More on Inspiration

 In previous blogs I have talked about the issue of ‘artist’s block’ and possible sources of inspiration, but sometimes inspiration comes not from visiting an art gallery but from an unexpected place.

I am a volunteer at the Aphasia Institute in Toronto. ‘Aphasia’ is an acquired disorder caused by damage to the brain from either a stroke, brain tumour or brain injury. This condition affects more than 100,000 Canadians today. Aphasia can deprive the affected person of the ability to speak, read, write or understand the speech of others. Language skills are affected, not competence, but all too often those with aphasia are discounted as incompetent because people lack the necessary skills to help them be understood.

The Aphasia Institute is a community-based centre of excellence that helps people express themselves to the world around them. It also assists people with aphasia and their families to find new ways to re-join life’s conversation and thereby reduce isolation.

There are a variety of ongoing programs - all designed to encourage community involvement and social exchange.  I am currently a volunteer facilitator for a conversation group. However, as an artist, I am very inspired by the group of members that participate in the art program. Most have never painted before, some have had to learn to use their non-dominant hand as a result of stroke, and all have aphasia in varying degrees.

Making art is such a wonderful way to communicate when the right words may escape you!  I admire the energy and fearlessness of these budding artists as they are finding new pathways to enjoy life. As you can see from the paintings, their talent is also to be admired. When I see these painters at work, I am ashamed to even think of ‘artist’s block’.

Thank you to the painters below for sharing their work with all of us. For more information about the Aphasia Institute go to www.aphasia.ca

Bill Scott

Tita Tubil

Lorraine Kelso

Bruce White

June Ann Ho-A-Kam

Se- Truong

Art in Celebration of Doors Open

Merrily We Bowl Along

A Jack Among the Jills

Where is Sir Francis?

These three paintings were done to celebrate the occasion of "Doors Open" Toronto, at the Lawrence Park Lawn Bowling and Croquet Club.

May 26 & 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In 2012 this City of Toronto Parks and Recreation facility celebrates its 100th anniversary.

The greens and original clubhouse for the Lawrence Park Lawn Bowling & Croquet Club were built in 1912 in the beautiful Alexander Muir Gardens Ravine. Prior to 1923 it was a private club for the residents of the Lawrence Park Estates. 

 Doors Open visitors are invited to tour our clubhouse and greens, watch demonstrations of lawn bowling and croquet, and have a try at playing. (Please note that participants must wear either flat-soled or running-type shoes on the greens.) 

Art Studio Tour

The North Toronto Group of Artists is having its 4th Annual Art Tour on Saturday May 5 and Sunday May 6. 

Visit the studios of 16 artists in the North Toronto area .  Enjoy a variety of artworks at a range of affordable prices, chat with the artist and have some refreshments. Hope to see you there.


11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Rain or Shine
Free Admission

Studio Tour Area:
Eglington to Wilson
Avenue to Mount Pleasant

For more information and a tour map, please visit www.ntga.blogspot.com or email us at ntgartists@gmail.com

What Makes a Great Gallery Opening?

What makes a great gallery opening? An attractive space, great food, good wine, lots of interesting people and of course great art!

And Moi - overwhelmed by the whole thing!

Thanks to all those who attended the opening of the "Chosen" at Studio 51 on April 13. ( you can visit the gallery till April 23)

Mark Your Calendars!

The busy Spring art season is here!
 I hope to see you at two interesting events.
Gallery 51 is a new venue for me and is a very attractive space. I am also pleased to have one of my watercolours in the Toronto Watercolour Society's Spring juried show.

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Email for further details: aneidhardt@rogers.com

Acrylic vs. Watercolour

I am often asked which medium I prefer- acrylic or watercolour. My answer is that it depends on what I am painting at the moment. Both are water-based media, but the technique and effects are quite different.
Acrylic paints are very versatile. They can be diluted and used as washes and glazes like watercolour on watercolour paper. They can also be used straight from the tube and applied to canvas and so behave more like oil paints, especially when used in an impasto technique. They dry quickly, which can create problems if brushes are not cleaned immediately. A variety of materials can be applied to the acrylic canvas to  provide texture and to create collages. I find that acrylic provides the freedom to experiment, as you can cover mistakes or change your composition.
Watercolour on the other hand is basically applied to paper, although additional surfaces are becoming available, such as watercolour canvas, clay boards and terraskin.  The painting must proceed in layers and from light to dark. There is a luminous transparent quality to watercolour painting which is impossible to completely duplicate in  acrylic.There is little ability to correct mistakes and that has given watercolour  the reputation of being difficult to master.
I have always been thankful that my first exposure to painting was in a watercolour workshop. I feel it is much easier to move from watercolour to acrylic than the other way around. Since I have been doing more acrylic painting recently, I found it quite a challenge to return to watercolour. I became so frustrated that I repainted over three watercolours in acrylic. Ultimately I  went back to a familiar scene and plodded along. The initial effort, in images one and two, as you can see was a complete failure. Finally things began to click, in images three and four. More watercolour painting needed!!



#1



#2



#3

#4

This process only confirmed my belief that if you use more than one medium, you need to vary your painting techniques in order to maintain the skills unique to each.

Lady in Waiting

Lady in Waiting describes what I have been doing for sometime - waiting for my bad back to allow me to get up and at it again -painting, blogging and general mischief. It is also the title of one of the last paintings I completed  while still 'frisky'.  She was a lonely lady sitting on the steps of the old city of Talin, Estonia.Was she waiting for someone or something, or just homeless and sad? This painting was going to be a companion piece for the man in 'Roses for Sale', but he has since gone to a good home. Hopefully she will find one too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  In my next blog, I plan to review my art resolutions from last year. Stay tuned!

Lady in Waiting



Art and Monkey Business

The headline in the Toronto Star was "Can you spot the monkey's masterpiece?" What a relief that I quickly identified the work of American abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell. The other painting was by a monkey in a sanctuary who "paints" with all his appendages. At some point he was given non-toxic paint to keep him busy. He is one of two dozen animals that have been rescued from research labs, zoos, and pet stores etc. His name is Pockets Warhol and he is becoming famous, but not handsome as you can see.



Pockets

 His paintings will be in exhibition at Sadie's Diner and Juice Bar in Toronto for two months and are expected to sell for $25 dollars and up. The proceeds are going toward improvements at the Story Book Farms sancuary for primates, his home. Pockets has a Facebook page with a gallery of all his paintings. Here is a sample:

Not too shabby for a monkey shiner. Sort of humbling? Now back to painting. Use your tail!

Pushing Paint Around

 I know all about planning for a painting involving  thumbnail sketches, value patterns, and colour organization. Sometimes however, it feels great to just "push the paint around". This happens when inspiration is on holiday, or you are tired, or sometimes even when you are feeling "frisky" and adventurous. This approach is based on the philosophy that if you don't know what to do, you just start painting and occasionally something happens. At the very least you have loosened up to proceed with another painting, or you just simply have had fun.

This small acrylic painting is one of those pushing efforts. This is the first time I have used Iridescent Bright Gold by Liquitex and I liked the subtle sheen it provided. What do you think? Back to the drawing board?

Blogging from Black to White and Blue

If you tuned in today, you are probably wondering about the "older" posts that are featured. I decided to change the background of the blog, as the white text in most cases was not showing up on the emails of subscribers. After hours of fiddling, I changed the template but then had to go back through all posts to change some of the text colour. As a result, the order of the posts has changed. They can still be reached however in the correct month in the "archive". I think that this is how we procrastinate instead of just painting !! I hope you find the new template fresher and easier to read.

A successful art sale and exhibition of paintings by the North Toronto Group of Artists has just finished at Blessed Sacrament at Yonge and Lawrence with an attendance of approximately 900 guests. The Yonge/Lawrence Art Walk which preceded the exhibition, featured art works in the windows and interiors of local businesses. Since I was assigned the window of "Cruise Holidays", I felt that travel paintings were in order and the staff were very helpful in arranging the window space. The photo below, although not the most clear and with reflections of Yonge St. activity, gives some idea of the window.