Studio Fuse – Artscape Gallery
Lori Klassen’s figurative drawings and floral paintings at Fuse.
Lori Klassen and Tanya Kirouac are the charming, creative minds behind Studio Fuse, one of the Artscape galleries in the Case Goods Warehouse. The two artists met through the industry and have been sharing workspace together for over three years. There is always something new and beautiful to look at in the gallery, as Klassen and Kirouac only exhibit their own original pieces and are constantly rotating new work.
Tanya Kirouac specializes in a unique medium known as “encaustic,” which an ancient artform that dates back over 3000 years ago and uses pigmented wax to create designs on canvas. Her paintings focus on florals and landscapes, many of which are inspired by her getaway in Prince Edward County. She is currently busy working on paintings for a gallery in Switzerland, as well as preparing for the upcoming Toronto Outdoor Show in July.
Fuse’s Tanya Kirouac is currently working on this intricate encaustic painting.
Lori Klassen works with graphite and oil mediums for drawing and painting. Her graphite pieces are figurative, using the human body in its many forms as the subjects. Inspired by the way a petal’s edge rolls and curves, Klassen paints close-up florals that can also appear almost figurative in their magnified state. As well as fine drawings and paintings, Klassen also does decorative paintwork and murals, and has even appeared on the W Network’s hit show Candice Tells All.
Thompson Landry Gallery – Quebec Artist Focus
Known for exclusively showcasing Quebec-based artists, the Thompson Landry Gallery was one of the first occupants of the Stone Distillery over seven years ago. The gallery specializes in displaying both the masters of Quebec art and the best contemporary artists of today.
The Thompson Landry Gallery is currently showing Dominique Fortin’s exhibit, MUES.
Until June 9, Thompson Landry Gallery will be showing Dominique Fortin’s exhibit, MUES: An exploration of Human Nature. The pieces adorning the gallery walls are delicate, intricate and feminine, which is representative of Fortin’s romantic style of art. MUES tells a story of the shedding of old skins as physical memories of being, and the perpetual transformation into a rejuvenated individual as these memories are let go. The exhibit has been so well-received that it was even chosen for the personal collection at Cirque Du Soleil’s headquarters.
Thompson Landry Gallery is excited about their upcoming exhibit opening on June 13, featuring one of Canada’s leading, living abstract artists, Jean-Pierre Lafrance. This will completely transform the gallery space with his big, bold abstractions. Lafrance is known to be moved by his environment, and both matter and liquid inspire his upcoming exhibit at Thompson Landry Gallery.
PROOF Studio Gallery – Artscape Photography Gallery
PROOF is renowned for offering extremely high quality printing, as well as displaying beautiful photography.
PROOF is one of the Distillery’s Artscape galleries, where Sheila Jonah and John Drajewicz have been offering fine art photography and printmaking services for seven years. The Case Goods Warehouse is a perfect fit for PROOF, as they often collaborate with other artists for themed shows, and service artists in the Distillery with photographic documentation. PROOF specializes in large-scale pigment printing in archival photographic method, and does all of the printing on site in the Distillery.
Participating in about four major shows each year, PROOF displays its own original work as well as the work of other artists. Concurrent with the Chinese New Year, the gallery participates in the International Print Exhibition and Exchange, with last year’s subject being The Year of the Snake. Currently, PROOF is displaying the photographic work of guest artist, Natalie Draz, as part of Contact Photography Festival. Draz is a Montreal-based artist, and a Master of Fine Arts graduate of Concordia specializing in bookmaking.
Corkin Gallery – International Art
Corkin Gallery has been showing contemporary art exhibits at the top of Tank House Lane since the beginning of the Distillery’s renovations. The gallery features a little bit of everything, catering to photography, sculptures, video, paintings and mixed media exhibits. The defining quality that ties the exhibits together is an international art dialogue, with the featured artists reaching beyond a regional scope.
Currently and until the end of May, Corkin will be participating in Contact Photography Festival by exhibiting two artists, Max Regenberg and Gabriel Thompson. German photographer, Max Regenberg has been working on a long-range study of billboards. Gabriel Thompson is an American who views photography as a form of poetry and will be showing his body of work entitled, In The Naked Light I Saw.
The next main exhibition to look forward to at Corkin will be showcasing Barbara Astman’s Dancing with Che: The Original Polaroids. The exhibit will open on Wednesday, June 19, and will compliment her full installation being shown at The MOCCA, entitled Dancing with Che: Enter the Giftshop. The show is inspired by Astman’s trip to Havana, in which she was struck by Che’s image plastered everywhere, despite it being a controversial photo in Western society. Corkin will be welcoming Astman at the gallery on Saturday, June 22 at 1:00pm to speak about and answer questions about her work.
Deaf Culture Centre – Celebrating the Deaf Community
Mixed media artist, Maryam Hafizirad uses melted glass to create her symbolic artwork.
Zoee Montpetit is a photographer showing her 365 day project at the Deaf Culture Centre.
Tree Twins, by Julia Patterson is a sculpture inspired by a true story of two deaf twins from Redwood Park, Vancouver.
The Deaf Culture Centre opened in 2006 and is the only freestanding deaf culture centre in the world. It was established to promote the arts, culture, and heritage of Canada’s deaf community. Located within the Stone Distillery, the fascinating architecture inside the Deaf Culture Centre is inspired by the deaf. There is symbolism hidden in the interior design that reflects the traces of hand movements in sign language, including the main door handle that reads, “inspire” and a logo that reads “culture.”
This month, the Deaf Culture Centre has been showing the works of eleven outstanding deaf artists for the Celebrating Deaf Arts Canada Exhibit. Maryan Hafizirad is an Iranian mixed media artist who works with melted glass to create her inspiring art. Hafizirad’s pieces are oozing with symbolism, with pomegranates that represent the love inside her heart, and fish that stand for the quiet, visual spirit of a deaf person, paralleling a fish’s existence underwater.
Zoee Montpetit is a Vancouver photographer who is also showing at the Deaf Culture Centre. Her exhibit is based on a 365-day project, in which she took photos of herself everyday for one year. The pieces are a reflection of Montpetit’s exploration of identity, pasting together all her different photos to make the unique creations.
Also showing at the Deaf Culture Centre are sculptures by Julia Patterson. Featured artist at Nuit Blanche, Patterson’s pieces tell stories of significant events in deaf heritage. Tree Twins is a piece that pays homage to two deaf twins from Redwood Park, Vancouver. The twins lived and isolated life and were ridiculed, so they retreated to the Redwood Forest where they built a tree house that still stands today.
DISH Studio + Gallery – Artscape Ceramics Gallery
Susan Card is most known for her colourful floral ceramics.
Susan Card has been showing one of a kind ceramics at DISH Studio + Gallery since 2006. DISH is an Artscape Gallery, located in the Case Goods Warehouse where artists feed off one another’s creative ideas. Card has 25 years of experience in clay and is known for her colourful, floral designs in wheel-thrown porcelain. All of the electric firing is done at DISH within an oxidation atmosphere kiln; whereas Card’s smoke fired pieces are actually created at her cottage over a bonfire.
While Card mostly shows her own work, as a longtime potter whom is very active in the community, she also handpicks unique pieces designed by her friends and colleagues. DISH will be participating in the upcoming Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit, on the weekend of July 5. At this event, Card will be showcasing a new series with an entirely new body of work that will be categorized as Sculptures, rather than Ceramics.
Julie M. Gallery – Contemporary Art
Julie M. Gallery is participating in Contact Photography Festival by showing exhibits by Shai Kremer and Mats Nordstrom.
Representing various different artists at different points in their career, Julie M. Galley shows multidisciplinary artwork that spans a large variety of categories. The unifying theme is that the gallery represents mostly Israeli artists with different styles and mediums, including sculptures, paintings, new media art, and drawing. Currently showing at Julie M. Gallery is body of work by Shai Kremer, entitled Work in Progress. The exhibit is part of Contact Photography Festival and consists of beautiful abstractions inspired by the restoration of the World Trade Centre.
Kicking off with a public reception on the evening of May 30, Julie M. Gallery is welcoming Mats Nordstrom’s open exhibit, also as part of Contact Photography Festival. The gallery will be showing Nordstrom’s Impact Resistance until mid-July. These pieces feature sculptures, photography and video that reflect human resilience to the psychological scars that develop with the passing of time.
Kodiak Gallery – Photography and Framing
Gregory Talas and his group of artists display their own fine Arts and photography at Kodiak, and also offer quality framing services.
Kodiak continues to be a pillar in the Distillery’s community of galleries, as a renowned art supply and framing shop. Located on Tank House Lane, the talented Gregory Talas and his group of artists constantly rotate their original art. Talas is the art director and owner of the gallery, and has been in the business for almost 50 years The gallery features a variety of original photography, mixed media, paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. Aside from being a fully functioning gallery and framing service, Kodiak also offers individual photography lessons with Talas himself.
Post written by Alex Franceschini on May 24, 2013.
The Christmas tree is certainly the focal point of the Loews’ Toronto Christmas Market but other hot spots include the stage shows and audience viewing area under the clock (which is a good meeting place or a place to meet if you get separated from family or friends btw), and Rudolph’s Reindeer Zoo, and Santa’s house which is always hidden away at the end of a shrub maze that’s guarded by Santa’s roaming elves. There is great shopping, specialty beer and mulled wine gardens, sweets and treats, and all the great Distillery District restaurants
This Gingerbread house is the first piece of Rudulph’s Reindeer Zoo to appear… the fences are next.
Our sincere apologies to Frank Ferragine, Weather Specialist on Citytv’s Breakfast Television and Gardening Specialist for CityNews. Frank was erroneously reported to be a host of CTV in a prior post in this blog, which has been corrected.
With seven works sold, Ognian Zekoff’s Feedback exhibition was a success before the show even opened.
on canvas and heavy emphasis on light and dark at the National Art Academy in Sofia where he earned his MBA.
The Feedback exhibition surrounds its viewer with hands; some are grasped in communion, others, like Defense, demonstrate resistance. The artist speaks five languages but understands the unspoken messages of gesture–he instructs his models how to hold their hands, but says there’s an improvisational element that inevitably comes into play. “I can tell you something with my hands,” he says. “I can hide something, too. We can express very different states of our souls, our spirits. [Hands are] the most difficult part of the human body to paint–there are so many details, challenges. It was a big challenge for me.”
Urban Girl’s Guide
room of all things white complete with live rock band and DJ.
It was a potluck-style dinner. Everyone was in charge of bringing a dish to share with strangers or friends. I bought a bunch of different breads and headed to St. Lawrence Market for the salami, prosciutto, garlic & chive Havarti, brie, peppercorn pate, olives, sausage, grapes and peaches. Turned out pretty well, I think! Cava restaurant was also on hand and treated us to a fluffy pate mousse on crostini.
Billy Bishop Goes to War is a war story as much about Canada’s involvement in WWI as it is about its title character’s endearingly flippant attitude towards his considerable contributions to the war effort. The play is patriotic, but never corny or jingoistic, as war productions sometimes go. Instead, Bishop’s Canadian heritage is explored best through song when he, at war, sings simply and sincerely of his hope to die in Canada, not in a trench. It is at moments like these that the audience gets it–how fortunate we are to live in Canada, in peace.
