RED CHURCH GALLERY

Good Morning and happy Saturday!
Well……it's been SUPER busy…..I will tell review it for you on Monday!
NOW…..get in your car and take a trip……a little drive in the country…..

So one of my favourite-ists places in now open and ready for you to visit!
RED CHURCH GALLERY is located in Coe Hill…..which is between Peterborough and Bancroft!

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE:

Ok…enough about the scenery…….here is more about them:


The Red Church Gallery was founded in May 2012, by co-owners Karen Decker, Shena Hinks, Wendy Taylor and Kathleen Urdahl.

Nestled in the middle of the Bancroft area cottage country, Coe Hill is home to the Red Church Gallery. Once St. Michael's and All Angel’s Anglican church, this historical, circa 1885 red brick building, is now home to a newly re-furbished art space. The gallery sits high on a grassy knoll in the centre of town and is a treasured piece of structural history for the community.

The goal of the gallery is to provide a contemporary art space while utilizing and maintaining the historical integrity of the structure and the karmic energy of its previous incarnations. The Red Church Gallery will focus on creating a place of beauty where artists, established and up and coming, will be able to show their work and artistic talent.

The gallery is committed to discovering and showing the works of known and unknown artists and in doing so, it hopes to provide a venue for dialogue across all art forms.

Hours of Operation

Fridays ~ 11 am – 3 pm (July/August only)
Saturdays ~ 10 am – 4 pm
Sundays ~ 11 am – 3 pm

The co-owners - buy  the way -  LOVELY LOVELY people (which if you have ever met gallery owners before is REMARKABLE! - There. I said it.)

oh…..and look whats on the wall:

It really is a nice space…..with some fantastic artists:

Ok……so check out their site for any more information…….
Or like them on Facebook…..
Or better yet…pack up the car…..make some nice sammies in a picnic basket and take a trip up to Red Church Gallery!!
Have a great weekend y'all!!!

WW169: TONYA CORKEY, RUPAUL, and EX-MEN

Hey guys! Here are the 5 things that I LOVE this week!
Welcome to "Wonderful Wednesday"!
(A special welcome to all my new friends reading this for the first time!)

1.) Hey art lovers…..fellow Toronto-based artist Tonya Corkey creates super cool portraits with ordinary lint collected from clothes dryers. Um……AWESOME!!!!!!!

 “My work hybridizes the discarded material of lint with the second hand image – the iconic school photograph – to conceptualize my interests. Materiality conceptually layers the work. As a byproduct of society, lint consists of fibers, hair, dead skin and other debris, and thus directly referencing people and their daily activity. Lint and cast off photographs are both discarded materials – materials that reflect the idea of a decaying memory." 

Find out more about Tonya Corkey's work here. Because it is ah-maze-ing!

2.) Ok gays and ladies THIS one is enjoyable. Is it fluffy and silly? YES. "RuPaul What's the Tee? with Michelle Visage"

This is a new podcast, and I really enjoy it. It is quite funny, and these two fierce ladies chat about a bevy of topics - from juicing and health to nail art and music…..from meditation to facelifts! 

It is helping to bring out my inner sis-tah.

I mean that in the most wonderful and respectful way!

Check it out. SUPER FUN!!!!!

3.) THESE…...I NEEEEEED these. As many of y'all know, I have an obsession with a coloured show. Well check this out………Adidas already has options for customizing your shoes….CHECK THIS OUT….but wait…….come August, the Adidas ZX Flux is about to become INCREDIBLY customized!!! BY YOU!!!!!  The new mobile phone app will allow users, to easily apply any photographic image, texture or artwork to the shoe!

OH
MAH
GAWD
You KNOW I am gonna create my own Adidas ZX Flux Photo Print shoe based on my work! And then they will deliver them right to my door!!
I can hardly wait!

4.) These are neat. Porcelain masters Rosenthal presents ‘TAC big cities’ tableware designed by BIG architects and KILO. This stunning dish ware depicts the silhouette of various world city skylines such as London, New York, Paris, Toronto!
LOVELY!!

So simple and classy!
The skylines are outlined in heritage blue on a surface of white porcelain.
Very very nice!!!

(via Designboom)

5.) This may seem long…..but stick with it…3 minutes in it is EXTRA funny!
It amused me…..especially after having seen the new X-men film this week…….

(here is a link!)
Hey…...and also check out The Pete Holmes Show! VERY FUNNY!

KENSINGTON MARKET ART FAIR

Hey guys!
What a weekend!!!!
There was a huge turn out for the first ever……granted it was a CRAZY BEAUTIFUL DAY!
Honestly I felt like summer was ACTUALLY on its way!
Here are some photos from the day!

My booth -- YES….THAT'S SUN!!!!!!!!!!!

The <3 bag="" br="" toronto="">Each one is a little different…….and only $25 BONES!!!!!
COME ON!!!!!

These smalls were a great success!

Here are the BRAND NEW postcards……I LOVE THEM!

Kensington Market glamour.

See pithy comment above!

The show was in the parking lot at 77 Nassau Street!
Which was really well located….. 

It will be shady by the next show!!

The unfortunate part was that it was FILTHY because there was no grass….
LOOK AT MY LEG - EW!!!
Old filthy legs Croxford. That's what they call me!

Gwartzman's was there!

Julia McNeely brought her farm!

Neato drawings from Margo Jane Duncan

Enjoyable mixed media by Morgan Jones

Nice photos from Nina Staer Nathan!

YOU MISSED IT?????

Guess what? Your'e in luck….come out on Sunday July 7th for "Pedestrian Sunday" in Kensington.

A lot of the streets are closed and it is a super fun day!!!!

And I will have new stuff to show you!

I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
(sorry for the caps lock!   ;-)

"MAY THE FORDS BE WITH YOU", and KMAF

Happy Friday!
So…….are you tired of talking about me???
Well then this is NOT your day……….
I wanna talk about the two shows this weekend……I mentioned them in my newsletter…..and if you are not signed up for those…..CLICK HERE
FIRST…..

"May the Fords be with You"

May 24th, 7pm-10pm
Atomic Toybot  (978 Queen St E)
What do you get when you combine the Star Wars Universe and the whatever universe that Rob Ford lives in? THIS SHOW! Nerdy, political, fantastic! Here's a preview of my painting showing that night (Toybot will also be carrying prints of my Ford painting for only $35.00 -- there is a limit of 30 of them, so get 'em while you can!)

"Dark Side", 30" x 24", Acrylic on Canvas

Now let's talk about my painting……nope……..it's not about crack and it's not about his weight.

I honestly do not see much humour in addiction. It is sad.

Truthfully I really did some soul searching about this painting. 

You see, I try to keep my art positive and smart. I really did not want to get hip deep in the mire of Rob Ford lunacy.  But then again, I do not enjoy his antics, and moreover I do NOT enjoy his politics, his lies his sense of entitlement or his general hateful views on things.

So why depict Rob Ford as General Palpatine?

(and here is where it gets extra nerdy)

Palpatine rises to power through deception and treachery. He outwardly behaves like a well-intentioned public servant and supporter of democracy, all the time he has his own agenda. 

To me, this seemed to be the EXACT right fit.

Now, I am not a fan of hate-art, but I thought it was just as silly as it needed to be. 

As silly as municipal politics have gotten in this city. 

I tried to handle it smartly and through humour….What say you??

LOVE IT?

HATE IT?

I'd love to hear - come out on Saturday night and we can talk about it!

THEN come out AGAIN this on Sunday for:

Kensington Market Art Fair
Sunday, May 25th, from 12pm-7pm,

Come out and enjoy the first outdoor art event as part of "Pedestrian Sundays" in historic Kensington Market! If you are looking for fun this weekend…art filled tents will fill up the parking lot of “Wheels for Rent” at 77 Nassau Street. Here is a list of the Artists you will see this Sunday! I will be showing GREAT merch at this show including some fun postcards! Come out for the sun and stay for the art!

I will be showing my merch: 

NEW "I heART Toronto" bags, 10 postcards based on my paintings.
There are LOTS of things priced at $25.00 and less!

Including a total of 31 prints based on my works……like these:

8 x 10's and 16 x 20's of Toronto Landmarks….
SHOW PRICED AT ONLY $30-$65

A bunch of my "Nerdy A-Z's" available as 8" x 10" prints
(SHOW PRICED at $30.00)

Also, I will be showing a couple bigger giclees printed on canvas and stretched on a frame:

"Outta This World" is 40" x 30".
It is a reproduction, BUT I spent many hours repainting on top of the print.
So it is original in its own way!
It is signed and numbered 1/10….and each print is obviously different.
If this were an original painting it would retail at over $2000.
BUT Because it is a reproduction, it is only $550.
BARGAIN!!!!!

Come out and see the merch at this show……because you WON'T see it at The Toronto Outdoor Exhibition in July!!

Ok….that's all folks!
I hope to see you real soon!

WW168: CAFFEE FURBO, SUPERMODEL PAINTINGS, and MJ

Howdy folks!

Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday!
(For those of you who are new here…..let me break this down for ya'…….every Wednesday I talk about 5 things that I have enjoyed in the last week…..and I share said 'wonderful things' with you!!)
So let's giv'ver!!

1.) I spend the whole weekend hocking art in The Distillery District, and to get through it, I HAD to
     caffeinate…..and Caffe Furbo was THE place for me!

I had a delightful latte each day! More than that….I had 3 DELICIOUS sammies!!!! (that is sandwiches for those of you who don't speak shorthand Rob)

Also…..I have to admit, the usual poser-coffee-hipster vibe wasn't there…..and in fact, the folks behind the counter was AWESOME!!!

So….go down for an espresso and a treat today!!!
NOM NOM NOMMMMMMM!

2.) Then there is this trailer…..….

O

M

G

I can hardly wait for "Guardians of the Galaxy" to come out!!! (I know…..it's pretty nerdy! ;-)
OH….and or all of you who can't see that clip…..
GO HERE!!!

3.) THESE are fantastic. I love what lauren wade (Senior Photo Editor for TakePart.com) is saying about the stupidity of our unrealistic portrayal of female bodies. She uses photoshop retouching to show us the unattainable beauty standard society promotes! Here are a couple…..

‘of course it hasn’t always been that way.‘ she explains‘throughout art history, painters from titian to rubens to gauguin found beauty in the bodies of women who would never fit into a size 0.‘ 

Brilliant work Lauren!
Check out MORE here!!

4.) Am I the only one who is enjoying the "new" Michael Jackson album? I cannot help it. I know…I feel a little guilty…….but I am especially enjoying "Love Never Felt so Good" (it is a duet with Justin Timberlake) it's a toe tapping song….

(go here for the song)

5.) This is great……..re-imagined trailers……of disney classics……

(or see it HERE)
or this one…..

Frozen horror trailer HERE

(via http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com)
There you go, 5 things I enjoy this week!!
Remember - if you have something you think I would LOVE……email me…..and you may see it posted HERE!!!
Have a great day!!!

ARTFEST DISTILLERY WEEKEND - post mortem…..

GOOD MORNING!
I hope you guys had a great long weekend!
ME? I was down at The Historic Distillery District in Toronto for Artfest!
So….first - thanks to those people that made it out…..I really appreciate it!
Ok….let's get to it………I know you are gagging to know the grizzly deets…

First…let me tell you , I thought the Artfest team did a great job organizing the show load in and such.
I think my weekend would have been MUCH better had I been on the 'main drag' of the Distillery….
Sadly, my location was right at the very end of one of the side roads. There was a glaring traffic problem where I was…..in that….there was WAY LESS pedestrian traffic….
But not one to get hung up on a bad booth location I was ready for the day with a heart filled with love!
(or at least full of 'like')

This is the panorama from my booth on Gristmill Lane…r

Saturday May 17th was a frigid start…..
"How cold was it Rob?"
So cold…...that I had to wear a tee - a HEAVY hoodie - a wool WINTER jacket - and GLOVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes…that's right friends…..I said gloves ….um.….in MAY!!!

Anyways…..here are the photos:

DAY 1: "Freezing my popsicles off"

My booth! Looking great!

The view was great!
(pay no attention to my finger)

Thankfully the clouds parted that first day for a  small time…….
and the street was mobbed with people……ok…maybe not mobbed...

I saw 6 wedding parties on my weekend in the Distillery…..
I especially LOVE this bride and groom pose…..
SUPER natural looking!!!!

Folk singer, Patrick Keating, and duo partner, Jack Martin performed songs
"celebrating our magnificent planet and our connection to it and each other."

Let me make say, Patrick made an impression on all us exhibitors!
His songs which included a song about "Sledding across canada"…which most astoundingly rhymed "shiver" and "give 'er" was STUCK in my head for days!
He also had a song detailing a Martian invasion!
The chorus of which was…."We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets…."
I assure you it was a toe tapper….
Speaking of alien invasion…….

I loved this sculpture that I was right beside!
Very "war of the worlds"!

Ok…back to this bridal party……
Now I do NOT want to be critical of their choices….
BUT…..those poor bridesmaids…..they are gonna HATE the photos from this day in about 10 years….
(and by 10 years, I mean NEXT MONTH!)
ok……..maybe I was just jealous of their magenta coloured hats…..

 DAY 2: "Rainy days on Sundays always get me down"

1pm…….Into every artshow,  a little rain must fall!

THIS sums up my feelings about the rain…..
These little guys are STILL available!!!
COME ON!!!!! ;-)

1pm

2pm
BUSY!!!!! ;-)

3pm
Um…..is that actually sun AND rain??????

4pm…...I was looking for a rainbow!
(and a reason to live ;-)

THANKFULLY it cleared up at about 6pm…….yes…that was closing time…….
Thanks for not screwing us Mother Nature!! :-)

DAY 3: "Sunny with a chance of sales showers"

A spectacular start to the day!!!

Let it be known….part of the weather issues at The Distillery are due to wind and it's direct proximity to the lake (aka always colder). But Monday it remained fairly sunny for at least 1/2 of the day……which is nothing short of a miracle…..

…and then there were moments of this………..

Here's the math…...SUN + ARTSHOW = people

 Ok….let me talk a bit about my neighbours at this show……

 The lovely folks at GrayArt Glass……lovely work! CHECK THEM OUT HERE!! We had a lot of laughs over the weekend…..sometimes about my murder suicide plot……but still……
ALSO near me….

Claire and Woody helped the long cold days pass……check out the beautiful glass works HERE!!!!!

And of course Nadya who makes very nice handbags as Táska…..and who was a neighbour at Cabbagetown last year……Check out her work too……HERE

Sunday we were delighted with the sounds of Enrique Lopez:

Clap for the sun!!!!

I swear every time the clouds came out……the sounds of his music would samba the clouds away!
AWESOME SAUCE!

So there is was…..cold…..cloudy….partially wet……..another weekend art show.
(SIGH)
Do not worry - it nothing that vodka and shock-therapy won't fix! ;-)
The great news is, it was still a decent weekend for me……thanks to collectors who FIND me…even in the most DIRE weather conditions!!!!
Thanks to those folks……and for those who couldn't brave the elements…..I GET IT! I still care deeply for you……just maybe not AS much……hee hee….
I leave you with this SUPER FLATTERING selfie…….

This was me bring attacked by the aliens………
I suspect they wanted to harvest me for the fat in my chins……..

 Have a great week y'all!!!