Scarborough Arts is a non-profit organization; The only arts organization of its kind specifically serving the Scarborough community. With a respected history and a friendly, capable staff, SA brings individuals and groups together to create and cultivate innovative arts and cultural programs in Scarborough. We bring artists to the community and community to the arts. For more information, please visit www.scarborougharts.com
Theme: Ego Definition:
1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought. 2. Psychoanalysis . the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment. Ego is a heavily laden term. We challenge you to react to this term, using at as a catalyst for the creation of your artwork. Is ego a human phenomenon? Is the human ego an essential ingredient in the art making process? How does the ego fuel the creation of artwork, and how does it manifest in your work? We leave the interpretation of this theme up to you, the artist. Pieces for the exhibition should relate to the theme of Ego, and will be selected based upon a combination of: artistic quality, technical execution and/or conceptual strength, originality and impact.
S I H TT
U T C O AB OJE PR
S D R A W A 12
`
20
WINNERS
Michelle MacKinnon
Rotary Club of Scarborough Award
Allan O’Mara
Viktor Mitic Award
Nicole Vance
The City of Toronto Purchase Award
Ron Wild
Juror’s Choice Honourable Mention Drew Klassen
Juror’s Choice Honourable Mention Michele Crockett
Juror’s Choice Honourable Mention
A WORD ABOUT THE
JUROR
http://www.eileenreillyarts.com/
Eileen Reilly is an artist and Collections Care Specialist, Paper Conservation Lab – Art Gallery of Ontario . Eileen Reilly earned a B.A. and M.A. in Art History from the University of Toronto and has also studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto School of Art and Open Studio. She worked at the Royal Ontario Museum for over 10 years as a research assistant working on the Safavid pottery project and then moved on to documentation of the Far Eastern, South Asian and Middle East collection for the Renaissance ROM project. Eileen’s final position at the museum was to oversee the making of mounts and installation of many of the new galleries. Her experience also includes work with the Ontario Crafts Council, the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour and she is currently working at the Art Gallery of Ontario in the paper conservation department. In addition Eileen also freelances as an art consultant (organization, care and storage of collections) and as an editor. She has also volunteered on many committees including the Hart House Art Committee for 5 years. Eileen finds inspiration for her art at home and abroad, with frequent travel to Europe and the U.S. Her photography’s current subject matter, and the theme of her work in Contact 2011, focuses on the idea of a local, traditional, commercial and shop-front culture as it rapidly disappears from our collective consciousness. (source: http://www.artofthedanforth.com/about/whos-who/)
T S I T R A X E IND
Maria Lucia Amaral EGO - 02.......................................8
Donna Gordon TAG...............................................36
Janice Arnott A Tortured Ego...........................10
Shahadat Hossain yz_2..............................................38
Penny Barr Freud Eggs..................................12
Jeanne Isley I AM HERE....................................40
Wendy Carmichael Bauld Ambiguous..................................14
Jamil Kalim Looking At One’s Self...................42
Sylvia Chan Antonio.......................................16
J.J. Kirolos Adam of Creation..........................44
Nadra Chapman Pole Dancers ..............................18
Drew Klassen self portrait / erased, overdrawn x 12 / finally erased ........................46
Margaret Chown She Is Farsighted.........................20 Molly Crealock Camphill Oct13 -Kathleen Eating and Smoking....22
Bernadette Leno Voices............................................48 Kimberley Lillywhite My mind exists...............................50
Michele Crockett Polar Bear....................................24
Michelle MecKinnon Matt..............................................52
Tiffany Dawe Reflections of Self.......................26
Babul Mahmood Childhood Dream..........................54
Susan Eck Abstract Adventure ....................28
Susan R. Makin Ego-less: Blue Torment..................56
Karen Evans #102 (The Rock in the Red Sea)..30
Quin McColgan EGO..............................................58
Myra Evans Humility.......................................32
Liz Menard Lower Don River Underpass..........60
David French Birdwatcher.................................34
Michael Monize Fight or Flight................................62
Syed Nazmul Alam Color of passion ............................64 Liane Odze-Silver Shadow Girl...................................66 Allan O’Marra Koan Self-Portrait: Makyo Allan // Kensho Allan (Diptych)..................68 Kelly O’Neil Her................................................70 Jane Orr-Novotny Impressions In Green....................72 Leslie Pearson Material Remains...........................74 Rita Ridaz Lepsi BEHIND THE BRANCHES..............76 Ranjit Sidhu ASCENT 01....................................78 Patricia Stamp I’m Looking At You........................80 Nicholas Stirling Achtung, People!...........................82 Shelby Taylor Whale Wheel.................................84 Sawpnali Thakar Quiet Time....................................86 Iftikhar Uddin Ahmed searching for Peace.......................88 Nicole Vance Inhale.............................................90 Mary Walker Ego’s Resting in a Tree..................92 Ron Wild CoxeterMap..................................94 David Woodward Apologetics...................................96 Vitali Zelinski Cloud.............................................98
02 O
EG 8
I believe in the power of art to engage and enrich the spirit.
Toronto-based artist, Maria Lucia was born in Brazil. As far back as she can remember drawing was part of her life. She studied art in private institutions and after few years of working as a pharmacist she got her BA in Fine Arts with a major in Visual Communication. She has created an eclectic art collection using varied techniques such as: painting, drawing, photography, print, clay and graphic design. Maria Lucia has also published illustrations for magazines and book covers in Brazil and Canada. Her work has been exhibited in Brazil, Greece and Canada.
My art-work rises from my feelings and thoughts in an attempt to vibrate, through colors and forms, to the beauty in the viewer’s soul. Citing Kandinsky “The true work of art is born from the ‘artist’: a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent subject, animated with a spiritual breath, the living subject of a real existence of being.”I believe in the power of art to engage and enrich the spirit. - Maria Lucia
Maria Lucia AMARAL 9
I’ve always been drawn to the creative and visual arts. I started out drawing and painting. Then accidentally, the opportunity arose to enroll in photography courses at Durham College. It was through these courses that I chose photography as my outlet for expressing my creativity. I possess a tremendous passion and love for my chosen path.
Janice ARNOTT My photograph of the deer’s decomposing represents “A Tortured Ego”. This ego is suffering from their own insecurity, rotten ego, and ceaseless desire for material gains and delusional satisfactions from torturing others under the umbrella of power and control.
10
My education in photography is basic but I have developed as a photographer due to the industries advancements with digital cameras and digital graphic programs. I am also a self- taught artist in Photoshop and other programs. Combining these two different tools for expressing my artistic creativity has thrown me into a completely new world. Over the years as I progress in my art of photography it has given me a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It has also proven to be a most amazing way of translating my love for images of our world, too also include my inner visions and thoughts to my photography is a plus.
http://wix.com/arnottphotography/janice
GO E D
A
E R U T TOR
11
Penny BARR I’ve spent my life drawing cartoons. If they make me laugh, that’s great. If they make other people laugh, that’s magic.
S
U
GG E D
FRE
12
’ D N U
SIM
S
UE L B S
R
A CIG
13
S
B
U O U IG
14
AM
I believe all of us were created out of a oneness or universal “Spirit”. We are all energy and of the same make-up, so it must be a part of us. When we operate from a place of being in “Spirit” as opposed to a position of the “Ego mind”, inspiration and creativity can be cultivated and be a driving enthusiasm throughout life. The problem is that from birth we’re gradually taught to believe exclusively in the world ruled by Club Ego, and we put our fulltime membership in Club Spirit on hold. Ego’s powerful pressure nags us to “compete and compare” or subscribe to the idea that “we are what we acquire”. We were indoctrinated in these lessons by family, community, school, the media and even strangers. Having said that, I realize the Ego Mind is ingrained into our psyche and our consciousness, which allows us to make decisions and choices in our lives and to this extent, most certainly must be exclusive to humans. With that said, Ego is just an illusion and after a lifetime of study on the subject it has been through painting that I’ve been able to keep the Ego at bay.
Ego’s powerful pressure nags us to “compete and compare” or subscribe to the idea that “we are what we acquire”.
I come from a place of true universal Spirit and try to leave my Ego at the door when I begin to create. Coming from this place of absolute faith I am inspired and go beyond the world of boundaries and enter a space of true passion and creativity. It’s in this surrendering process that I am able to express myself on canvas and not be so aware of the outcome and how it will be accepted but to be true to myself and allow it to be an honest representation of a tangible record of the world as seen through my eye’s.`
Wendy CARMICHAEL BAULD My technique in relation to colour and brushwork depicts all types of subjects and moods and in keeping with my staying true to myself, my goal is for this to resonate and be enjoyed by the viewer. In my stylistic expressive work I like to use multiple bursts of thin layers of paint. My admiration for realist and impressionist artists, who were known for their dynamic brushwork and penchant for rich colour, inspire me to experiment with different techniques. People often describe me as “driven” in my need to be creative and I often cross that line between passion and obsession and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
www.wendycarmichaelbauld.com
15
16
According to Hutton, earthquakes have been treated as miraculous catastrophes outside the ordinary course of nature and were taken as a sign of gods. Throughout history, we can come to realize the power of nature on the environment and people. Humans strive to shape and represent their environment but it has its own power that cannot be subjugated to human desires entirely. We have little control of the forces that shape and reshape our world, such as disasters and hurricanes. One prevailing question that arises in my mind is, ‘’How do we associate ourselves with one another knowing that all that we have in this lifetime is impermanent?” All that you have, including your body, will eventually wear off; whither away and cease to stay as a whole. I want to investigate this human condition through creating landscapes. The themes I work with include the seasonal changes and the different cycles of life such as birth, growth, reproduction, age, decay and rebirth. For inspiration, I enjoy looking through landscapes done in the 18th and 19th century by artists such as Casper David Friedrich and by Turner. I am described to be a Wabi-Sabi artist who finds beauty in the imperfect and flawed. I believe that beauty is found in everything; that includes the various layers of process found in my work. Each layer contributes to the end product or wholeness of the piece. I aspire to emerge figures with the landscape in the near future.
Silvia CHAN
www.sylviaartwork.com IO
A
N O T N
17
Another aspect of my work is the existence of separateness within close proximity. There is no blurring of the edges or blending of one entity with another. Each person stands out on their own while mingling with others, or their surroundings. This painting, entitled “Pole Dancers” embodies all these themes – and in particular is a good example of Ego in the sense that there is a definite distinguishing of differences between all the subjects of the painting.
Nadra CHAPMAN My motivation to paint comes from the need to reflect certain aspects of life in ways that emphasize the extraordinary in the ordinary. The paintings often centre on subtle interactions between people that appear to be commonplace or banal, but they also possess an element of “the calm before the storm” – that special moment of potential energy where worlds could collide in the next blink of an eye, or a quick glance.
18
My motivation to paint comes from the need to reflect certain aspects of life in ways that emphasize the extraordinary in the ordinary.
S
D E L PO
R E C AN
19
3 O EG 20
I am a Toronto fine artist, working primarily in digital media since 2008. I have a background in acrylic, ink, graphite, photography and graphic arts. The female face and form inspires my art. The subjects in my paintings emerge from memory and imagination as I explore the medium. I tend to paint with vibrant colours, and often use layering to produce an ambiguous sense of space, which merges subject with surroundings. When creating digital art, I paint directly into software, such as GIMP, ArtRage and Photoshop. Occasionally, as a starting point, I take a digital photograph of a pencil sketch or acrylic painting, which I have created, and upload it into the virtual canvas. My original prose or poetry appears in some pieces. I print limitededitions of my digital work myself, using exhibition quality inks and papers.
Margaret CHOWN In my most recent series on the theme of ego for Scarborough Arts, I examine the connection between identity and visual perception. I am farsighted, have a lazy eye and have never had stereoscopic vision in spite of several surgeries and yet I chose to be an artist. How I see is part of who I am. - Margaret Chown
www.margaretchown.com 21
e
3 1 t c ng i O k l o l hi d Sm p m Ca ing an at E n e
l h t a K 22
These images are from a series entitled ‘Camphill Grangemockler: Portrait of a Farm’. Camphill is an organic farm and communal living space supporting adults with developmental disabilities in County Tipperary, Ireland. I lived at Camphill for 3 months in 2009, making a documentary photography project. These photographs are documents, unstaged and undirected, of Kathleen, who spends her days in the Camphill community. Kathleen is full of character, the details of which are not important here, any more than can be observed on close investigation of the images. What is meaningful and pertains to the subject of ego, is that she said to me once, in reference to the photographs I’d taken of her, “You’ll make a million dollars off of me.” Looking at documentary photographs, we have some sense of neutrality where the ego is concerned, but this idea is mistaken (if not always than often enough). The subjects feel themselves to be individuals worthy of attention. In Kathleen’s case, there is a confidence that the image presented to the world will be of interest, even great interest, to a broad audience. Kathleen’s declaration was sober and proud. I would make a million dollars from her images, because she, apart from others in the world,
As an artist and photographer I don’t feel that I create so much as discover, decipher and frame the work that I put out.
Molly CREALOCK had a visual story to tell which was engaging. And she does. Of course the question remains, what of my ego as the photographer, the artist, in this collaboration? (Or is Kathleen the artist? Or both?) Where is my sense of an individual self in the world? For my part as a subject I shy away from pictures, I stand outside of the box. As an artist and photographer I don’t feel that I create so much as discover, decipher and frame the work that I put out. My ego here stands behind Kathleen’s like a child hiding behind her mother’s skirts.
MOLLY CREALOCK PHOTOGRAPHY
molly@mollycrealock.com
www.mollycrealock.com
23
Michele CROCKETT My artwork parallels my life experiences. In this body of work, I try to hide from the indistinct idea of motherhood. This life changing event has created doubt, excitement, and fear within me. I am surrounded by ideas of what the perfect mother should be.: she should be a stay at home mom, a woman who has home cooked meals on the table three times a day, and a woman who is able to manage and multitask all of her everyday obligations. I am not this woman. I find motherhood overwhelming with its grandiose ideas that I can be all those things and still have children that love me. I am overwhelmed most days; my house is a mess; and I feel that I have been taken over by all the “stuff” that is needed these days to raise children. All this leaves me with the feeling that I am losing the self and woman I have worked so hard to become. This however, does not mean that I do not love being a mom. It is the best part of my life - to have someone love you just for being loved, who doesn’t see all my imperfections yet. Motherhood is the most important role I have undertaken, but it does not change the fact that I struggle everyday with the role. Society too often perpetuates these notions of what an ideal mother should look like Joan Cleaver, Carol Brady, even Marge Simpson. Trying to figure out how I fit within these models
24
is hard. My life is consumed by Thomas the Train, playing on playgrounds, with blocks, changing diapers, and bath time. Most days all I want to do is hide, hide from it all. Life as I know it has changed and it will never be the same again. I now have inseparable companions with me at all times, little ones that depend on me for almost everything. This body of work is meant to explore the notions of motherhood. These images are a reenactment of events from my childhood or events that take place with my children. The images are meant to be playful, taking on the themes of hide and seek, and peek-a-boo. In its formal elements, it is meant to be quirky, a reenacting and staging of my life. I feel that I am on a search , a journey that often leaves me with feelings of isolation. Most of my friends who have children have gone back to work. When I am being a good mom, I am not being anything else, and when I am being good at work, I feel that those are the days I have sucked as a mother. I have chosen to photograph myself in a deadpan expression, not allowing expression to be the focus of the photograph, but rather the objects and the performance that is taking place in the frame. These images are meant to be motionless, giving the impression of being stuck, or maybe getting ready to do something, a possible pause before what is about to happen next. Michele Crockett is a photo-based artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. Her work has been be published in Flash Forward 2009 and was exhibited in Proof 15 at Gallery 44. Michele won Best Portrait Photographer at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition in 2008. She is currently completing a BFA at the Ontario College of Art & Design. Her passion is finding new ways to experiment with photography, sewing and traveling.
http://www.michelecrockett.com
R
A POL
A E B R
25
NS LF O I CT F SE E L O REF
26
I enjoy experimenting and learning new techniques, seeing where my work will take me next. My artistic creations are greatly influenced by the beautiful array of colours I see in nature on my journeys through the Rouge Valley area where I reside. My inspiration also comes from my musical interests. A lot of my new acrylic work has been created while listening to classical and contemporary music. I enjoy experimenting and learning new techniques, seeing where my work will take me next. I hope when people view my work they can appreciate the depth and layers of both my pieces and myself.
Tiffany DAWE 27
Susan ECK Using startlingly vivid colors, Susan Eck paints landscapes that arrest the viewer’s attention and invite us to enter deeply into the reality she has created. Her paintings are emotionally charged with intensity akin to the work of Van Gogh; she plays with light and color saturation boldly and creatively. Eck states that she is interested in “exploring the relationship between nature and spirituality.” Certainly, her colors are otherworldly and her sensitive portrayal of the natural world takes the viewer beyond a simple mirrored reflection of nature. Susan Eck lives in Muskoka, Canada where the remoteness of her location allows her to immerse herself in her artwork. Primarily a selftaught artist, Eck has shown her work widely throughout Canada in both solo and group exhibitions. She most recently exhibited at Agora Gallery, New York, and Infusion Gallery in California.
www.susaneck.ca 28
CT RE A R T S TU B N A E ADV 29
Y
IT MIL
HU
30
Myra EVANS I’m drawn to images that tell a story, show a strong emotion and have a sense of place. My work is inspired by places I have visited or to which I have a special connection. It’s my hope that people will connect with my art and tell their own story. My approach to each painting involves making several pencil sketches, and then using my reference photos for ideas. I, then, move on to watercolour paper, using a combination of transparent watercolour paints, inks and fluid acrylics. Even though I begin my paintings with a specific outcome in mind, the fluidity and serendipity of watercolour takes me to a new surprising direction. Once the work is completed, I usually re-discover what drove me to paint in the first place.
www.myra-evans.artistwebsites.com
31
I paint from the inside out, how I feel about the subject I’m painting, the spirit.”
Karen EVANS I paint from the inside out, how I feel about the subject I’m painting, the spirit. My acrylic paintings are bold and full of life. Whenever possible, I love to paint on location. The challenge of the landscape, weather and the environment make the painting exciting and the outcome unexpected. When I am in my studio, I capture my mood on canvas. It could be alive, euphoric or melancholy, but is always a little different.
32
K ROC
IN
2 #10 SEA D E R THE
You are what you do. You are not what you want to be; you are not what you say you are; no opinion of you can be accurate. You become who you are through activity, and once activity ceases there is no self, no id, no ego.
34
The Birdwatcher is a birdwatcher not because he sees himself as one, nor because others know him as that. His identity as
“Birdwatcher” comes about because this is what he does. That was why it was important to put movement in this painting; climbing towards a self, producing an identity. And yet...
R
BIR
HE C T A W D
2002 Does anything persist? Identity ultimately revealed as a construct of bio-chemistry. One moment the seeming complexity of a person is there, and the next it is gone. And soon it is as if they were never there at all. Ego is an illusion, a delusion; awareness is the tragedy.
David FRENCH
35
In consideration of the theme EGO, I attempted to interpret one aspect of the idea of ‘I’ or ‘me’ and how it is portrayed in the urban landscape. ‘The idea behind ‘TAG’ is to represent the practice of tagging in graffiti art. Graffiti art itself is a conscious attempt to express a thought, opinion or something visually creative in a public, spontaneous way. Admittedly, this is often done illegally but that is undoubtedly part of the statement being made in some cases. Depending on the skill of the artist, it can range from very beautiful and profound to an individual’s amateur attempt at expressing a thought or mood. Tagging on the other hand is an individual’s practice of simply putting their name – or tag - on any surface at hand. ‘I was here’. Other than determining what their tag will be - implying anonymity - and how it will look, there doesn’t seem to be any attempt at conveying an idea or opinion, without that it becomes outright vandalism. Tagging, therefore, seems to be simply the product of an ego asserting it-
TAG
Donna GORDON self into and onto someone else’s space without consideration or respect for those around them. I read tagging as a knee-jerk reaction to the individual’s surroundings and circumstances. In the case of graffiti the end result can leave the environment in a more beautiful state than it was and encourage dialogue whereas tagging usually stresses the sense of abandonment and lack of care which tends to reach beyond the affected surface. I found the idea of ego as a theme an interesting exercise in that I discovered you can’t remove yourself from the creative process. It is one’s ego that decides to make a change or not. I tried painting as spontaneously as possible and resisted the urge to manipulate the design but found the ‘I’ was always present even in the decision not to do something.
37
38
Syed Shahadat Hossain is a professional
Shahadat HOSSAIN Ceramics is a unique blend of art and science and is one of the oldest art media in history. I enjoy ceramics as a vehicle for timeless communication between people and cultures. It provides a context for reflecting on human activity. I treat my ceramic forms as a canvas to explore my artistic concerns of color, visual space, illusion and perception, my present studies on ceramic work is obsessed with edges, point of change and endings. Mainly it explores the significance of what is broken, torn or cut, the ability of single or multiple forms to speak of compression or expansion, flatness or fullness. I start with fragments familiar, found, improvised and then build up to complex color and texture. In a deeper sense, I would like to define my recent works as follows: “They value expression over perfection, vitality over finish, fluctuation over repose, the unknown over known, the veiled over the clear, the individual over society and the inner over outer.”
2
YZ_
ceramic artist who produces decorative porcelain & stone ware plates , tile paintings & sculptural ceramics in his Toronto studio. Shahadat has made Canada his home since 1996. Shahadat studied Fine Art Ceramics at the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, School of Arts, The Lowestoft College, England, The Shigaraki Cultural Park, Shiga, Japan and the Banffs Centre for the Arts, Canada. He has exhibited widely for over twenty years, and has appeared in numerous publications including The Daily Star, The Bangladesh Times, The Illustrated News Weekly, The Dainik Bangla, The Monthly Munchitro and The G.T.A. Studies with leading international artists have helped him to established himself as an award winning artist whose work is very much in demand by both corporate and private collectors on an international scale.
Bindu Fine Arts E-mail: Bindu Fine arts@aol.com
www.Bindufinearts.com
39
Painting and paintings are spiritual, emotional and psychological encounters, both for the artist and the viewer. I’ve been an artist most of my life. I have experimented with many ways of making art from paper cut-outs and printmaking to large format paintings. During my time in Scotland I was inspired to work as a landscape painter. After 13 years of painting remote areas of the Scottish Highlands my work has taken a turn beyond that of the observer/interpreter of the material world. Notwithstanding the fact that the world around me remains a source of mystery and delight, I have always been nagged by the question ‘how do I paint spirit?’, or, asked another way, ‘how does one paint what the eye cannot see?’. This has inevitably led to a development in my work beyond literal conceptualization and interpretation.
Painting and paintings are spiritual, emotional and psychological encounters, both for the artist and the viewer. ”
The paintings convey the inner mind of a vibrant and active life force. In painting, I work to acknowledge the dynamic condition of energy fields, the existence of ‘the beautiful’, and the chaotic detritus of thought and emotion. I try not to analyze, but to observe, accept, and record inner states of being. They are not products of my imagination or preconceived notions, nor are they ideas to be explored. I do consciously reject making reference to material representations of things during their conception. And although I am attempting to paint the intangible, in the end they remain created artworks. I call them ‘States of Paint’.
www.jeanneisley.com 40
Jeanne ISLEY
www.statesofpaint.com
E
IA
ER H M
41
Jamil KALIM This painting “Looking at One’s Self” captures the deeper meaning of how you reflect who you are to other people and more importantly how you reflect who you are to yourself. There are many factors reflecting you. Some of which you can fake or change, but your self-admiration and/or ego will stay the same. Ego can be defined as the central core to the human mind. Natural instinct is self-preservation. Self-preservation can (and often does) lead to putting oneself above others. If you want to truly look at yourself, you must put your dignity aside to see what’s behind it even if you don’t like what you see.
In 2012 I began the year teaching high school Arts and English while working on my PhD in social psychology. In my research I have looked particularly at the intersections between race, class, and gender and the impact on racialized bodies within educational institutions. My primary focus is in the area of emotional labour and its intersection with race within teachers’ work. I’ve attempted through my Afro Man series to portray emotional isolation or in Ralph Ellison’s words”invisibility”. My work entitled “looking at oneself” is an attempt to portray the meta-cognitive processes: “thinking about thinking”, looking at oneself. Reflecting is an aspect that I wanted to represent in this visual form.
- Sabah Kalim 2012-07-30
NG LF I K LOO E’S SE N O T A
43
M ADAATION E R C F
O 44
J.J. KIROLOS www.jjkirolos.com
45
Drew KLASSEN Ego & self portraits I don’t believe that a self-portrait is a priori an assertion of ego. But for me the process of attempting to construct a selfimage often becomes a skirmish in the arena of ego, between vanity—both about my personal attributes and my worth as an artist—and doubt. For better or worse, doubt usually prevails.
www.drewklassen.ca
IT/ 2/ A 1 x R T N R W O P A R F D R SEL E ED V S O A D, LY ER E S ERAV FINAL
47
Bernadette LENO
EGO:
Photography has always been a huge part of my life. Since a young age, I have had a camera by my side. In recent years my photography has turned into more of an art form where I focus on the uncomfortable - the darker more twisted side of humanity, in hopes to start a conversation within the viewer’s mind and to demonstrate that there is a beauty in even most dark times. Since 2007 I have been quite consistent in my process and have a distinctive style. My art starts by using film (35, 120 or 110mm) and the additional materials can vary along with the subject of the pieces. With this being said, I am anything but predictable. For this series, I aim to show the struggle within one’s ego the struggle between light and dark, good and evil and how fragile your ego can be but also how beautiful this struggle can be.
48
http://www.twitter.com/darkbellephotog
ES C I VO 49
50
Kimberly LILLYWHITE
D
IN M Y
S T S I EX
My work begins by tapping into a personal narrative. As an immigrant having travelled to many cities across the world I am interested in exploring notions of cultural identity by deconstructing architecture and memory. My canvases consist of breaking down images of airports, maps and other architectural structures into basic geometric components and then to juxtapose them with personal and cultural artifacts. Paint, paper, charcoal and other media are used to create layers that play with ideas of actual and imagined space. The fragmented objects and multifaceted surfaces within my work are my attempt to negotiate the space between the permanence of architecture and the fleeting nature of memory. For the Scarborough Arts EGO Show, I have interpreted the EGO in my abstract style. Through media, texture and shape I have explored the influence of our environments on our personality as well as the struggles one faces with their own thoughts and emotions.
M
http://www.kimberleylillywhite.com http://twitter.com/#!/LillywhiteKim
51
After All, We All Have Secrets
Michelle MacKINNON
The series is a combination of a list of exposed secrets, portraits of the sitters expressing their emotions/reactions to their listed secret. Provoked by the idea of confessionals, this series will explore the public/private relation of people and the exposition of their secrets. By anonymously submitting secrets to the artist and later posing for a portrait depicting their secret, this series strikes an interesting note of juxtaposition between the public and private sphere of secrecy. Publically, these secrets, and therefore their keepers, have been indirectly exposed. Out of instinctive human nature, curiosity drives the viewer to either intuitively match the portrait to their secret, or become empathetic to the portrait deriving from relation to their own secrets. Privately, the confession becomes
Photo by Lisa Decaire
T T A M
an outlet for the sitter; a chance to formally acknowledge and confront their secret, yet knowing that, though it may be assumed, no one but themselves will be entirely accurate as to which secret is theirs. It becomes a veiled breach of the private into the public and a connection without fact; after all, we all have secrets.
www.michellemackinnon.tumblr.com
53
All the way through my journey as an artist, I have been concentrated on the theme of childhood dream, underwater world and diverse social calamity. Childhood nostalgia one of my beloved subjects to recall. My colorful childhood memory; bunch of flying kites, spinning tops, triangular, broken and restless curves lines play on my canvas. Viewers will find lots of colours on my canvas which is represent my and everyone’s colorful childhood days. An eminent Indian artist Ramananda Bandhaopadhyoy comments on my works, “who ever take Babul’s paintings to home they actually take with them both the sky and the earth.” Bold brush strokes, stumpy lines, thick and heavy vibrant colours that mark off my objects in semi-abstraction and abstraction forms. My Underwater World series inspired me when I visited St. Martin’s Island off the southern-most coast of Bangladesh. I discovered a joyful and free-roaming life under the water. I strive to represent the colourful life of small fish, green shrubbery, unknown foliage - all in the watery world, specially in the depths of the seas surrounding St Martin’s Island. When I recall those days, I gain the energy to work on canvas and my brush and colours make me happier, wiser, stronger and more insightful.
digital media arts, and media communicatio in United Kingdom and Canada. He has sound experience in graphic-web design, illustration, video editing, still and motion photography. He has held five solo painting exhibitions and over thirty group shows in Bangladesh, India, United Kingdom and Canada. In the past few years he has expanded his area of interest to include media studies in an effort to evaluate the images and values that resonate in popular media and culture today. In 2007, Babul relocated to Toronto, Canada. According to the Daily Star art critic Takir Hossain article, Limning aesthetic images “Bold colours, novel technique, meticulous adherence to brush stroke, subtle expression of spirit and clear perception are the main aspects of Babul’s paintings. He is one of the budding painters and has identified himself inextricably with the cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Babul’s experimentation with technique marks the beginning of a timeless voyage of an innovative exploration.” Babul has concentrated on the theme of childhood and has tried to capture the theme in different forms, colours and shapes. Adroit application of light and shades are evident accomplishments, besides restless curves, round-square forms, rectangular-triangular lines and broken lines. This is because playing with forms is a foremost part of Babul’s works. His application of paint is also singular and distinctive.
Babul MAHMOOD
54
Babul was born in Bikrampur, Bangladesh and received his Masters of Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University, India, Bachelor of Fine Arts from Dhaka University, Bangladesh. He specialized in Drawing and Creative Painting, and studied web design,
D O S O M H A D L DRE CHI 55
www.artist-babul.com
I create vibrant and engaging multicanvas installations and solo works. They explore what moves the human spirit: nuance and niche, similarity and difference, sustenance and survival, highs and lows. Colour, theme, subject matter, media, and mood are striking. Both process and product count. I blend realism and whimsy, but never allow personal or artistic metamorphoses or challenges to effect quality control. Time constraints don’t lead to rushing or slopping, just working longer and harder. Developing several pieces simultaneously allows paint to dry properly, in layers. Thoughts gel in between and spontaneous interruptions prove genial. An accidental mark or highlight adds magic, brings an entire painting or collection to life. Keeping creativity fresh and alive is fundamental to who I am. Though I have a penchant for abstraction, figurative and still life are a significant part of my portfolio. I paint people, their pets, and whatever else matters to them—celebrate memories and meaning. There is no greater gift than to cause smiles. Paintings made with love and care can do that—help keep surroundings positive!
Susan R. MAKIN Careers in teaching, writing, and art therapy, as well as extensive travel, preceded formal fine arts training and current practice. A graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Canadian participant at the Florence Biennale, and native Liverpudlian, my artwork adorns homes, offices, and public spaces internationally.
www.DocSusan.com
T S: N S E E -L RM O O G T E E BLU 57
EGO
58
Quin McCOLGAN This is a play on the word Ego using Lego people. I tried capturing their faces, postions, personalities and reflections. Each Lego person is unique although similar at the same time. When you look above their stance they proudly boast the word EGO. Their reflections are not a mirror image of their figure but a suggestion of appearances. Life is like Lego placed in a manner trying to fit in or stand out, always attempting to be the key element of design.
www.artnation.ca
59
N W A SS D A P R E ER W D O N L U R E V RI
60
Liz MENARD Liz Menard is inspired by nature and how urban landscapes and nature may or may not interact in the way we expect. Sustaining environmental biodiversity is important to Liz and a recurring theme in her work. Liz watches how Ego can sometimes affect our attempts to change the landscape and interact with nature. Bridges – typically considered a testament to our engineering prowess are no longer being used (Image 1: The Former Eastern Avenue Bridge). Productive, living quiet riverside banks like those of the Lower Don River are polluted and filled with debris (Image II: Lower Don River Underpass) while the deciduous trees that we have loved and taken for granted
for generations have fallen prey to invasive insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the Asian Long Horned Beetle. If we are not careful, our chidlren’s experience of these trees may come from specimens preserved in acrylic boxes. In these works, Liz uses traditional printmaking techniques (etching, aquatint and drypoint) with hand painting to express her meaning. Liz works on Western paper and handmade Japanese paper. Although Japanese papers appear fragile, they are strong and resilient – the same qualities that Liz hopes continue to exist in the subjects that inspire her.
www.lizmenard.ca
61
Michael MONIZE POST SURREALIST POP CULTURE
62
I believe in tomorrow. I believe in design. I believe that we are all connected. I believe in man kind. I believe in technology. I believe in acreator. I believe in now. I believe in later. I believe in gas, ice and water. I believe in a story. I believe in an author. I believe in art. I believe in music. I believe in vision. I believe in life. I believe in death. I believe I’ll know if I listen. I believe in fate. I believe in love. I believe that love can conquer all. I believe in magic. I believe in vibrations. I believe in the big. I believe in the small. I believe in frequencies. I believe in faith. I believe in a wisdom that comes from age. I believe in experience. I believe in tests of faith. I believe that I will continue to learn. I believe I will happen at my own pace. I believe in skepticism. I believe in truth. I believe in optimism. I believe in proof. I believe that there is enough food to feed everybody. I believe that nobody is better than anbody. I believe in the stars. I believe in angels. I believe in cards. I believe in fables. I believe that we are on a planet in space. I believe in putting a smile on your face. I believe in today. I believe in a better tomorrow. I believe that I can be a leader. I believe that I can follow. I believe in fear. I believe in courage. I believe in formulas. I believe I will flourish. I believe in order. I believe in chaos. I believe in opposites. I believe in balance. I believe in energy. I believe in color. I believe in
sound. I believe in gravity. I believe in force. I believe in beauty. I believe in change. I believe in good. I believe in bad. I believe that good and bad are often relative to circumstance. I believe in rationale. I believe in attraction. I believe in alchemy. I believe in reaction. I believe in dimensions. I believe in numbers. I believe in perspectives. I believe in difference. I believe in equality. I believe in stillness. I believe in timelessness. I believe that everything is everything. I believe that nothing is nothing. I believe in happiness. I believe in spirits. I believe in dreams. I believe in the power of my mind. I believe in darkness. I believe in light. I believe in the moon. I believe in the tides. I believe during the day. I believe at night. I believe in instinct. I believe in thought. I believe in right. I believe in wrong. I believe in the words of my favorite song. I believe in cause. I believe in effect. I believe in an idea. I believe in respect. I believe in you. I believe in myself!
Mike Monize is an Industrial Design student at the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU) interested in accessibility and community issues as his design focus. As a youth Mike attended the Anne Tannenbaum gallery school located at the Art Gallery of Ontario, much of that experience served as a catalyst for the work he does today. “As an artist who uses a wheelchair for mobility, my process begins with the use of artists’ or designers’ most basic tools, a pen and sketchbook. The pen hits the sheet of paper and takes over. When finished I scan my black and white original, and use Photoshop to digitally air brush in the color. This part of the process makes the pieces fully and easily customizable and enables me to start out on a smaller, more manageable size canvas. Inspired by Daphne Odjig’s use of color, Salvador Dali’s symbolism and Andy Warhol’s ingenuity in industrializing his art form and comic book artist Neal Adams. My art style would be best described as Post Surrealist Pop mixed media.”
www.fourones.org
R
FI
O T H G
T
H G I L F
63
64
My influences are foremost everything I see, feel and experience. Most of my work is about layers. I work in layers because I make mistake, and I change my mind. Layers built over time and into timelessness: layers of color, materials, shades of memories, and reflections of nature. Each painting is an emotional statement, a memory recalled, or a fleeting glimpse of nature’s diverse beauty. I discover the image, the story within and the emotion and history behind it. All of my work is in fact, painted emblematic modern and abstract base. I cherish the absence of the self-absorbed human ego and seek the spiritual connection to that which is beyond me through the reverent observation and mimesis of nature with a focus on color and light.
R N O L CO ASSIO P OF
Syed NAZMUL ALAM High modernism rejects meaning, subject and psychological inquiry. While some of my work approaches high modernism in appearance, the means for achieving the work and my goals for it, are far from that empty enterprise. People always ask for my artist statement so I needed to do one but I’ve never liked to explain a certain piece of work - hopefully it can speak for itself and whatever it says to the viewer - it’s the right message because there isn’t a wrong and a right message. Each person takes something a little different from the same picture and I’m happy with that. nazmulsa@gmail.com
65
L
IR G W
O D A SH 66
Liane ODZE-SILVER
The contextualization of self is an ongoing theme in my work. It manifests in the paradoxes that emerge in trying to understand identity, in the attempt to allow surprises to arrive, in the letting go of ego as I am driven to find it, in the possibility of reinforcing barriers to knowledge by striving to lessen them, and in the critique of the pursuit for “self”. The fragmentation of self and the role played by change, as growth occurs, make the deciphering ongoing. Is there ego? Is there essence? How do I put aside fixed ideas to find out what is not yet known to me? How do we as human beings form connections, with ourselves, with others? These are questions that force themselves into consciousness and drive the work forward, and give birth to new questions that drive the work forward to give birth to new questions. Wherever I am “me” and whether I reach that knowing by holding on to what I know and what I think I already am, or by freeing myself of preconceptions is an easy question. The work is in struggling to do both. I think that my pieces demonstrate that I am both powerless and empowered to know identity and ego.
www.lianeodzesilver.com
67
Allan O’MARRA Self-portraiture is self-reflective, in nature, but can be, reasonably, considered EGO-driven, in that it is self-examining and psychoanalytic. My piece is Buddhist-inspired and challenges the viewer to examine two, putative, exact images of me and to attempt to discern (the koan) which image is the standard EGO version of me (the makyo version) or the one that is the enlightened version of me (the kensho version).
68
T: I A TR AN R O -P LL F A L O SE H S N N KOA N//KE LLA A O
KY A M
www.allanomarra.com 69
Her, Me and Who? are pieces from my new and developing body of work, Boxed. It explores the times in which we move away from innocence and struggle to find our place in the world. Boxed is triggered by the idea that boxes can offer a simultaneous sense of security and confinement. It explores the Ego’s job of defining and confining, and the ways in which definitions can help us to understand ourselves, others and our environment and how those same definitions can limit our understanding and our ability to connect with others and with our true selves. As the Ego attempts to make sense of the world and the individual’s place within it, aspects of ourselves can be parceled off. This organization is necessary to make things more accessible and understandable. Although helpful, it canbe separating and isolating. The work evolved through an exploration of my personal beliefs and systems resulting from those I developed in childhood to make sense of the world around me. Through this introspection I have come to understand that as the Ego simplifies aspects of our character in order to make things fit, disassociation and repression can result and our young selves begin to package away aspects of ourselves in the hope of being accepted. As I go through life I see my process as one of rediscovering and reassembling these different parts of myself.
HER
Kelly O’NEIL My work is always an examination of the passage of time, of what shifts and what remains. I work in response to dreams, nightmares and a sense of inner conflict. Looking for unrefined immediacy to capture these psychological states, I work from a primal place, paring my marks to a minimum. Mixed media adds to the sense of raw unpredictability. I combine pastels, acrylics, textiles, charcoal and collage on paper, canvas and mylar. The collaged elements come from my own expressive gestures, which I tear apart and re-use to explore the emotion and idea to which I am responding.
71
72
Jane ORR-NOVOTNY My artwork is comprised of a mixture of styles, subjects and media. The landscapes are from places I have visited, mostly wilderness areas. The still life works may be from an arrangement that has caught my eye on my travels or even found in my own backyard. I enjoy the process of manipulating the medium whether it be paint or pastel on paper and canvas. As I am painting, I am reliving my experience of being in that place all over again. I endeavour to give each work a mood through the use of colour and light. The majority of my works are meant to entertain the viewer and show them the wonderful spaces and objects we have to enjoy. I paint because I find it fun and I get a great deal of enjoyment from it. I hope my paintings ,in all their various styles, will captivate and entertain the viewer.
The abstracts are a new addition to my portfolio. I quite enjoy the looseness and spontaneity of abstract. I have included several unknown quotes which sum up abstract painting from my point of view. ‘I believe you can never really learn how to abstract paint. It is just something you do. In other words there is no destination - no finish line you will always be learning and discovering as you go.’ ‘You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.’
www.janeorrart.com
S N O N I E S E S R RE IN G P M I
73
My work is an investigation into memory, identity, and the transformative value of communication. I use narrative therapy approaches such as letter writing, journaling, and storytelling as a starting point to visually express both lived and imagined experiences.I create pieces in response to new challenges, environments and relationships.
Leslie PEARSON
As a multimedia artist my material choices and processes vary with each new body of work.
www.lesliekpearson.com www.lesliepearson.blogspot.com
L A I S R E N I T A MA REM
74
75
ND ES I H BE NCH A R B E
TH 76
I have always been interested in the wide range of people’s emotions and diversities. Six years ago, I retired from my life-long career in the Performing Arts and closed the dance studio in downtown Toronto that I ran for the last 25 years. That allowed me to return fully to my other love, the Visual Arts. Over the last six years, I have taken classes from Tom Campbell and Thomas Hendry at the Toronto School of Art (TSA) to get the basic guidelines but, otherwise, I am self-taught and attend Life Drawing classes without an instructor at both the TSA and the Vita Brevis Studio. 2010 I accomplished the first year of 3 years Adult Visual Arts Program in Central Technical School in Toronto, where I had a chance to learn some sculpture, print making and ceramics. During the month of January 2008 I have had my “Moods and Movement” solo exhibition at AXIS Gallery and Grill. 2007 and 2008 , I had a solo exhibition in Dance to Live studio In June 2008 some of my works was chosen for the Group show in Creative Spirit Center in Toronto. In 2008 I also started experimenting with photography and digital work in combination with my drawings and paintings, and one of my submitted works was accepted for May 2008 CONTACT photography Festival -juried exhibition at the Toronto School of Art from May 1st – May 31st , 2008. I exhibited my work yearly in several juried exhibitions around town. To name some of them, Junction Art Festival, Emerging Artist within Art walk, Scarborough Art Council exhibition, etc). Recently I became a part of the Big Art Book (launched in 2012 on line,) and Square Foot Show in the Neilson Park Art Center in Etobicoke.
Rita RIDAZ LEPSI One of my work was included by Moses Znaimer Curated exhibition in the Propeller Gallery. (Im/AGE: From “Bust” to Boom” to Zoom”) Because of my dance background, movement was always the main tool I used to express myself. Following my departure from the performing arts, drawing and painting became an excellent alternative tool to depict my fascination with people and their lives in another way. That is why “Moods and Movements” has become the primary theme in my works. Everything that surrounds us in our everyday life has a certain rhythm, mood and movement, whether visible or hidden. In my observation, every situation represents or causes a certain mood in the participant or the spectator. As movements themselves are the most obvious signs of life, they can often portray the different moods, and what has inspired them, no matter their size or kind…This is what I ultimately aim to capture in my drawings and paintings.
www.zhibit.org/ritaridazlepsiartwork
77
Ranjit SIDHU The empirical life traverses his sub-consciousness only to reincarnate into a NeoArt Form which challenges the past conventions of art with its own idiom and soul. These sensuously profound indulgences manifest into good aesthetics and amplify the human endeavors even beyond into the far edge of the universe as serialized in his paintings on Cosmos, Ubiquitous and Aliens. His forms are bold, dynamic and captivating and, the colors transmit an out-of-this-world impact mesmerizing viewers’ minds and souls. These are integrated with the imagery which penetrates and awakens the perceptions of our own lives in parallel to the other species of nature.
www.artistswanted.org 78
ACC
01 T EN
79
Thomson’s Gazelle, Kenya
Red Winged Starling, South Africa
Patricia Stamp has been taking photographs since she was eight years old; her first camera was a box Brownie.
80
Growing up in Africa, she had the opportunity to observe and record the behaviour of wild animals. She had abundant subject matter in the national parks she visited in her school holidays. She worked in black and white until her twenties, learning composition by her father’s example, and darkroom techniques from her mother. She did portraits for her highschool yearbook, was her university newspaper’s photographer (taking pictures of Ravi Shankar, Ted Kennedy and Malcom X), and was the photography editor for her university yearbook.
Patricia STAMP
Rock Hyrax, South Africa
During a lengthy career as a professor of African and Development Studies at York University, she continued to take pictures, shifting to colour slides and 35 mm format. She illustrated her popular articles with her pictures, and used her photo archive of people, places, and animals in her university and guest lectures. In 2004 she moved to digital photography, and following her retirement in 2007, founded Tiba Media, to promote her photo art and support her multi-media activities. She has been showing her work at art and craft fairs for the past three years, and is currently presenting her work in several formats: limited-edition archival
NG CH I K OO RIPTY L IM -T U O AT Y framed prints and canvas prints; and a giftfriendly format of 8 by 10 framed and unframed prints. As well, she is offering the option for customers to order a picture, choosing their own size, custom frame, mat, and medium (archival paper, watercolour paper; canvas). The digital archive that forms the basis of Patricia’s photo art includes images from four continents, across an array of subject matter, from birds to mammals, plants, landscapes, sculpture, under-water scenes, and a quirky take on everyday objects.
http://patriciastamp.ca
81
Nicholas STIRLING The painting “Achtung, People!” explores the concept of the human ego and nature, as embodied in the statue of Fame, a trumpetting figure mounted gloriously on a monument. She is poised to the skies in self-exuberance, unaware of that which is around her. Behind Fame is Nature, in the form of the bull. Strong, balanced, poised to strike perhaps, or to create a tempest of noise and awaken people from their self absorption. “Achtung, People!”, Oil and resins on wood panel
www.nstirling.com 82
, G N TU H C A PLE! PEO
83
Shelby TAYLOR Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario I developed an affinity for the natural world and those who inhabit it. My space was shared with many kinds of wildlife that shaped my cultural understanding of shared locations. Stories shared by my mother filled my head with myths of the other beings sharing our habitus. After my relocation to London, Ontario to pursue my post-secondary education there was paradigm shift on my shared
space. The amount of wildlife dwindled, changing what I knew as reality into a nostalgia of home. The stories told to me and those I had experienced as a young child became no more than myths in my new hometown. My current work pushes and pulls between the mythical and real in my attempt to understand the notion of animal in human space and how it shifts between real and fantasy.
L E E H
W
W E L HA
http://shelbytaylor.ca/
85
E
IM T T E
QUI
86
The subject matter of my paintings is dependent on instinct and generally tend to be human figures or still life. The figures tend to communicate the intensity of feelings and emotions in life and relationships whereas the still life paintings find comfort and tranquility in the mundane, when the mind craves peace.
I think my work is successful if it moves the viewer in some inexplicable way. If I paint with a particular feeling, I find that this feeling stays captured in the brush strokes and colours. I consider a painting to be successful if it continues to communicate this emotion, even after a few days or months it has stood the test of time – so to speak.
The watercolour pigments allow a good balance between limitations of the medium, loose and free painting, and control. This is why it is my most favourite medium. Having worked as a graphic designer for the past 15 years, I find that I work best when I am restricted by certain limitations provided by the medium itself.
I like to look at the minimalist work or oriental paintings which seem to influence the way I paint and the choices I make. I try to say what I want to say in only a few ‘words’ and like to leave room for interpretation.
I enjoy watching the pigments blend and spread in the water creating wonderful shapes as if releasing the emotion that was locked inside the tube. This is the main motivation that brings me back to the drawing board every day.
Responding to the objects in the surroundings I often try to create my mental state using these as subject matter. These works are an expression of an internal conflict and coming to peace with reality - thus trying to save the “I” in everyday life where it might sometimes get lost.
Swapnali THAKAR
Reason for submitting the selected works.
www.cybersapien.ca
87
Iftikhar UDDIN AHMED In this portrait, I try to capture his different type of expression which indicates his third eye is deeply searching for something. But we don’t know about his imagination, but as an artist can imagine maybe he is searching for peace. I used various familiar and unfamiliar forms on this canvas and colorful colors to also create a panoramic impact of my modern creation.
NG CE I H RC PEA A E S FOR 89
INHALE/EXHALE Take a deep breath. Hold it. Now let it out. Relax. Take a step back and breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. This body of work is a representation of the relationship between the body, the mind, and of all the obstacles that we as humans are forced to endure. More often than not, we find ourselves lost in a sea of darkness. Paralyzed. However, one is only paralyzed for as long as they allow an outside source, or a chance happening to hold control over their body or mind. As you begin to realize that you are stronger than you had originally thought, you begin to fight back. You feel the grasp of your burdens weaken. Pry away the pain, You are in control. Through symbolism, I hope to capture a moment that is multi-layered and will engage the viewers’ emotions, which will lead to a territory of feeling to evoke an interior landscape. While each viewer is encouraged to interpret and connect to Inhale/ Exhale in a personal way, remember that as life goes on, we will be able to relate and create new interpretations as we grow. Each and every one of us at some point in our lives will find ourselves in a time of doubt, you will find your way out. Exhale. Your journey may not be an easy one, and there is more to it than simply dark and light. It is the adventure you will face in between that will make you stronger in the end. Remember to breathe.
www.nicolevance.ca 90
twitter.com/niicolevance
E
AL H N I
Nicole VANCE
91
S E ’ O EG TRE A N I G
IN T S RE 92
Egos come in various sizes, intensities and interests. Unlike nature which is balanced, in tune with itself, and its surroundings; ego takes delight in letting you down, in your lack of harmony an ego revels, as you disembark from your center. Alone, you play in your own web.
The artist suggests we all take our ego and place it gently in the centre of nature, feel, sense and absorb the altruistic vibrations emanating there. Allow the observations of your reactions to this stimuli matter enough, so you might begin to evolve from your inner web of limitations. Like falling leaves allow the ego to subside, relinquish its title and being regardful of others begin again.
By the age of 6 a human has deciphered how to survive and thrive in the human community. Usually developing the Ego is prime focus, taught to them by educators and now social media. Family, friends, tradition, money, possessions, competition is the paradigm that determines an egocentric personality. Ego promotes “anything goes” mentality; eliminating empathy and support ; promoting self and aggrandisement. Why do we so “love”? the underdog? Perhaps there, it is safe to feel compassion; they will never threaten my ego, my place, my world. Often humans are attracted to those whom they know will not threaten their egocentric pride.
Mary WALKER
Often humans are attracted to those whom they know will not threaten their egocentric pride”
93
Ron WILD Every artist who has ever lived was a contemporary artist in their time. To this day, we all like to think that we are all making valuable additions to the development of art and technology over ages. My ego likes to think that my ‘smART Maps’ are what Kandinsky would have produced if he had access to digital technology and Photoshop. Placed side by side I can easily imagine gallery visitors spending more time looking at my artwork than his; or preferring my images to even iconic paintings such as the Mona Lisa. My creative ego also encourages me to see what average people typically can’t. For example, I don’t just see a typical egg, but rather the magical potential that any seed represents. From a single unique observation, absolutely brilliant ideas can magically explode. With today’s digital technologies, I
94
http://bit.ly/GgBLW
P
A M R E
T E X CO
illustrate complex theories that even famous scientists and mathematicians have previously been unable to explore. In this manner the artist’s ego propels contemporary society onward and upward.
95
S C I T GE
O L O AP
David WOODWARD My primary artistic interests lie in painting and drawing. In particular, I depict anonymous figures that, despite their anonymity, evoke familiar feelings in the viewer. I take the interplay and layering of colours into careful consideration while pursuing this simultaneous mystery and familiarity. From a distance, the palette of my work appears realistic. However, closer inspection reveals a myriad of colours working in conjunction not only to achieve the desired technical effects, but also to enhance the work’s accessibility. Although I am personally familiar with most of my subjects, my careful but generous use of colour gives rise to a more universal familiarity.
www.davidwoodward.ca
97
their own. The objects I painted, melted and bounded together, then separated once more and continued in endless fluidity. No longer did I focus on forms alone, I gave my hand free reign. I ended up with a canvas full of emotional response. This is how I discovered figurative painting.
Vitali ZELINSKI I consider two main vectors of my style development. The first is Abstraction and second is Biomorphism. I would like to describe my Abstraction style. We create our atmosphere, wherever we are. Setting the mood, projecting ourselves onto spaces, absorbing the ambiance, that has been set for us. Projecting a combination of both we keep mulling over it and meshing it together. The same can be said for objects, depending how you observe them. You can see them for their purpose, geometric shape, and colour, or associating them with whatever your mind allows. Everything we see around us projects an aura.
98
In the past, I based my art on accurate appearances of things and what the human eye could see. Eventually I started adding the unseen aura, picking up from everything around. I started painting inside out, projecting outwards, from the eye and the mind. Each detail, shadow, tone, colour and shape was painted with uninterrupted curved lines. They portrayed form and feeling behind them without losing the original image. I tried to display the unseen interaction of existing matter as the outer appearances did not satisfy me. As I kept going, my sketches became more warped, distorted, the lines separated and flowed on
The objects I paint are not always in their right place. Sometimes they gather in one part of the canvas, climbing, standing on each other, shrinking, stretching, until they begin to look not like themselves. Not focusing on this my figurative paintings evolved into pure abstraction. It was a fast transition and fully dissolved. This form of art became universal for me, I feel most comfortable losing myself in it.
My second favorite style is Biomorphism. Biomorphism is an art movement that began in the 20th century. In painting and sculpture biomorphic forms are abstract, referring to living forms such as plants or the human body. The term comes from combining the Greek words bios, meaning life, and morphe, meaning form. Biomorphic seems to have come into use around the 1930s to describe the imagery in the more abstract types of Surrealist painting and sculpture. My works most often feature reoccurring patterns and biomorphic creatures. It displays repeating elements resembling shells, tentacles, seeds and such vague abstractions which evoke other questionable likenesses to organic life. My Technique My painting and each series has its own long or short story and theme. There is no way for me to put them as one, but only to describe them
D
U CLO
as my life. It is my exploration of relation between form, shapes, color, composition, technique and possibilities. My most powerful drive for the creation is the breakthrough for a new technique.
http://vitalizelinki.com
The result of several years’ research and hard practice finally brings me closer to solving the problem of speed and quality for the final image but still with the result of me enjoying the process. The quality, sharpness and speed can be reached by modern technologies and software. I choose classic paint medium, and incorporate techniques and tools which helps me to meet my needs. Presently I discovered a divine new idea that helps me to combine many methods such as painting, collage and application of the paint layers. I call it multiple level mosaic art.
99
CREDITS Tim Whalley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tim holds a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto and has worked for museums, galleries and not-forprofit organizations across Canada. He has worked in a programming capacity at Colborne Lodge and Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum & Arts Centre.
Benedict Lopes PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Benedict Lopes serves as the Program Director of Scarborough Arts, and holds a degree in Studio Art from McMaster University. His arts experience spans the museum, academic, studio, commercial gallery, community and not-for-profit spheres. He leads Scarborough Arts into innovative opportunities for the celebration of culture and creative ideas. Benedict believes that the power of art lies in its self expressive, life enriching potential.
Cindy Rozeboom COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Cindy has worked as a fundraiser, artist and communications specialist in a range of organizations (theatre, community arts, television & film) in the cities of Toronto, New York City, Windsor and Edmonton. She is the Executive Director of the East Danforth Creative Collective.
Susan Dimitrakopoulos ADMINISTRATIVE AND SERVICES COORDINATOR
Susan Dimitrakopoulos has been an office administrator for many years, in corporate and non-profit sectors, including Legal Aid Ontario. Susan has also been a legal secretary in the private bar and also operated her own independent secretarial service. She is an avid photographer with her company, SpudSnaps Photography and exhibits and sells her work locally and online.
Tamla Matthews-Morgan KALEIDOSCOPE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Tamla is a professional dance artist, and Artistic Director who has had a lifelong relationship with Scarborough’s artscape. Her career highlights include representing Canada at the Chinese New Year Festivities in Hong Kong, being a regular guest instructor at York University’s additional qualification dance courses and speaking at the 2011 IABD conference in Los Angeles.
Jen D. Fabico EAST PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts Hons. Specialist in Painting Installation and Contemporary Literature, and a Bachelor of Education, Jen Fabico is the Program Coordinator for the EAST Urban Music Project. Her passions are in visual arts, photography, teaching and working with youth. She is also an avid rescue dog adopter.
Adriana Sabogal FESTIVAL COORDINATOR
Adriana has been involved in Arts Management for the past 14 years, working as a producer, presenter, promoter and manager with theatre, dance and music groups. She has produced several national and international events in Colombia, Mexico and Canada and worked as tour manager for renowned companies. She specializes in coordinating the production of multidisciplinary events of all sizes and budgets.
Noella Denny PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Long history in the arts with a focus on drama. She attended Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts and graduated from U of T with a degree in English, Polical Science and GIS.
Amanda Rabey KALEIDOSCOPE PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Amanda is a grade 12 co-op student from R.H. King Academy. She has been a member of the R.H. King Improv team for the past 3 years and does a lot of creative writing, most of which she posts online. She is in the process of exploring different areas of the arts and is looking to enter the field in the future. After grade 12 she is planning on taking a year off before going to post-secondary to investigate different aspects of the working world.
Graphic Design
VENUE
TODMORDEN MILLS GALLERY 67 Pottery Road 416-396-2819
Displayed
AUG 1 - 12, 2012 http://www.toronto.ca/culture/museums/todmorden.htm
N TIO
I B I H I
ed i r u J al u n n cA i t s n t r a A sth o g m u r he ro t u o o d b f r n o a a c r e S a n his e o e T y s ! i e t Th in th o f ion t p i o p b s i t a e c s r i e j s d Exh o u t o o pr d n e n d h d e i t e t d m a o t ip ition ved a tre onding d e rk o 27th e recei sts resp w f w ti e o the r , r g a a n e a y rom ’. The r to f s e e s ed h n y o c o j a g n o E spo f‘ pr ye l o p h a t e g f a m u o y e r o y r t h e i t ho all t ers G v n i l l e i d e or m f b r r e e and u v p no ha Pa o e e h up h m o t n r a o g t s the rs ed It i t o . t n s i l e l s l i i ta M a n by v e h d c or su m h t d i o T rk w o w us to sts! ti of ar
EX
www.scarborougharts.ca
ENG DIGI A TA EM E R PR SEN AGXIN SITIV G LOCITIE A L A D ENGVIBVENT OI MAMGR DCIG A N I N T G C UR EMEAELLEA N I T T I B R N S E G R R D X A I P I SEN GINRVEISDUNA
SIOAN G LOCITIES ADV AL EP V E I N I B T COM RANUREC CELMEUNIT T S INDI BRAY VID TE SITIV