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| Mary Catherine Newcomb at loop Gallery |
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Last Chance to See The Exhibitions of Mary Catherine Newcomb and Martha Eleen at Loop Gallery
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sketches in New York City by Eric Farache
My friend Alan and I started with a coffee.
On the 6 train, there was a delay so I got out the sketchbook and pen.
Yup, even in the sweaty subway people were all bundled up.
I drew this sketch while overhearing some teens talking, it was heinous and fairly graphic. I think if you grew up in NYC you would be a sleazier more foul version of yourself- just a thought.
By evening fall, it was even colder, I slipped into this bar not far Chinatown, called Home sweet Home. Loud, but warm! I relaxed and drew some of the characters.
This was before it got too packed.
I drew this double drawing of the bartender while having a boozey afternoon, at the back of this place called Bread.
I really did leave the canal/chinatown area!
The Neue gallerie had some beautiful Egon Schiele drawings on display, more than you see if you go to the Albertina drawing gallery in Vienna ( but that was based on my trip in the early 90s, might have been one of those things when you go and everything is closed), so that was a treat but I mostly just looked at it all.
If you go to NYC soon, you have to go to the Neue Gallerie, its focus is Austrian/German work -- amazing stuff. Also, have a coffee in the Cafe Sabarsky, it is a highly regarded dinner spot. I was there on Saturday and the lineups to eat were astounding.
A little sketch I made about a year and half ago while drinking a $6 Viennese coffee, it was good but six dollars? I know, I know, it New York baby.
On the 6 train, there was a delay so I got out the sketchbook and pen.
Yup, even in the sweaty subway people were all bundled up.
I drew this sketch while overhearing some teens talking, it was heinous and fairly graphic. I think if you grew up in NYC you would be a sleazier more foul version of yourself- just a thought.
By evening fall, it was even colder, I slipped into this bar not far Chinatown, called Home sweet Home. Loud, but warm! I relaxed and drew some of the characters.
This was before it got too packed.
I drew this double drawing of the bartender while having a boozey afternoon, at the back of this place called Bread.
I really did leave the canal/chinatown area!
The Neue gallerie had some beautiful Egon Schiele drawings on display, more than you see if you go to the Albertina drawing gallery in Vienna ( but that was based on my trip in the early 90s, might have been one of those things when you go and everything is closed), so that was a treat but I mostly just looked at it all.
If you go to NYC soon, you have to go to the Neue Gallerie, its focus is Austrian/German work -- amazing stuff. Also, have a coffee in the Cafe Sabarsky, it is a highly regarded dinner spot. I was there on Saturday and the lineups to eat were astounding.
A little sketch I made about a year and half ago while drinking a $6 Viennese coffee, it was good but six dollars? I know, I know, it New York baby.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Eric Farache reports on his recent trip to New York City
Yes, it was freezing. Yes, there were line ups galore in front of every major art gallery or museum but, New York is still a great time.
You can see the herds of people in line that you are trying to avoid at all costs.
I took in the Maurizo Cattalan show before it closed at the Guggenheim, it was an amazing thing to take in but at the end of it all, I am no longer sure what I think of the artist- it was a lot of one liners, winks and leg pulling. Not much gravitas when you have a miniature Hitler floating by a cord, sizzle sizzle!, but steak....????
I caught the JFK piece about a year and a half ago at the New Museum in NYC, you went around a corner, its dark, and boom, a dead man in a coffin- and it is JFK! This was not just all denouement seeing it again, it also made you see how things looked silly and just too pop-shebang-fizz (to borrow from Gainsbourg)
The New Museum now? Forget about it! about a three hour wait in the -9 told me to move on.
I stopped at the Sperone Westwater, just down the street in the Bowery. A show of sculptural work, old and new, not much of a focus but it was interesting stuff and the building is a massive structure which has work in the elevator on display. Most apartments could fit in this elevator mind you.
A sort of Gorilla John the Baptist with rubber gloves and disposable cups, all made out of marble, an ironic tour de force.
Also, dropped in on Caroline Falby, she is an ex-pat who is working on her Masters at Hunter College in city. Her studio is close to Times Square, it is this massive building which just feels like an old art building.
You can check out some her work here. She is working on some new stuff at the moment- she seems very interested in the War of 1812 and what it means to Canada and the United States. In the meantime, you can see her multi referential work which employs a breezy technique to inject joy and a seemingly carefree element to the work.
You can see the herds of people in line that you are trying to avoid at all costs.
I took in the Maurizo Cattalan show before it closed at the Guggenheim, it was an amazing thing to take in but at the end of it all, I am no longer sure what I think of the artist- it was a lot of one liners, winks and leg pulling. Not much gravitas when you have a miniature Hitler floating by a cord, sizzle sizzle!, but steak....????
I caught the JFK piece about a year and a half ago at the New Museum in NYC, you went around a corner, its dark, and boom, a dead man in a coffin- and it is JFK! This was not just all denouement seeing it again, it also made you see how things looked silly and just too pop-shebang-fizz (to borrow from Gainsbourg)
The New Museum now? Forget about it! about a three hour wait in the -9 told me to move on.
I stopped at the Sperone Westwater, just down the street in the Bowery. A show of sculptural work, old and new, not much of a focus but it was interesting stuff and the building is a massive structure which has work in the elevator on display. Most apartments could fit in this elevator mind you.
A sort of Gorilla John the Baptist with rubber gloves and disposable cups, all made out of marble, an ironic tour de force.
Also, dropped in on Caroline Falby, she is an ex-pat who is working on her Masters at Hunter College in city. Her studio is close to Times Square, it is this massive building which just feels like an old art building.
You can check out some her work here. She is working on some new stuff at the moment- she seems very interested in the War of 1812 and what it means to Canada and the United States. In the meantime, you can see her multi referential work which employs a breezy technique to inject joy and a seemingly carefree element to the work.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
R.M. Vaughn's Review of the Exhibitions of Martha Eleen and Mary Catherine Newcomb at Loop Gallery
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| The Great Hare by Mary Catherine Newcomb |
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| Opening at Loop Gallery January 7, 2011 |
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| Paintings by Martha Eleen |
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| Michele Harney and Martha Eleen's dad |
Friday, January 13, 2012
Artist Talk: Martha Eleen will headline at Toronto School of Art
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| AS IS oil on wood, 30 x 30, 2011 by Martha Eleen |
Martha Eleen teaches painting and drawing at the Toronto School of Art and is an honours graduate of Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver, Canada. Her artistic practice engages the ideas of cultural landscape, the construction of society, and the politics of space through painting. Her work has been exhibited in public galleries in Canada, the United States, Japan, and Mexico.
Martha will be talking about her current exhibition at loop Gallery. I, Huck maps the domestic space framing the artist’s relationship with her son Gabe, who is vulnerable and requires constant support. This is an inside view of a dynamic person whose natural gifts of sharp wit, emanating love, and disarming honesty are often obscured by disability bias. The titles used in the work are quotes from Gabe. Fascinated by analog audio technology, Gabe listens to several recorded versions of Huckleberry Finn and likes to call himself ‘Huck.’ He thinks the “n” word is “neighbour”.
This program is free and seating is first come, first serve. Donations are welcome. Toronto School of Art is located just east of Spadina on the north side of Adelaide at 410 Adelaide Street West, third floor.
Martha Eleen's show continues at loop Gallery until January 29, 2011.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Ian McLean at Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant - Jan. 7 to March 4, 2012
"The Promise of Painting"
Ian McLean, Cristina Zanella, Robert Achtemichuk
Artists work within the promise of painting to uncover and contribute their individual passionate attachments to this form of visual expression.
Ian McLean, Cristina Zanella, Robert Achtemichuk
opening reception: Jan. 15, 1:00-4:00
Artists work within the promise of painting to uncover and contribute their individual passionate attachments to this form of visual expression.
Show curated by Kathryn Hogg and coordinated for Glenhyrst by Bryce Kanbara
Ian McLean uses colour to lure his viewer with his unusual environments and combination of elements. His imagery harkens back to a 1960’s feel but his colour palette is later; part pop art/ part post impressionistic. Residential environments hold an elusive chronology with his use of symbolic objects expressed through textured painted surfaces. Both McLean and Zanella use black as accents in their work and often include lime green, cadmium yellows, oranges and turquoise. McLean’s objects are infused with a landscape of these brilliant colours applied with creamy seductive brush strokes of oil paint on canvas.
McLean resides in the Sarnia area in Bright's Grove and studied at the University of Guelph.
His work has been exhibited extensively and is found in collections across Canada. Ian McLean is represented in Toronto by Loop Gallery.
Cristina Zanella is interested in the play of light and dark and its effect on the intensity of colour. She treats her subject matter, whether it is dead birds or subtle still life forms, with an eye to balancing broken space with colour, light and line. Her paintings are both vibrant and moody with a linear graceful approach to her marks.
Zanella, based in Port Dover, has exhibited throughout Southern Ontario. She received a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Robert Achtemichuk works with gouache on silk or washi (Japanese paper). Achtemichuk’s studio looks out into an ordinary Ontario back yard in Kitchener. His interest is in the quiet contemplation of the small changes that occur due to time of day, weather, season and the inspirations and revelations from that kind of study. Misty, watery, sensual small paintings are titled the date they were painted. Sultry, earthy colours of raw umber and grays, and washed out blues and reds direct the viewer through a quiet passing of time. There’s innocence in his work from a delicate touch that exposes poetic vibrating atmospheric simplicity. In today’s fierce world this may be considered otherworldly.
Achtemichuk received his BFA from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. He apprenticed in colour etching techniques in France and studied master classes at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Mexico City. He has exhibited his work and taught courses across Canada. He has been the Executive Director at Open Studio, the Waterloo Regional Art Council, and the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery.
This work is accompanied by a catalogue written by Liz Wylie, Curator of the Kelowna Art Gallery. Robert Achtemichuk acknowledges and appreciates support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund.
You are warmly invited to join us for the Opening Reception and to spend time with this beguiling exhibition at any time over the next eight weeks.
McLean resides in the Sarnia area in Bright's Grove and studied at the University of Guelph.
His work has been exhibited extensively and is found in collections across Canada. Ian McLean is represented in Toronto by Loop Gallery.
Cristina Zanella is interested in the play of light and dark and its effect on the intensity of colour. She treats her subject matter, whether it is dead birds or subtle still life forms, with an eye to balancing broken space with colour, light and line. Her paintings are both vibrant and moody with a linear graceful approach to her marks.
Zanella, based in Port Dover, has exhibited throughout Southern Ontario. She received a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Robert Achtemichuk works with gouache on silk or washi (Japanese paper). Achtemichuk’s studio looks out into an ordinary Ontario back yard in Kitchener. His interest is in the quiet contemplation of the small changes that occur due to time of day, weather, season and the inspirations and revelations from that kind of study. Misty, watery, sensual small paintings are titled the date they were painted. Sultry, earthy colours of raw umber and grays, and washed out blues and reds direct the viewer through a quiet passing of time. There’s innocence in his work from a delicate touch that exposes poetic vibrating atmospheric simplicity. In today’s fierce world this may be considered otherworldly.
Achtemichuk received his BFA from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. He apprenticed in colour etching techniques in France and studied master classes at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Mexico City. He has exhibited his work and taught courses across Canada. He has been the Executive Director at Open Studio, the Waterloo Regional Art Council, and the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery.
This work is accompanied by a catalogue written by Liz Wylie, Curator of the Kelowna Art Gallery. Robert Achtemichuk acknowledges and appreciates support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund.
You are warmly invited to join us for the Opening Reception and to spend time with this beguiling exhibition at any time over the next eight weeks.
Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
20 Ava Road, Brantford, ON N3T 5G9
Telephone: (519) 756-5932
www.glenhyrst.ca (map to gallery available)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
An Invitation to Participate from Elizabeth Babyn
For my next exhibit entitled Sacred Connections, I am formally inviting all of you to assist me in the creation of a mixed media unity quilt which I plan to launch the third week of June 2012 at Loop Gallery in Toronto. What I will require from you are those handwritten truths or guiding principles that assist you to reach your highest potential. It is my belief that handwritten excerpts will bring more energy to the work. These excerpts may be of any length, they may be written on paper or cloth or card stock and should those guiding principles already exist for you as quotes or bits of poetry from other sources that is fine too.
Elizabeth Babyn
1212 Elliot Street
Sasakatoon, SK
S7N 0V6
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Martha Eleen and Mary Catherine Newcomb at loop
loop Gallery is pleased to announce exhibitions by loop members Martha Eleen entitled I,Huck, and Mary Catherine Newcomb entitled Grassy.
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| Tough Luck (oil on wood, 30x30) by Martha Eleen (2011) |
I, Huck is the latest exhibition by Toronto-based artist Martha Eleen which maps the domestic space framing the artist’s relationship with her son Gabe, who is vulnerable and requires constant support. This is an inside view of a dynamic person whose natural gifts of sharp wit, emanating love, and disarming honesty are often obscured by disability bias. The titles used in the work are quotes from Gabe. Fascinated by analog audio technology, Gabe listens to several recorded versions of Huckleberry Finn and likes to call himself ‘Huck.’ He thinks the “n” word is “neighbour”.
Martha Eleen is an honours graduate of Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver, Canada. Her artistic practice engages the ideas of cultural landscape, the construction of society, and the politics of space through painting. Her work has been exhibited in public galleries in Canada, the United States, Japan, and Mexico. Martha Eleen is represented by loop Gallery in Toronto. She teaches painting and drawing at the Toronto School of Art.
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| Untitled (detail), rabbit's ear, glass, silver, grass by Mary Catherine Newcomb (2011-12) |
In her exhibition at Loop Gallery Mary Catherine Newcomb combines an image of the hare, a recurring personal symbol, with her interest in working with living media in the 8’ long “Great Hare”. The exhibition also features a number of smaller pieces including a rabbit’s ear suspended in olive oil with a small silver cup, six silver beans on a small bed of grass, and a series of ink drawings on the rib bones of a cow. These works, together with the Great Hare, whose pelt of coiffed turf is literally alive to the touch, raise questions about relationship between different life forms.
Mary Catherine Newcomb is a sculptor based in Southern Ontario who was born and raised in Montreal. She has received numerous awards form both the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her work has been widely exhibited in Canada and internationally.
Please join the artists in celebrating the opening reception on Saturday, January 7th from 2-5 pm. Learn more about Martha Eleen and Mary Catherine Newcomb’s work during a Question & Answer Session at loop on Sunday January 15th, 2PM.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Great Books about Artists
Although I know a lot of artists who never express a moment's doubt about their work, I find it comforting to know that some of the great artists endured moments (sometimes years) of self-doubt. That list includes photographers Lillian Bassman and Brian Duffy who threw away or burned large portions of their archives of negatives, painter Georgia O'Keefe who destroyed almost all her early paintings, and many others who went on to achieve great success. A few of my favourite artist biographies include:
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