Gore Park
Month: April 2016
Studio Work
Gore Park
Art Post 63 – Creating a Body of Work
Gore Park
Artist’s Notebook – SUMMA 2016 Show
25 April 2015 – Artist’s Notebook
Family and work commitments continue to keep me busy. Time in the studio has dropped off the chart. I am currently working on one commission that I am hoping to finish by the end of May. Media projects at work are also providing some interesting and enjoyable challenges.
Unfortunately, I have let the ball drop on the postings of urban landscape photos. I simply haven’t had the time to wander around the city and focus on the interesting architectural features. I would like to explore Barton, Locke, or Ottawa streets for new material. As I have mentioned before, most of the city never gets recorded on film.
Related to undocumented areas, I would like to do a time-lapse video of the alleyway in Hamilton. There has been a few interesting articles in Raise the Hammer about Hamilton’s alleyways as alternative bike routes.
I did find time to view SUMMA 2016. It is always interesting to see a new generation of artists, even if they still under the heavy influence of art instructors.
The media artwork was particularly strong this year. I really connected with Alyssa Silverman’s work entitled: Brothers.
Another very strong work was the following piece; unfortunately I didn’t note the name of the artist or the title of the work.
The gallery doesn’t help the students much when it comes to social media. It would be nice if each student got at least one photo with their artwork that would be posted to the gallery’s social media accounts. At the very least, someone from the gallery could take photos at the opening (with the artists and their works being introduced would be helpful). Video interviews would be nice as well. Plus links to artist webpages.
I also liked media works by Lydia Santia and TJ Poplar.
Overall, the graduating students showed very strong pieces. It is always a positive experience seeing new and interesting art.
Art Post 62 – Return to Painting
Artist’s Notebook – Art Crawl
Artist’s Notebook – As an artist, the art crawl should be a must; but to be frank, I rarely get to them. By Friday evening, I just want to go home and relax.
If there is a gallery opening with an artist that I really appreciate then I make the effort. My attendance doesn’t really depend on the day or location. For example, Christina Sealey showed her new works at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas on a bitterly cold night last year. The place was packed with patrons and supporters for each of the three different artists showing that evening.
In my view, this is why social media is so important; people want to know if the effort of visiting a gallery is worth the effort. Social media is your way of raising your profile and promote your new works.
A big name gallery owner in Toronto once said that he rarely makes sales with people who walk in from the street. I can understand this experience because art is a luxury good, your selection reflects strongly on your tastes. It is very unlikely that you are going to gamble a few thousand dollars on something without a certain amount of research and reflection.
I find many galleries and artists seem to hold tight to any information that may make their potential patrons more informed. Maybe artists and gallery owners fear that more information about their interests and techniques will somehow destroy the mystery and power of their picture puzzles.
Anyway, the art crawl is a great development, but I need to know in advance that there is something worth seeing.
Preparatory Drawing, Studio Work
After Max Beckmann, Studio Work
