Hot Art

Canada > Archive by tag 'Hot Art'

Hot Art: Painting in the Face of Pain

"Recession" by Charlene Walker, on view at Centrepointe Theatre Gallery.

Take a trip around the world at Centrepointe Theatre Gallery. Charlene Walker’s exhibit of acrylic paintings, entitled “Vicarious Travels,” will take you on a voyage around the globe and into your imagination. Walker, once an avid traveller, now has to stay closer to home due to a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, which causes fatigue and chronic pain. But by painting interpretations of her friend’s travel photos, she’s been able to continue wandering the world — and hopes to give other people the same sense through her images. On view until March 21.

Hot Art: Toni and Lynn Onley at Art Beatus

"Cloud, North Pender Island, BC" by Toni Onley

The late great contemporary artist Toni Onley used to take his daughter Lynn on trips to remote Canadian locations in his floatplane so they could study and paint the scenery. Toni’s delicately tinted works (“Cloud, North Pender Island, BC,” pictured) live on, paired alongside his protégé’s richly coloured pieces in Connected Landscapes: Watercolours by Lynn & Toni Onley at Art Beatus (Mar. 2 to Apr. 27).—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Art: Italian Landscapes at Uno Langmann Limited

"The Grand Canal by Midnight" by Felix Francois G.P. Ziem, courtesy Uno Langmann Limited

It is said that every artist has a muse. Spellbound by the beauty of Italy, pre-Impressionist painter Felix Francois G. P. Ziem depicts Venice in spectacular landscapes, using light and colour to capture its otherworldly atmosphere. His oil paintings (pictured) embody the dream-like evocations of reality often present in his work. See this, and other visions of the beautiful country by artists such as Antoine Bouvard, in Italy Observed: Views and Souvenirs at Uno Langmann Limited (to Mar. 31).—Caitlin Dawson

Hot Art: What Happens When Cassette Tapes Become Art?

Just one of the unique pieces in "Slow Dance." Photo credit: Karen Jordon, Acetate #1, 2009, cassette slip sheets, celluloid tape.

Ever felt nostalgia for the good old cassette tape? Karen Jord0n’s exhibit, “Slow Dance,” on at Karsh-Masson Gallery until April 8, draws attention to everything the cassette tape represented in the past — intimacy, music, personal touches — and what it represents today — outdated technology, plastic waste, and a symbol of how fast innovation moves. As you walk through this exhibit, you’ll see installations made of different pieces of discarded cassettes, and yet, eerily, you will hear nothing but silence.

Hot Art: Anda Kubis at Elissa Cristall Gallery

"Aqueous" by Anda Kubis

Canadian artist Anda Kubis wants to grab your attention. Her abstract oil paintings (“Aqueous,” pictured in detail) use fleeting movement so the viewer must pause and focus to fully absorb the piece in its entirety. In Full Spectrum at Elissa Cristall Gallery (to Mar. 31), Kubis explores illusion and light, her work often mimicking the hazy, pulsating dots we see when we close our eyes. Colour us impressed.—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Art: Northwest Coast Cool

"Raven and Light Bentwood Box" by Kevin Cranmer

Be sure to add a visit to a First Nations art gallery to your must-see-in-Vancouver list. At Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery, you’ll find gorgeous examples of fine sculpture and totem poles. You can also preview the spring show Cranmer + Gray: A dual exhibition, which highlights the regional and creative differences between Tsimshian artist Philip Gray and Kwakwaka’wakw carver Kevin Cranmer (“Raven and Light Bentwood Box,” pictured).—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Art: “Enfolded” at the Ottawa Art Gallery

Just one of the pieces by Ghitta Caiserman on view in "Enfolded." Photo credit: "Bedscape," (1976-79), Firestone Collection of Canadian Art.

For most people, clothing, towels, and linens just serve a basic purpose. For Ghitta Caiserman, they were forms of art. Caiserman, a modern artist from Montreal, passed away in 2005; since her death, many of her pieces have been acquired by the Ottawa Art Gallery. Take these last few days to check out the exhibit, which ends Feb. 12, to see these newly acquired works in the exhibition “Enfolded,” which shows just how prominent textiles were in the Canadian artist’s drawings, paintings, and collages.

Hot Art: Retro Road Trip Art

"After 8" at Wall Space Gallery opens Feb. 4 and runs to Feb. 26. Photo credit: Andrew King, "Closed Til Further Notice."

Have you ever felt an urge to recreate the past? Artist Andrew King had that feeling, and decided to go for it. For 10 days in November, King drove from Ottawa to New York City as if it were the mid-20th century. He drove a vintage car, only took two-lane highways, and ate and stayed at places from that time period. On his journey, he absorbed everything he saw, especially after 8pm when, in his words, “small town diners, motels, stores and other locales have a ghostly lit, neon, almost surreal look to them.” The sketches and paintings (along the lines of this artistic rendering) that were inspired by his trip will be on display in the exhibition “After 8” at Wall Space Gallery and Framing from Feb. 4 to 26.

Hot Art: Editor’s Pick: Like Minded

Ryan Park, Untitled (2009) Chromira print, Courtesy Ryan Park

JAN 28–MAR 25 More than 30 emerging and established Canadian artists explore the peculiarities in simple forms, imagery, stationery, books and trompe l’oeil in Like Minded (pictured). The two-month long, multi-media exhibition at Plug In ICA runs in conjunction with Winnipeg artist Michael Dumontier’s solo exhibition, A Moon or a Button. Instead of limiting his art to one medium, Dumontier embraces painting, collage and drawing using, in some cases, saw blades and string to help create his inventive and seemingly improvised works. 1-460 Portage Ave, 204-942-1043.

Hot Art: Art that says “I Love You”

"Love" by Patrick John Mills is just one of the pieces you will see at this exhibit.

With longer nights, cold wind, and Valentine’s Day around the corner, we all need a little love. An exhibition at the Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Art Gallery brings you just that. “I Love You,” an exhibit running from Jan. 19 to Feb. 25 features 15 artists, all of whom bring their own interpretations and media of choice to the idea of love. Check out the LOVE Art Party on Feb. 14 for a one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day. Skip the commercialism and head to the gallery, where they will have music, live painters, fire spinners, body painting, and kissing booths (for $15 you can even get babysitting on site). Sure beats dinner and a movie!