SALON

at

Pentimento

Over the last few months a small team of 3, Brigitte Gall, TV host, comedienne and City Councillor of Minden Ontario, Victoria Ward, Artist and playwright and blogger and myself have quietly been working towards a new series of evenings here at Pentimento in the tradition of the salons that took place in Europe during the late 1800's.  These evenings are meant as a means to bring together Art, Music, Science and Politics in the same room and to see what happens when worlds collide.  In our trial evenings so far we have had guests like John Nash, a genome physicist with Health Canada, Graeme Lottering who gave us an amazing talk on the history of pigment, celtic fiddler Lennan Delaney who recently travelled Europe with Frank McCourt and his brother and Artist/Actress Kirsten Johnson who through humor and pathos gave us her view of the world now and in the future.

Colette Stevenson

In our final trial evening we were very lucky to have as special guests Colette Stevenson, Coronation Street actress, Al Rowe a young musical sensation and an amazing interview by Thom Ernst, Host of TVO's Saturday Night at the Movies and film critic and author Richard Crouse about Richard's latest book

Al Rowe

RAISING HELL: KEN RUSSELL AND THE UNMAKING OF THE DEVILS.

What made the evening even more fun was that unbeknownst to Richard Crouse a very dear friend of mine Meg Walter was in the audience.  Meg played Sister Meg in the Ken Russell film The Devils.  At the end of their conversation we brought Meg to the stage and introduced them all. Suffice it to say that Richard's mind was blown.

Pentimento Gallery would like to offer our sincere thanks for everyone who has participated in the lead up to the launch of these nights in 2013!  Our special thanks to both Thom Ernst and Richard Crouse for a fascinating and informative discourse on this forgotten but groundbreaking film.

Salon at Pentimento is hosted by the amazing Brigitte Gall and Victoria Ward!

The Salon nights are scheduled once a month and the seating is very limited... 30 people maximum!  Look for announcements here on the Blog!

Troy Brooks at Gallerie D'Avignon in Montreal

Troy Brooks at Gallerie D'Avignon in Montreal

The rest of Canada is starting to catch on to the works of Troy Brooks. For the first time the work of this amazingly talented artist are for sale in Montreal at the beautiful Gallerie D'Avignon.  If you find yourself in this corner of the country please stop by and have a look!

THE FATES AND THE FURIES

WORKS BY TROY BROOKS

PENTIMENTO FINE ART GALLERY

 is very pleased to announce that  50% of the works were sold on opening night.  Don't miss your chance to see these amazing works before November 25th!  The Fates and the Furies is the fourth series from artist Troy Brooks.  His paintings of surreal female characters have sparked a flurry of interest with Toronto art collectors.  The complex women in his paintings weave haunted tales that escape merely one interpretation. "This show is my most diverse group of characters," says the artist.  "The theme and the one thing that ties these women together is a sense of being divided.  They are all experiencing a self-segregation."  The Globe and Mail has called Troy's work "alluring, alarming" and "a shimmering cast of characters."  The buzz is starting to grow around this exciting new emerging artist!

Feast for the Prince

New works by Gary Blundell

Gary Blundell graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1983, with an Honours B.Sc. in Earth Sciences.  His fascination with the natural world reaches back into childhood.  From a very young age he noticed and studied the world around him, the soil and stone beneath his feet and the sky above.  He pondered passage of time, the elements and their relentless effect on the surface of our world.  He pondered the patterns that these forces created, and continually altered.  He also pondered the human presence within this natural realm, the intrusive hand of man, altering and scarring the surface of this planet, and the unending battle for natural order to reclaim and rebuild from season to season.

The creative process for these pieces began with a router.  With both conscious control and the occasional "accidents", the artist's hands wielded the power tool to create recessions, patterns within the wood.  Gary acknowledges the pivotal impact of late Canadian artist Peterson Ewen, in introducing him to this approach.  There is a palpable physicality in these large wooden paintings  The rigorous act of gouging into the wood is evident, retained in each piece.  Gary then applies acrylic plasters, in varying thickness, to specific areas on the wood; a partial rebuilding of the surface.  A tearing away is followed by a building up.  Overlays of oil paint are then applied, exuding rich and vibrant colour, pulled from the varied pallette of the earth itself.

In FEAST FOR THE PRINCE the artist expands his work to include works based on the hanging and curing of meat.  "I have begun to see the surface of the earth as a kind of flesh, something that reminds me of my own body; the tearing away of rock and soil by wind and water as equivalent to my own aging and deterioration." (Artist Statement, 2012).

Seven paintings reveal this process, depicting hanging portions of locally farmed or caught Moose, Deer and cattle.  The exposed inner layers of flesh in works such as Husk and display are clinically visceral; this was the stuff of a living thing, blood once coursed through that tissue.  Two or three flattened areas of pure colour provide a simplified yet charged backdrop for the animal segments, causing them to leap forward into the viewer's eye and mind.  The artist confirms an homage to the past with this series, drawing inspiration from Rembrandt's Carcass of Beef or Flayed OX of 1655, and the Beef Carcas paintings of the early 20th century by Chaim Soutine.

FEAST FOR THE PRINCE opens on October 4th and runs to October 28th.  The vernissage is Thursday October 4th from 6 - 9 pm. 

NOTORIOUS

WORKS BY WIL SIMPSON

Wil Simpson's work has refreshed iconic imagery and brought it into a modern context that appeals to both young and old alike.  His exploration of imagery using a series of 8 small green army men from his childhood planted his earlier works in a series of decades epitomized by War and it's aftermath. His latest body of work NOTORIOUS introduces the bevy of beauties who scandalized society with their progressive roles in what was to become the feminist movement.

Through a series of 15 portraits Wil Simpson introduces the women who began it all to a new generation.

NOTORIOUS runs from August 30 - September 30, 2012.  The opening reception is September 6 from 6-9 pm.

Call To Arms - Revised Dates

CALL TO ARMS: THIRD ANNUAL LESLIEVILLE MURAL COMPETITION

Revised Dates

Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2012

Place your vote: August 16-26, 2012

This year's theme: Canadian Armed Forces

Vote at Pentimento Gallery, 1164 Queen Street East

For more details go to www.pentimento.ca and www.pentimentogallery.blogspot.ca

Phone: 416-406-6772

E-mail: rockinrolland@sympatico.ca

When new Leslieville business owner and resident Brad Daniels first bought the property at Queen Street East and Hastings Avenue it was emblazoned with a fantastic mural of Jimmy Hendrix. This image had become a local landmark over the 20 years it was in place. In order to modernize the building and make it his own, Daniels has resurfaced over the original mural but not before taking a large format image of the Hendrix piece. He then placed the original image on a 10’ by 16’ canvas affixed to the side of the building, and the following year allowed the neighbourhood to choose the next mural in the Inaugural Leslieville Mural Competition.

The winner last year: Nayoun Kim's image of Elsie MacGill, Canada's first female aeronautical engineer. Elsie MacGill was the first woman to receive an electrical engineering degree in Canada and the first woman aircraft designer in the world. During World War II, Elsie MacGill oversaw the design and production of 1450 Hawker Hurricane airplanes in Canada, earning her the nickname "Queen of the Hurricanes." Elsie MacGill was also active in women's rights issues and in 1967 was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.

Brad Daniels in conjunction with Pentimento Fine Art Gallery presents the third annual competition for artists, based this year on the Canadian Armed Forces. The winning entry will be chosen by a neighbourhood vote from the 30 images chosen by a jury of experts. The top 30 images will be presented in a gallery show at Pentimento from July 19th to July 29th, 2012. The winning image will be affixed to the side of the building on Queen Street East for the period of one year and the winner will also receive a $500 cash prize.

Please forward your 10"w x 16"h submission saluting the Canadian Armed Forces in jpeg format to RockinRolland@sympatico.ca with the title "Entry for Leslieville Mural Competition" by midnight on July 31, 2012.   Selected images will be notified by August 7th concerning their participation and further instructions with regard to the framed work. 

 GOOD LUCK!!!

Third Annual Leslieville Mural Competition

Call to Arms: Third Annual Leslieville Mural Competition

Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2012

Place your vote: July 19 – 29, 2012

This year's theme: Canadian Armed Forces

Vote at Pentimento Gallery, 1164 Queen Street East

For more details go to www.pentimento.ca and www.pentimentogallery.blogspot.ca

Phone: 416-406-6772

E-mail: rockinrolland@sympatico.ca

When new Leslieville business owner and resident Brad Daniels first bought the property at Queen Street East and Hastings Avenue it was emblazoned with a fantastic mural of Jimmy Hendrix. This image had become a local landmark over the 20 years it was in place. In order to modernize the building and make it his own, Daniels has resurfaced over the original mural but not before taking a large format image of the Hendrix piece. He then placed the original image on a 10’ by 16’ canvas affixed to the side of the building, and the following year allowed the neighbourhood to choose the next mural in the Inaugural Leslieville Mural Competition.

The winner last year: Nayoun Kim's image of Elsie MacGill, Canada's first female aeronautical engineer. Elsie MacGill was the first woman to receive an electrical engineering degree in Canada and the first woman aircraft designer in the world. During World War II, Elsie MacGill oversaw the design and production of 1450 Hawker Hurricane airplanes in Canada, earning her the nickname "Queen of the Hurricanes." Elsie MacGill was also active in women's rights issues and in 1967 was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.

Brad Daniels in conjunction with Pentimento Fine Art Gallery presents the third annual competition for artists, based this year on the Canadian Armed Forces. The winning entry will be chosen by a neighbourhood vote from the 30 images chosen by a jury of experts. The top 30 images will be presented in a gallery show at Pentimento from July 19th to July 29th, 2012. The winning image will be affixed to the side of the building on Queen Street East for the period of one year and the winner will also receive a $500 cash prize.

Please forward your 10"w x 16"h submission saluting the Canadian Armed Forces in jpeg format to RockinRolland@sympatico.ca with the title "Entry for Leslieville Mural Competition" by midnight on June 30, 2012.   Selected images will be notified by July 7th concerning their participation and further instructions with regard to the framed work.  GOOD LUCK!!!

Pentimento Fine Art Gallery is pleased to now be the official representative of the work of Kirsten Johnson

I first met Kirsten Johnson as an emerging young actress during an audition at the CBC in the late 1980's.  To this day I remember that meeting and the intriguing woman that is and was Kirsten.  Most of our chat focussed on the narrow scope of interest for Hollywood producers and the vast potential to improve what was on offer to the masses.  Over the years I have reveled in the many fine performances that this fearless actress has given both on stage and in the films of directors like David Cronenberg, Jeremy Podeswa and Daniel MacIvor.

Imagine my surprise when years later after having left the CBC I discovered another facet to this woman I had no idea existed.  While over at a clients home for dinner one evening I was totally enthralled with a portrait that hung on their wall.  The work held my attention throughout a very animated dinner party and when I had the chance I asked my host who had painted it for them.  It was not a very far jump from theatre fan to being a fan of her explorations on canvas.  Kirsten had hooked me again!  I am very excited to be able to share her work with you all now through the gallery.  Kirsten will be taking part in the upcoming Salon here at Pentimento and I am excited to introduce you to her.  Here are some examples of Kirsten's works and a small film she has recently created for you to peruse and enjoy.  

Salon runs from June 7 to July 15th with the Vernissage taking place on June 7 from 6-9pm.

Geisha Fight 6

Windy 1

Windy 2

Stewardess Fight 4

FUEL: works by Gary Blundell

at the Clarington Visual Arts Centre

May 27-June 24, 2012

This past Sunday I attended the opening reception for Gary's work at the Clarington Visual Arts Centre located in beautiful downtown Bowmanville, Ontario.  The gallery is housed in what appears to be an old mill located next to a wonderful babbling stream.   Upon entering the gallery space you are confronted by Gary's vibrantly patterned large scale works of geological strata and patterns developed by the passage of time on the landscapes around us.  The work is invigourating, complex and filled with color.  

In a small side room off of the main floor space Gary is presenting a new series of work dealing with the aging process in meat.  The works are smaller in scale but just as complex in detail as the larger works.  The palate is fresh and appealing.  I spent a lot of time in this room before heading upstairs to the third floor space.

Entering the third floor space was it's own religious experience.  The room itself is fantastic with large wooden pillars and beams exposed and in some places still showing the remnants of the hundreds of birds that at one point made this their home.  Here Gary has presented his latest works based on the mining industry in Northern England.  Gary received a Canada Council grant to travel to England last summer and to explore the remnants of a once thriving mining industry laid waste by the Thatcher government.  These works will be a travelling exhibition in England in 2014.  The patterns presented represent the visual experiences of miners deep beneath the earth's crust.  The works are dark and moving.  The attention to detail from the wonderful musical soundscape which accompanies the work transports you to another time and another place.

I encourage you to make the trip to Bowmanville and to the Visual Arts Centre.  If you are looking for a weekend destination I recommend a picnic lunch outside the gallery by the stream...idyllic.  The Clarington Visual Arts Centre is located at:

143 Simpson Avenue,

Bowmanville, ON

905-623-5831

www.vac.ca

visual@vac.ca

The gallery hours are:

Mon-Fri  10 am - 5 pm

Sat  Noon to 4 pm

Sun 1 pm to 4 pm