Square Foot 2012

After deciding early in the year I was not going to submit to any art shows I had a sudden change of heart back in June and decided to submit to the annual Square Foot exhibition put on by AWOL, but held at the TWIST Gallery. This was the second year in a row I submitted. I think it is a great show to not only submit to, but also to go and experience. It is a great venue full of natural light, and the show itself is lighthearted, fun, and of course visually stimulating. Each piece measures 12 inches square and they are all mounted like one giant quilt, or checkerboard if you will. It is a mixed media show and I would say the majority is painting, followed by photography, and even miniature performance pieces using projectors, and moving parts. Every single piece sells for 225.00 regardless of media.

Last year I entered three abstract pieces that were laser printed on metal, and was thrilled when on opening night one of them sold. This year I made the decision to enter pieces that in my mind would likely not sell, but perhaps just show off my work...expose myself so to speak. I recently did a series (which I hope to post some of them soon..) called Neon Self. In a nut shell it was re visiting some of my older work, but stripping the images of their natural colour, and adding neon colouring instead. It is a program that Picasa offers through their photo editing tools. The images were self portraits using long exposures which were from one of my favorite collections to date, and taken while I was still trying to figure out the new camera. (Nikon D60) Like last year, I also decided to produce these images on metal.

Due to other commitments we were unable to attend the opening night this year, but we did make it to the show a few days later. I was pleasantly surprised to see a little red dot beside one of them indicating that the piece had been bought. It is a piece that shows me looking out a window, my back towards the viewer. I had made the comment that I likely would not sell images that were of me, because in terms of being commercial which is where I thought my target market was, it would not fit the bill. Goes to show I have a lot to learn, and to stop trying to determine what will and will not sell.

These were the pieces I submitted, the top one being the one that sold. So now the question is...... what should I do for next year?

Exhibition..

I am happy to report I have just completed the hanging for my exhibition at Olivia's at Fifty Three. This is the second time I have been asked to show my work at this fun little restaurant in Little Italy. This time I have featured three images from the 'Surface Deep' collection, and four images from the 'Kaleidoscape' collection. I took these photos in haste to remember the positioning of them, but have since decided I would like to share them with you....

The exhibition runs until the end of April, so if you are in the mood for some great wine, Italian food, and to take a look at my work, please go visit. The restaurant is at 53 Clinton Street, Toronto. Steps away from the TTC on College.

Snap!

Last week was a tough one. To make a long story short, I got accepted to show in my first ever juried exhibition called Scapes. I had made a blog entry about it earlier in the year, and had had high hopes about getting in. The problem as many of you already know is that my letter of acceptance got emailed to a wrong address and I never found out in time to get my work in the show. I was devastated and a little angry, but it was out of my hands, so I have chosen to move forward......

Tonight I will enter these four shots into a photo competition/auction/charity event called SNAP! I entered four last year as well, but did not make the cut. This event has alot of publicity and is held at the National Ballet School, and is a huge AIDS charity event. I may not make the cut again, but the submission fees will all go to a good cause so it is a win, win situation.

These photos are a first for me in that they have added effects done in post editing. They are all flower pictures taken the other day at Allan Gardens.

Wish me luck....

untitled..

Happy New Year!

Now that the frantic pace of Christmas is a thing of the past, I found a fairly mild day to unwind and go for a photo shoot to continue working on collecting shots for another series. Submission season has started and the other day I sent my first package of the year with shots from the Surface Deep collection. I am slowly moving my focus back on land and trying things with landscapes and more specifically at the moment with trees.

I really enjoy the dream or trance like feel to these, or as some have joked, the 'drunk' like state. I am also thrilled with the multi layer effect some of these shots have. They are not for everyone, but for myself, what I am most proud of is that these are all 'as is' photos and done only with the camera and not with any photoshop or 'trickery' in post production.

By the way, I may be doing another show at Olivia's at Fifty Three, the restaurant I showed my work in last year, and also donated my charity piece to. I also have the show booked in May at the Runnymede library here in Toronto, so mark that on your calender!!

Flowering Cherry

It has been a busy, but productive spring. Mother Nature seems to be in a rush as most flowering trees are about 2 weeks ahead of their normal blooming times. Forsythia, Cherry, and Lilac trees all seemed to bloom at once. I wasn't able to get out and get as many shots of the cherry blossoms as I would have liked, but this shot of some great pink blooms is from a recent walk to Riverdale Farm.

On another note, I am happy to report that I just have just had an opening night reception for my first public showing of my textural work. 17 images are currently on display at Freedom Clothing Collective, at 939 Bloor Street West. Hours are from 1 to 7 from Tues to Sat. I also have a second exhibition coming up shortly that will feature 7 images on a different theme, so stay tuned for details.....

Hope to post more often, but I thank you for being so patient!!