Toronto Outdoor Art Show July 10-12, 2009

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition that ran from July 10-12 was the usual wonderful experience for me. As is my practice the past few years, I surveyed the website for the show and looked at all of the artists sample pieces. For those I found particularly interesting, I went also to tour their website if they had one. And from this I created a list of those I wanted to see in person and possibly chat with about their work. With over 500 artists and only three days in which I am good for about two hours a day, I have to narrow down my preferences.

Here is the site: http://www.torontooutdoorart.org/ and of the artists I put on my list (29 of them) I managed to see and talk with 17 this year. One of them, a printmaker who was making his first appearance at this annual show, won honorable mention in the Awards given. I bought his book, The Point of the Graver and had a long chat with him about his very specialized craft of engraving on the end grain of certain types of wood. http://www.wesleybates.com/ (image above from Wesley’s site)

I group my list of artists in the section colour where they have a booth. Here is my list in case it is of interest to investigate these artists – especially since I have included their website if they have one. I have marked (*) those with whom I had conversations about their work and found them all quite receptive.

MIxed Media (unless otherwise labeled)

9 White - Alice Vander Vennen - http://www.alicevandervennen.ca/
13 White – George Walker - http://www.george-walker.com/ (printmaker)
19 White - Marjolyn van der Hart - http://www.marjolyn.com/
33 White - Paul Roorda - http://www.paulroorda.com/

*602 Yellow - Danielle Hession- http://www.dannyanddani.blogspot.com/ - wonderful use of colour in her paintings
*603 Yellow – Barbara di Lella – (fabric) lovely integration of fabric, embroidery and silk screen and I met her son Jordan whose paintings were in Student Blue North
*06 Yellow – Debra Tate-Sears http://www.debratatesears.com/ (watercolour) WOW! What an incredibly talented artist she is.
*313 Yellow - Janny Fraser – (sculpture) – always impressive assemblages
*620 Yellow - Erin Vincent - http://www.erinvincent.ca/ - great sense of fun – very appealing work in mixed media
641 Yellow - Rui Pimenta - http://www.ruipimenta.com/
643 Yellow - M.A Tateishi - http://www.matart.ca/
646 Yellow - Julie Bell
*673 Yellow – Brian Harvey - http://www.brianharvey.ca/ (painter) oh for money to buy one of his canvases – quite fine painting and he’s a CTS grad
688 Yellow - Caroline Gagnon - http://www.carolinegagnon.com/gallery.html

107 Pink – Karen Kawarsky - http://www.karenkawarsky.com/
*115 Pink – David Brown - http://www.encausticcollage.com/EncausticCollage/home.html

*413 Orange – Laura Kulic - http://www.lauraculic.com/ (painter)
*421 Orange – Dorion Scott – http://dorionscott.com/ – great to see her latest paintings
*427 Orange – Rudolf Kurz – http://rudolfkurz.etsy.com/ (printmaker) intricate and whimsical prints
*428 Orange – Natalia Laluque http://www.natalialaluque.com/
*430 Orange – Shelly Savor - http://www.shelleysavor.com/ (printmaker) my favourite this year! Super little lino block prints.

323 Green - Pam Lostracco
325 Green - Kayvene McJannet - http://www.kayvenemcjannett.com/
329 Green - Kally Williams
* 331 Green – Todd Munro - http://www.toddmunro.com/ (printmaker)
332 Green – James Robert Durant http://www.jamesrobertdurant.com/
374 Green KateLynDigiulio - http://www.katelyndigiulio.com/
380 Green Karoline Varin-Jarkowski http://www.karolinevarin.com/

*524 T. Silva Barbosa - http://www.tsilvabarbosa.com/portfolio/index.html
*550 Turquoise Lori Richards - http://www.loririchards.ca/
*559 Turquoise – Wesley Bates http://www.wesleybates.com/ (printmaker)

*214 Blue South - Joeng-Kwon Gye (former classmate at CTS)