news of their gallery and works on display.

And IOTA’s artist Carrie Allison creates unique and intriguing soft sculptures such as these, below….Next door FLY found this small booth packed with lots of art books. Aperture is based in New York City and run by a very knowledgeable Richard Gregg. http://www.aperture.org
FLY was looking for BC-based Jean Paul Langlois (FLY has one of his stunning prints on her wall) and found 2 of his paintings represented by The New Other Gallery – it was a stunning booth with a couple of secret nooks containing other fabulous works, including the large blue and gold work by Jaspal Birdi. Definitely recommend checking out: wearethenewother.com
So many cool booths, however, only a few of the artists and gallery directors/curators were on-site for this media day event. Sadly, FLY could not interview anyone else but took a lot of photos for you.

FLY always looks forward to Sandra Ainsley‘s big exhibition booth – she represents many superstars of the art glass world including Dale Chihuly of whom FLY is such a fan. This year’s booth did not disappoint! Bravo, Sandra.  https://sandraainsleygallery.com/

Thank you to the Art Toronto show producers and good luck to all the galleries working hard to promote Canadian and international artists. The show opens tomorrow, Friday Oct. 27 and runs throughout the weekend. Check out times and details: https://arttoronto.ca/

ART TORONTO TAKES PLACE THIS WEEKEND @ METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE

FLY attended the opening night of the annual ART TORONTO, featuring Canadian and int’l galleries and artists, and found lots of exciting contemporary artworks exhibited, as well as discovering some new galleries and arts initiatives. The show runs until end of day Sunday Oct.30 – click on their website for details and tickets: https://arttoronto.ca/home/The first booth FLY visited was the Art Gallery of Hamilton (above & below) with their striking display and lots of information and merchandise. The ladies were welcoming and eager to share their knowledge of the gallery’s current, past and future shows. www.artgalleryofhamilton.comImmediately to the left, you’ll find an aisle displaying books and materials available from the arts bookstores and I found these two lovely people representing The Power Plant which is currently celebrating 35yrs – check out the line-up of FREE exhibition tours and other events happening through to December: www.thepowerplant.org

Love the cool kids of Floating Point Gallery! They have been very active on social media promoting their participation in this year’s Art Toronto. It’s good to see galleries being active on the ‘net, supporting their artists and activities. Bravo, team Floating Point. https://floatingpointgallery.com/
And speaking of cool…FLY walked into lead sponsor Infiniti‘s booth to view a unique hanging installation by world-renowned conceptual artist Michael Murphy. The Next Contemporary gallery offered several paintings and sculptures but these two (below) particularly caught FLY’s eyes. The gallery is located on Dupont Street so go visit after the weekend’s show. www.thenextcontemporary.com 
Meet Monica Reyes, Director of the Monica Reyes Gallery in Vancouver. The elegance of the lady is reflected in the art she exhibits…the booth displayed a wide range of contemporary works including the backlit colourful panels that would illuminate any wall or room. www.monicareyesgallery.comThe booth that really blew FLY away was www.RochemontProjects.com exhibition of Ghana-based artists with these stunning HUGE canvases depicting “Material Memories” (see description below), curated by Ashley McKenzie-Barnes. You cannot walk past this large booth without stopping…the images are haunting, engaging and intriguing. FLY wasn’t too sure about the squished gold Jaguar in the middle of the lounge but being a devoted Jag lover, she had to stop and stare….Who doesn’t love a cute Barbie? How about this sexy cowgirl Barbie (below) by Maggie Hall? Check out her pop-art at: www.lovemaggiehall.comFLY enjoyed chatting with reps from 2 arts magazines: Border Crossings and C-Mag, both of which support Canadian contemporary artists and galleries. Check them out yourselves. www.bordercrossingsmag.com  and  www.cmagazine.com So many fabulous works on show – here’s just a sample…including those fabulous painted bowling pin Elvises (or is it Elvai?) Rocky LaRock shares his N.W. Pacific coast cultural imagery with these jaw-dropping carvings…his profile is below.  FLY then ran into Napoleon…....and viewing Napoleon at the same time was an enthusiastic art lover, Glen, who introduced FLY to his colleagues from the Portrait Gallery of Canada (based in Ottawa), a newly formed organization looking to promote portrait photography or paintings of everyday Canadians – every face tells a story and there are millions of faces/stories out there waiting to be gathered and shared. Here’s Glen (below R) with artist Max Dean (L) who was participating in the pick-a-hat, pose-for-a-photo and create-your-own-portrait initiative. What fun!It was lovely to meet Portrait Gallery of Canada’s Exec. Director Robert Steven (C), along with Board Member Christine Sadler (L) and artist Darlene Cole (R).FLY is looking forward to supporting the endeavours of www.portraitcanada.ca

Before leaving the show, FLY had to buzz around the aisles to find one of her favourite Toronto galleries – the Sandra Ainsley Gallery and she was not disappointed. Sandra herself was there and gave FLY a tour of the stunning art glass sculptures on display. You MUST visit her gallery in person to see the magnificent works from her represented artists. https://sandraainsleygallery.com/  Below are the latest pieces from South Australian Clare Belfrage Sandra showed FLY the innovative glass panels from renowned glassmaker Dale Chihuly – turned off the panels look one way then flipping a switch to illuminate, they look completely different colours. WOW! FLY also got to meet the charming Susan Edgerley who created this delicate glass floating sculpture – looks like clouds – and when you brush the wires or individual pieces, it jingles melodically.Thanks so much for the mini-tour, Sandra!So much more to dazzle and inspire at the show so please visit Art Toronto this weekend. Big THANK YOU to Michael Usling and his team for the media pass. Good luck with the weekend.

Tickets online or at the door – check the website for daily events and activities, as well as for tickets: https://arttoronto.ca/home/

 

 

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