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International Art Treasures Web Magazine February 2006 |
TOAE: The Best of 2005First Canadian Place (FCP) Gallery, Toronto
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Micheal is working on a new series entitled "20 Views of Paris from a Balcony. As he explains, "Every balcony is but a reaching out onto the edge of air. Stepping out on a summer balcony in Paris (or Venice) is like coming up for air in the middle of history. Trying to convey some of that airiness into and through these watercolours of 'A View from a balcony in Paris' series, they have gained an organic flow to them which makes each one a departure for a stationary flight above the streets and boulevards of Paris; a 'seen scene' not in reality, yet real." |
Margaret Rankin
City of Toronto Purchase Award
Title: Advancing Columns, 1998
Artist: Margaret Rankin
Medium: Cardboard Relief with Texture BFK Rives Lightweight White Paper
Dimensions: Image Size 12 x 21 in. Paper size 20 x 26 in
Artist Web Site: magprint.etsy.com
Image Courtesy: Margaret Rankin
Two of a series of five prints based on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto encompass the City of Toronto Purchase Award at the TOAE for 2005. These prints, in the words of Margaret Rankin, remove the expressway from its urban context and subtract portions of the structure to highlight its sculptural aspects.
Andrea Vander Kooij
Fibre Award: Best of Medium
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Andrea explains that her working process involves accumulation. "Regular visits to church thrift sales and the Salvation Army provides me with the materials from which my work is made. Using reclaimed materials is very important to me because I enjoy the sense of collaboration and the evidence of someone else's presence in my work. Often times, the material I use is of an intimate domestic nature, such as sheets and pillowcases, or blankets. Other people, strangers to me have slept there, leaving the marks of their history both literally and figuratively. The fact that these items are stained, discolored or worn right through is something that I like to make use of in the work." |
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Adding, "I am interested in the tension between revealing and concealing in terms of both the construction of the pieces, and the imagery I choose to work with. The imagery in my work stems from an attraction to textbook illustration and how-to manuals. The work is made using traditional embellishment techniques, and are embroidered and appliquéd by hand. Each piece is stretched and laced across a deep profile stretcher to give it a sculptural feeling, and the added display option of standing on the floor or a shelf as well as hanging on a wall."
Andrée Wejsmann
Jewelry Award: Best of Category
Decorative Applied Arts Award: Best of Category
Title: How did you do that, anyway?
Artist: Andrée Wejsmann
Medium: Silk Brocade, Sterling Silver, Gold
Artist Web Site: www.softdogstudios.ca
Image Courtesy: Andrée Wejsmann
Andrée discusses her work. "This piece is from a series of clutch purses. It is called How did you do that, anyway?. It is meant to be a charm bracelet, worn around the wrist, and the charms are worn inside the purse. It is all hand made from silk brocade, sterling silver and 14k yellow gold. The Clutch series explores the idea that we all carry things with us--whether or not we want them to be seen. The objects we choose to carry will inevitably tell a story. My interest lies in the way these stories will be read by those we encounter."
These are just a few of the winning artists from TOAE 2005 that have an exclusive exhibition at the FCP Gallery. In July the 2006 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibtion will take place in the heart of downtown Toronto at Nathan Phillips Square. TOAE 2006 will be held, rain or shine, from July 7-9!