Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition 2003: International Art Treasures Web Magazine September 2003

Toronto Outdoor Art
Exhibition 2003

The 42nd Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) presented over 550 artists and craftspeople. As has been TOAE custom for the majority of its past history the juried show was held in Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of downtown Toronto. Intermittent rain didn't dampen the spirits of the crowds who attended the exhibition.

Sophie Hackett, Acting Executive Director of TOAE says, "It's the most accessible visual art venue in the city. The show is free and offers the public a chance to get to know some of Canada's most talented artists and craftspeople. For the artists, it's an exceptional opportunity to meet the public face to face."

Of the 1,200 entries to display, the TOAE juries selected 550. The jury is comprised of artists, curators and of craftspeople. During the weekend event a high-profile judging panel awarded more than $35,000 in prizes. The judging panel included David Liss, Director, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, and Anna Hudson, Associate Curator, Art Gallery of Ontario, Jonathan Smith, Curator, Burlington Art Center and artists Eliza Griffiths and Germaine Koh. The recipient's list can be found at the end of this article.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition is extremely well organized with an easy to follow map and listing of all the artists. The overriding impression is one of inclusiveness. The event welcomes entries in fourteen genres as well as the work of emerging talent by accepting not only established artists, but also students artists.

Kim Simmonssen
Uberhund V 2002,
ceramic, glass, 90 x 165 x 45cm

Our congratulations to Kim Simmonssen the recipient of the Best of Show 2003. Kim's artwork at the July event was one of the most popular attractions. The sculptures were eye catching. Their attention to detail within the larger works made Kim's booth one that was continually surrounded with admirers.

Painting

Emma Hesse
Calcium 2002,
oil on panel, 18" x 30"

Still life, portrait, and abstract were all present demonstrating the diversity of entries selected to appear in the TOAE painting category.

Emma Hesse's moody realist paintings elevate mundane objects to the level of great art. Technically superb, her paintings are a fabulous addition to any art show or collection.

Drawing

Ryan McKeen
Figure after the Académie Julien 2002,
charcoal on paper, 30" x 22

Ryan McKean entered this category as a drawing student. An added benefit to artisans is the ability to submit their work when they are students and still have the opportunity to participate in the exhibition. Ryan has a talent for detail and his portraits are bold.

Ryan is now a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and continues his studies as an advanced student at The College Street Studio. We look forward to seeing Ryan's artwork featured next year as he steps up from being a student to being a featured artist.

Computer-generated work

Adria Collins
Document 2 2002,
digital print, 12" x 9"

One of the new age technologies that is receiving wider acceptance is the computer generation of art and it's endless possibilities as can be evidenced in Adria Collins' atmospheric digital print Document 2. Collins combines images of trees in silhouette with print creating an eerie, yet compelling work.

Jewelry

Sarah Troper
Single Picket band 2003,
sterling silver, 2cm d

Particularly popular were the jewelry craftspeople. Patience was required given the number of people crowding the display cases. Sarah Troper received the Best Jewelry Award for the past two years. Her talent is evident in the tailored simplicity and elegant concept in her work Single Picket band.

Fibre

Jennifer Langdale
Remax Red Barn 2003,
fibre, 4.8 x 9cm

If you have ever tried embroidery you have experienced the beautiful French knot you just made dismally sinking into the cloth and disappearing. Jennifer Langdale knows how to do French knots: thousands of them! Her beautiful embroidered works are deeply framed which gives due recognition to her wonderful work.

Metal

Elizabeth Goluch
Milkweed Seed Pod 2002,
sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, 5 1/2" l

Elizabeth Goluch created a witty and visually compelling art piece which was featured in the exhibition. Painstakingly crafted in sterling silver and Swarowski crystals this piece is just plain old beautiful.

Glass

Julia Gibb
best before series (detail) 2002, blown, enameled glass, 26cm h, 11cm d e

Julia Gibb won the 2003 best in Decorative Arts award for her nostalgic series, the best before series. Gibb combined retro line drawn images on blown milk bottles with etching to give the impression of various levels of fullness. Are these retro pieces of art half full or half empty--it's your call.

Watercolor

Sherrill Girard
Magenta 2002,
watercolour, 22" x 15"

Sherrill Girard's use of powerful color rockets her painting of Irises into vivid life. Viewers commented on the glorious use of vibrant color and the artist's attention to fine detail and technique.

Original Prints

Peter Barron
Sunfish 2002,
color lino, woodcut, 25.2 x 30.7cm

Peter Barron created this colorful rendition of a sunfish through the time honored practice of woodcut. He has combined this with the use of colored inks presumably using lino cutting. The technique is reminiscent of of the techniques of Edvard Munch, the famous Norwegian artist.

Photography

Ahmed Sirry
Trees, Western Beaches
toned gelatin silver print, 6" x 8"

The odd vertical symmetry of trees in an inundated field energizes this somber yet enticing photograph.

Ceramics

Sin-Ying Ho
Mei Ping 2001,
porcelain, cobalt, decor transfer, 14 1/2" x 7 1/2"

Perhaps one of the most diverse categories in the exhibition were ceramics. A cornucopia of sundry styles flooded the event from artists in this media. On the left, Sin-Ying Ho's, Mei Ping exemplifies the superb craftsmanship which was evident in this category.

Wood

Arno Verhoeven
Stump chair 2002,
wood, 35" x 16" x 16"

Arno Verhoeven's Stump chair gives us a solid modernist design of one of the most common and useful objects in our environment: a chair. The delicate muted earth tones of the piece combine beautifully with the red in the chair back.

Mixed Media

Caroline Versteeg
Diver (detail) 2002,
mixed media on canvas, 30" x 30

Calming, subtle and atmospheric blues grace this passage of Caroline Versteeg's mixed media painting Diver. The dark blues echo the water theme of the title showing a beautiful abstraction of the wake of a diver's entry into the water.

The TOAE began in 1961 after Murray and Marvelle Koeffler attended an outdoor art fair in New York City and decided to launch a similar event albeit initially on a smaller scale in Toronto. Since 1967 Nathan Philips Square has been the location. The TOAE runs over a July weekend. The TOAE is unique in Canada, providing a fresh-air alternative to normal galleries. It's an opportunity for art enthusiasts and collectors to either begin or enhance an art collection. The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition is a non-profit organization and does not taken any percentage of artist's sales.

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Awards 2003

BEST OF SHOW AWARD
TD Canada Trust $3,000 Winner: Kim Simonsson
Judged by Anna Hudson, David Liss, & Jonathan Smith

TOAE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
$1,500 Winner: Arounna Khounnoraj
Judged by Best of Show Judges

PURCHASE AWARDS

Murray Koffler - Founding Chairman's Award $1,500 Winner: Clint Griffin
Judged by Best of Show Judges

City of Toronto $500 Winner: Ruby Zhang
Judged by Pamela Wachna, Curator, Market Gallery

East Queen Gallery Multi-media / Computer Generated Award $1,000 Winner: Louis Cohen
Judged by Sara Angelucci

SCULPTURE AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
Mr. & Mrs. L.L. Odette $1,250 Winner: Sandy Plotnikoff
HONORABLE MENTION
Mr. & Mrs. L.L. Odette $ 500 Winner: Arounna Khounnoraj
Judged by Marla Hlady

DECORATIVE / APPLIED ARTS AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
Aaron Milrad ($1,000 Award + $500 purchase) $1,500 Winner: Julie Gibb
Judged by Ann Cummings

FIBRE AWARDS - BEST OF MEDIUM
First Canadian Place Shopping Centre $1,000 Winner: Peggy Mersereau
HONORABLE MENTIONS
David H. Kaye $ 250 Winner: Saskia Wassing-Shepherd
The Japanese Paper Place $ 250 Winner: Joanna Notkin
Judged by Melinda Mayhall

GLASS AWARDS- BEST OF MEDIUM
Eric & Marsha Slavens $ 750 Winner: Joel Alexander
HONORABLE MENTION
Hollace Cluny Glass Award $ 500 Winner: E. Milinkovic & K. Gene
Judged by Robert Jekyll

CERAMICS AWARDS- BEST OF MEDIUM
KPMG $1,500 Winner: Ying-Yueh Chuang
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tuckers Pottery Supply - Materials $ 500 Winner: Tony & Sheila Clennell
Pottery Supply House Award - Materials $ 500 Winner: Eric Wong
Staff Plus Ceramics Award $ 250 Winner: Janet Macpherson
Judged by Bruce Cochrane

JEWELRY AWARDS
BEST OF MEDIUM
BMO Bank of Montreal $1,000 Winner: Sarah Troper
HONORABLE MENTION
TOAE Board of Directors $ 500 Winner: Andrée Wejsmann
Judged by Paul McClure

PRINTMAKING AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
Ernst & Young Original Print $ 500 Winner: Nadine Bariteau
Ernst & Young Print Purchase $ 500 Winner: Liliana Rodriguez
Purchase Award
Judged by Ernst & Young

Atelier GF $ 500 Winner: Liliana Rodriguez
Wyndham Art Supplies (materials) $ 500 Winner: Anna Jane McIntyre
David & Marcia Baum (Student Printmaking) $ 250 Winner: Michael DeCroock
Judged by Libby Hague

PAINTING AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
The Globe and Mail $1,000 Winner: Iza Mokrosz
HONORABLE MENTION
D.L. Stevenson & Son Artist's Colour Mfg. Co. $ 650 Winner: Adele Chong
Susan Anderson $ 500 Winner: Derek Mainella
The International Courier Co. $ 250 Winner: Heidi Yip
Frank and Etta Jacobs - student painting $ 200 Winner: Howard Tsui
Judged by Eliza Griffiths & John Brown

WATERCOLOR AWARDS
BEST OF MEDIUM
HK Holbein (materials) $2,200 Winner: Sherrill Girard
HONORABLE MENTION
Valerie Steele $ 500 Winner: Laura Kingsbury
Judged by Rod Prouse

MIXED MEDIA (2D) AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
BMO Bank of Montreal $ 1,000 Winner: Jason Gringler
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kon & Deborah Wehnert $ 500 Winner: Clint Griffin
Kathryn Minard $ 250 Winner: Ben Oakley
Judged by Germaine Koh

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
D.C. Bradley & Harrowsend Holdings Ltd. $1,000 Winner: Nancy Friedland
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Patti Cooke $ 500 Winner: Lindsay Page
Eight Elm Photo and Video Student Photography $ 100 (gift certificate) Winner: Sheila Pye
Judged by Sara Angelucci

DRAWING AWARDS
BEST OF CATEGORY
Curry's Art Stores (Materials) $1,000 Winner: Kim Elliott
HONORABLE MENTION
Appraisal Associates $ 200 Winner: Olivier Girard
Judged by Peter Bowyer

BEST STUDENT
Rob Nicholls & Joanne Noordhuis $1,000 Winner: Munya Madzima
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Marie Collins Memorial Award $ 800 Winner: Heidi Yip
Aboveground Art Supplies (materials) $ 500 Winner: Michele Perras
Judged by Sara Angelucci

BEST PORTRAIT
Ken Purvis $ 500 Winner: Jaclyn Conley
Judged by Germaine Koh

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

www.torontooutdoorart.org