Pix of Toronto

Massey and Munk are two distinguished colleges on campus with literary  and international political pretensions … uhh orientations respectively. I say pretensions because you have to ask to get in to see the inner court at Massey [no luck this year, good fortune two years ago, no gatemaster  around in some previous Falls]. Massey has  a dry water fall of dark yellow brick that abuts the street – and in the fall there is cascade of color with ivy, plantain and manicured trees that spill gaudy colors befitting a shameless novella scene. In contrast, Munk is all drama in its equally well kept inner  courtyard:

Click on an any image to see a slideshow

The courtyard echoes Massey with a water trough in its midst, but the wider and open cortyard make for some fabulous images. And there is a side garden on the South with some excotic planting as seen in the screen shot above. I think the sheltering of the Munk building managed to preserve the dwarf trees and some of the plants for my Fall picture harvesting .

Robarts Library is such a battlefield bulwark of information and books, it straddles Harbord and St. George like a concrete fortress formidable and impregnable [if you are not a UofT student just try to get in]. Robarts also dominates the architectural surrounds so Innis College has to sidle and persuade passerbies to  not do so – and take note of some of of its sheltered, natural delights. Throughout the year, Innis has natural attractions that quite frankly please the eye:

Click on an any image to see a slideshow

Meanwhile Robarts just allows nature to co-exist and nearby shops have to shout their names to stay on scale. However, slowly but surely nature is beginning to assert its hold on the lower skirt of the library. One can see incursions of ivy advancing every where and the Robarts back yard has crossing sidewalks plus  maples and honey locusts of distinctive colour in the fall.

I have seen at least 5 shows in which Emilie has exhibited and the images are many, varied and almost tranquil. It is like looking out on a cool pond with gentle ripples … and then you notice among the soothing, pastel hues a provocative color  or an enigmatic icon:

Detail from 2004 Toronto Summer Art Show

Yes, the images  have  a sense of humor as well as active, scheming – as if a part of a larger plan or oeuvre.  A visit to her website reveals exactly this – a very novel draughting of the artist’s compartments for  creation. Rooms on a central court … well see it all here – it is well worth the visit.

If you consider some of Emilie’s contemporary paintings, they are have flipped from color and form emerging from a white glaze to more fulsome layerings with bolder plumage:

From Spring  2009 works

And the paintings  styling become more immersive :

From Spring 2009 works

And there is another one I would like to show you but this digital image caught my eye:

from Digital_Landscapes

Rather than I leading you astray, let me recommend that you take a walk through Emilie’s website – it is a mazing full of inspirations.

Every year I try to get to the Uof Toronto campus for the Fall colors. This year I was late and it shows- I have to resort to a lot of photofinishing prestidigitation to make for interesting pictures:

This is the view at the corner of  Bata and Rotmans - some surprising color given the environ of ultra busy Bloor and St.George.

Sometimes an artist stops you in your tracks with charm and a very sly wit - such is the case with Carly Waito.There is a certain edge to Carly’s paintings and figurines. Nothing quite Bizarro but still sharp, like a pin prick – catching one at the edges…. and suddenly you are sucking on blood or laughing out loud.

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And remember, there is nothing, nothing, nothing so basic or so banal that one one might be compelled to cite something common or pop or even a warhole in Carly’s works. Rather there is a gentle [or swift nudge] in her works that says ‘ahah’in novel ways.

After all, these are small figurines with cutie motifs, just a snicker bar away from being so sanguine and so sweetie pie that ahhhh I am so ahhhhh. But the range of works by the artist is quite broad. Here is some knitting work:

And Coe and Waito are a joint ceramics production team – see their works here. And on her blog Carly features a great photographic eye. Do watch Carly’s blog for all the ideas,  inspiration and whats she  is up to here.

I was at the Toronto Outdoor Artists Show in Nathan Phillips Square two summers ago and could not help being lured in Scylla and Charibdis fashion by David Grieve’s works of art.There were at least 5 or 6 booths before David’s but one painting just kept calling like the Sirens:

I could not keep my eyes off this painting – it was like a poppy with more allure then one could immediately appreciate. But having arrived at Davids booth there were other works with a similar fascination.

Here the stroking is sparer and possibly even bolder. But on becoming acquainted with David’s painting and style the boldness seemed more a part of a  recurring style. A very careful placement of stroke and hues that suggest the Impressionist or even Group of Seven styling but really David’s own. See what the following images suggest.

Each of these images has a boldness of stroking and coloring that suggest an  Impressionist styling but has its own rules,  sizing, and color blends that is always a source of fascination. And given the large  size of the canvases there is much to see in examining the boldness within.

David ’s painting can be seen in a number of galleries in the Toronto area and at his website here.

Églantine, also known as M. Fleur-Ange Lamothe, is an artist and photographer who lives in the Brampton area of Ontario. I have seen her photographic and painting works on Flickr plus shows in the Toronto area – and enjoy them very much.  Go here for a sampler of her photos, here for an expanded bio, while here are some of her paintings:

Mes Souliers

Églantine works in a number of media and has a robust styling that reminds me of a friend who works confidently and with sure strokes. One can clearly see a boldness in both form and colors in  the watercolor above. There is a naturalness and ease of rendering that soothes the eyes looking for form.

In contrast here is a a rendering alive in colors and swirling brush-stroke forms that suggest a reversal of colour palette and bold blazing strokes. This will not be the only time you see these elements in Églantine’s paintings. They speak of a handsome sense of design.

Again the colors pique the eye but in each painting they each follow their own styling and form. Its almost as if you were being treated to a short story by the artist each with its own separate moral tale. So on that notion lets take a look at a compendium of photo images taken by the artist:

These images are more subtle – like a being out on a scavenger hunt for interesting colors, shape and forms that could inform a painting like this:

Think of and see if you can find not a few sultry colors on the loose here. Very fine in deed.

I was walking along in the Parks near the Scarborough Bluffs enjoying a summers day and then …

I came upon this bit of basket weaving by Carey Nicholson, a Port Perry artist. Wow!

The explosion of color and form was an absolute delight – and chatting with Carey about her craft quickly brought insights into the what makes basketry so fascinating. There are so many options among the materials, the forms and even basic weave pattern.  I am reading a book, Brisengr- the third in  Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini, which tells a tale of past  times and some of the various crafts. When the author  invokes such  crafts as pottery and basket weaving I have no trouble visualizing some of the creative possibilities.

This could easily be the enchanted basket goblet containing Brome’s meed.

Carey’s work can be found at the Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery at 200 Queen Street in Port Perry, ON.

The gallery has works from a number of local members and classes in the art of basket weaving among other things. Its on my schedule for this coming Summer.

The Toronto Santa Claus parade is over 100 years old and a good part of the appeal of the parade is that people have fun every mid-November Santa weekend. And the fun is not just for the kids and viewers – the parade participants have a lot of fun too as these picture attest to. They are taken at Christie and Bloor streets where the parade originates – starting off at 12:30 for downtown Toronto , ending around 4:00 at Front and Jarvis – about 3 1/2 miles down the way. It is an energetic walk for the hundreds of marchers and 20 plus marching bands.

Note to readers – click on any picture to go directly to a gallery with more, similar Parade Pictures.

The first thing I saw as I emerged at the Christie subway station on Santa Parade Sunday morning was a float with Parade people constantly going to and from it. Hunh? Whats this?

Parade clowns filling their sacks with….Well a little investigation revealed what was going on – this was the cache for Candy Cane Booty.

Mystery solved – so now I knew where all the free candy canes that were given along the parade route come from – this was the candy stash.

And I had just emerged at the Christie staging place for the Santa Parade,  otherwise known for the nearby park, as Christie Pits. Even at 10:30AM there was already a big crowd of people gathered either to join their float team or meet their fellow band members or simply to watch all the goings on prior to and as the parade got started.

But the next thing I noticed was the sound of a marching band playing some Santa Tunes in their pre-parade warm-ups. They were very good.

Attica NY High School Band toots their horns..

Christie Pits is the perfect starting place for the Santa Parade because the big park allows the bands [and there were over 20 this year] to spread out and do some practicing on their latest tunes:

University of Western Ontario Band practicing near the Christie baseball diamond

But what really caught my sense of humor was all the UofT Engineering Band members enjoying the wait by taking their turns on the kids playground – swings, merry-go-round, even a few on the monkeybars. Now this is a band that knows how to relax and have fun.
University of Toronto band members at play.

Floating Fun

The Santa parade marchers were not to be outdone in the scramble for fun. Lots of paraders were chatting around, posing for pictures and even playing a prank or two as they waited for the parade to get started.
Fun Foursome just off pranks.

The paraders that seemed to be getting the most attention and comments were the gals dressed up as grapes. Now Christie is in the Italian and Portuguese section of the city – so that may account for some of the interest; but the costumes had a certain comically bulbous flair. You be the judge:

Check that wing span!
But the most impressive group at the parade was the Toronto Police Horseman’s Squad. When they came galloping by to get in position just at the start of the parade – everybody heard and felt the shudders of the horse coming by. Even at a casual gallop, this was an impressive display.

One can now really imagine a Calvary Charge from days gone by.

I thought coming down 2 hours early would give me plenty of time to get lots of pictures – not so. The parade goers are spread out over so much area and the chance to chat with friends quickly robs time. So next year I promise to get a picture of the premier player – Santa.

Go about 130 kilometers East by Northeast from Toronto – and you are into the rolling countryside of Northumberland Hills – where the last days of Fall means it is that Perfect Pie Time of Year again. Just check the local time and location:Its time for the 30th Perfect Pie  Feast and Festival in Warkworth Ontario.

The order is actually feast first – then  festivities, prizes and pie auctions. And as can be seen there are plenty of Pie-goers ready to Feast:

Lots to chat about and chomp on at the the Pie Feastings.

And the service is gracious:

But the real “problem is what to choose – there are over 110 pies this year, and they make my mouth water:

One has to decide among Savories, Mincemeat, Fruit pies of every kind, Custards, local Maple Sugar adorned with pecans and walnuts …

There is enough sweet meats to make any pie judge take pause.

And so we shall , stay tuned for more about the Warkworth Pie Fest later this week.