Exciting Upcoming Art Events

North York Visual Artists

2012Fall Art Tour and Sale

Saturday September 29 and Sunday September 30, 11am – 5pm

Toronto Botanical Garden (by Edward’s Gardens) and home studios.

This year’s Tour covers 37 artists in five home studios and one large group venue in the Floral Room at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

Admission and parking is free.

For more information and to download a brochure and map you can click on http://www.nyva.ca/brochures/2012ArtTourBrochure.pdf

Yonge-Lawrence Business Association

8^th Annual Fall Art Walk 2012

October 11 thru November 1st

Celebrating local arts in the community. Local businesses host the works of local artists in a variety of mediums in windows and establishments along Yonge St. from Lawrence to Yonge Blvd. Go to www.yongelawrencevillage-bia.com for more information and to vote for your favorite.

North Toronto Group of Artists

Fall Fine Arts Show & Sale

November 2 & 3, 2012
Blessed Sacrament Church, 24 Cheritan Ave.
(Yonge & Cheritan)

 For further details http://www.ntga.blogspot.com

Go  to My WebSite

Art Reflections: Boston

On a recent trip to Boston, I encountered some wonderful architecture. The city itself is really a work of art and a wonderful place to visit.  I recently posted about "Inspiration" related to the paintings of the members of the Aphasia Institute. In Boston I was inspired again by two very different art-related sites.

Artists for Humanity originated in Boston and is making inroads in other areas. Here is their mission:

To bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing under-served youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employments in the arts.

" Since 1991, Artists For Humanity has empowered and employed Boston teens in an intensive program of arts, creativity and enterprise. AFH partners youth with professional artists/designers to design, create and sell art products. With fully equipped, staffed studios in Painting/Murals, Sculpture/Industrial Design, Screen-Printing, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Photography, Web Design and Video, youth and mentors collaborate on creative projects, many specifically commissioned by clients. In the process, young artists develop entrepreneurial skills, and introduce audiences to their voice, vision and virtuosity. Artists For Humanity apprentices have produced fine art and creative products for Boston's largest firms and organizations."

 I visited their brand new shop in the Faneuil Hall and purchased a great tote for carrying art materials.

What a joyful group they are!

How industrious!

And talented!

Visit their website at http://www.afhboston.org/
Visit their blog at http://www.afhboston.blogspot.com


On a more serious note - I also visited and was very affected by the beauty of the Holocaust Memorial.

 "The design utilizes uniquely powerful symbols of the Holocaust. The Memorial features six luminous glass towers, each 54 feet high. The towers are lit internally to gleam at night. They are set on a black granite path, each one over a dark chamber which carries the name of one of the principal Nazi death camps. Smoke rises from charred embers at the bottom of these chambers. Six million numbers are etched in glass in an orderly pattern, suggesting the infamous tattooed numbers and ghostly ledgers of the Nazi bureaucracy. Evocative and rich in metaphor, the six towers recall the six main death camps, the six million Jews who died, or a menorah of memorial candles."  

The pictures I took there don't really do it justice.

Two very different and unique experiences in Boston and two very close together on the "Freedom Trail" near Faneuil Hall.

 Go to my website

Picasso

You have until August 26 to see a fabulous exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario:

 The galleries are beautiful and  the paintings are exciting.  The audio commentary is extremely helpful and there are some charming sections in which the narration is by a group of children attempting to make sense of it all.

 One of my favorite pieces is a self portrait of "himself" licking an ice cream cone on the beach

A joke might put things in perspective:

Artist Pablo Picasso surprised a burglar at work in his new chateau. The intruder got away, but Picasso told the police he could do a rough sketch of what he looked like. On the basis of his drawing, the police arrested a mother superior, the minister of finance, a washing machine, and the Eiffel tower.


As Picasso said - "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" - so go and get cleaned up!



 Go to My WebSite

In the Beginning - The Art of Embarrassment

There is one school of thought that suggests that all old and embarrassing pieces of art should head for the dustbin. If the painting is on paper, then it is even better if it is torn in little pieces first, so that it will definitely never again see the light of day. Another school of thought suggests that such pieces should be retained as a  record of one's beginning as an artist and subsequent development. Supposedly this sort of review and comparison will build one's self esteem and provide encouragement to forge on.

I began painting in 2004 at a  a local  four-day watercolour workshop where I fell in love with paint and water. Here is my very first painting-it had paint and it was wet! Love the purple! This must have been the beginning of my interest in abstracts.

Undaunted, I carried on in my "home studio" known by my family as the kitchen table to produce this painting of a famous rock formation in New Zealand.

I have discarded paintings, washed them out in the sink to start over again, and cut them up to use as colour test sheets. I have kept quite a lot and they do show progression in my work. The danger in reviewing them, however, if you are in the painting "doldrums" is the thought that enters your mind that you are devolving instead of evolving. That's when I throw them in the sink!

Go to My WebSite

Website at Last

The website is finished. The name of the site is Anne Neidhardt Art and the URL is http://www.anneneidhardtart.com/ The gallery of paintings is now extended and has moved from the blog to the website and will be easier to view. The blog will continue to feature news, art information and new paintings. Additional features may be added to the blog in time. Thanks to those of you that have followed the blog and I hope you like the new site.  Let me know and keep in touch. 


Link to My Web Site

Website in Process

 I am heavily  into developing a website.  This is not my idea of inspirational art, but necessary. My site has a link to this blog, however the immediate problem is to create a link back to the site. I hope this works!!!!


Go Back to My Site

Landscape Memories

Landscape memories are stored and grouped in the subconscious. They appear as seascapes, farmlands, mountains, forests  and moors. They provide inspiration for many paintings. The following two paintings are memorials to travels in Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, Newfoundland and Ontario.

Farmhouse

Bathed in Sunlight

Both paintings used Terraskin as a support. This is a material of which I am growing to appreciate. A word to the wise, however when framing in glass with Terraskin- this material is heavier than watercolour paper and requires additional anchoring to the mat, or slippage can occur.

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