Is Canadian Art Tanking Out?

TORONTO - Celebrated pieces by Jean-Paul Riopelle and Tom Thomson failed to sell at the Sotheby's auction Thursday night.

A signed, untitled 1954 work by Riopelle, which had been estimated to sell at $800,000 to $1.2 million, remained unsold.

Meanwhile, Thomson's "Early Snow, Algonquin Park," which had an estimate of $450,000 to $650,000, also failed to sell after bidding stalled at $425,000.

The biggest seller of the night was "Trilliums and Trilliums" by David Brown Milne. It went for $278,500, including the buyer's premium.

A painting depicting the rugged Baffin Island landscape by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris sold for $163,500, but another Harris piece failed to find a buyer. And Emily Carr's "Forest Interior" sold for $71,500.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly identified Tom Thomson as a member of the Group of Seven and erroneously said a Thomson painting had sold.

To view Thomson's painting, "Detail of Early Snow, Algonquin Park, and to see the CP article in the Winnipeg Free Press, please click here.

Tom Thomson as presented by Penard54.

A stunningly beautiful You Tube Video showing the art of Tom Thomson.

Ron Plaizier and his Peregrine Falcon

I spent some time taking a careful look at Ron Plaizier's Peregrine Falcon. The first thing that catches my attention is the positioning of the bird on Ron's canvas. For the most part, wildlife painters place their subjects in their natural background. And, from what I see of Ron's work this is pretty much the rule in what he paints.

By painting a side profile of the bird - he elevates it into portraiture status and he gives it a 'stand alone' dignity. We are, after all, looking at a bird of iconic stature.

Notice how Ron, tilts its head towards the light which shines down from the upper left corner. You can almost create a halo of light surrounding the upper beak and eye. Not just that, but the Falcon's eye is exquisitely rendered with reflected sky blues and even a slight cast shadow from its hooding brow feather. And, the longer I stare into the fowl's eye, the more I see. I like the way Ron captures its convex quality, and looks within it where he captures the smallest of blood vessels.


I also like Ron's soft blending of hues in the bird's beak, and the delicately wrought hair like feathers under the beak and eye.

All if this is the signature of an artist whose search for perfection is patiently
rendered.

And, like any good artist, Ron applies the colours which he thinks best suits his ends. I found myself, as I so often do, studying the blending of hues within his whites.
Funny how it goes, for the best whites are invariably not bone white but gently bathed in a variety of such hues as soft glowing ochres and gentle warming pinks and oranges.

Its no wonder that Ron has presented his Falcon as he has. A majestic work, to be sure.


Artist's Comments:

Wow, well written. I really appreciate the level of observation you've given this piece and the profile piece you did on your blog turned out great as well.

As for my motivation in painting this bird I would say that I've always been intrigued by the Peregrine Falcon, which is known as the fastest animal in the world reaching speeds of over 320km/hr. Of all the birds of prey I would have to say the Peregrine in my favourite subject and it probably won't be the last painting I do of this majestic bird. The combination of sheer power and beauty all encompassed in this 3 lb bundle of high test energy I find simply amazing. If I can capture just a small bit of that energy, nobility and beauty in my painting, I will have served this bird of prey justice. I don't think I put a lot of in depth of thought into my art work, no metaphorical or hidden meanings. In that regard I would have to describe my style as contemporary realism. This may be something that will evolve in my work as I become more experienced, but for now I'm simply happy if I am able to bring some of the natural beauty from observing wildlife to the viewer. Nothing contrived and nothing complicated.

'The Portrait' and the Black Flies

There's a story behind this blog entry. I attended an art show at a country barn today. It was in a rustic setting, and as you can see by my picture, that I had my display set up by edge of the woods.

It was one of those days which I spent half my time swatting mosquitoes and the other half swatting black flies away.

Someone told me recently that they didn't know that blackflies could bite. Bite! Its one of the mysteries of science. How can a fly so small bite so hard?

When I got home, to my surprise Mo Bayliss, our trusty Assistant Editor, sent me an email and suggested that I use this NFB short film about the black flies.

It couldn't have been a more timely suggestion!



This animated film about the pesky blackfly is based on the song of the same title, written and sung by Canadian folk singer Wade Hemsworth, with back-up vocals by the McGarrigle sisters. It recounts Hemsworth's battles with this quintessential "critter" during a summer of surveying in Northern Ontario.

To see this film at source, please click here.

Ron Plaizier Wildlife Artist

I am drawn to the Ron Plazier's art but then again I love landscape painting. The roots of Ron's painting begins in Quebec's Chateauguay Valley, on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Ron was born and raised in Quebec. He was nurtured into the arts under the guidance and encouragement of an attentive mother. She recognized his talents early and she kept him supplied with materials to keep his young hands busy.

Ron is the father of two sons, and he married a girl he had known from the age of seven. That's remarkable in its own right.

He left Quebec with his family and they moved to Ontario and found their way to the lovely village of Marmora, about half way between Toronto and Ottawa.

Ron became serious about about art some 20 years ago, when he competed in several wildfowl wood carving competition and he went from there to acrylics and has been painting in this media ever since.





Like many artists, Ron provides for his family through full time employment. He works as the Chief Information Officer for the Kawartha District School Board in Peterborough.

Ron find that painting provides a therapeutic escape from life's stresses.

When I first looked at his paintings I was reminded of the work of Glen Loates. Ron confesses to ejoying painting birds and he says: "There's something about birds that seems to captivate the imagination. I guess it's because birds are so fast and fleeting. There one second, gone the next. Capturing their detailed intricate feather patterns and colours for the viewer gives me a certain amount of satisfacion."


Ron has a refreshing attitude towards his art. "I've competed successfully in a number of art shows over the years and have sold a few paintings which is very rewarding but I think the biggest reward is when I can put a smile on someones face."


Ron draws from the influence of artists such as Robert Bateman, Glen Loates and Carl Benders. "What I really enjoy about painting is that it allows me to slow down life's hectic pace and to observe the small details, I mean really observe, and appreciate the natural beauty around us."

While Ron, doesn't have a 'home gallery', at this time, he has set himself up an attractive website to showcase his art and his long term goal is to find a place in several galleries. And from what I can see that day isn't all that far away.

To visit Ron's website to see his gallery of works, please click here.

NDP: Fast off the Mark in Waving the Arts Flag

NDP MP Charlie Angus talks about the party's position on Canada's arts and culture industry in Ottawa, May 17, 2011.

By CBC News

The NDP wants to see more funding and a better strategy to support the arts, warning that without such a commitment, a multi-billion dollar industry will be at risk.

At a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday morning, the party called for increased funding for the Canada Council for the Arts as part of a strategy to support the industry.

When Parliament resumes June 2, the House of Commons will be made up of MPs with more arts and culture experience than ever before, thanks to the NDP caucus, the party says.

The NDP's expanded caucus of 103 MPs now includes newcomers Andrew Cash, a musician and writer; Tyrone Benskin, an actor; and Pierre Nantel, a former artistic director with Cirque du Soleil. They will join re-elected MP Charlie Angus, who is also a musician.

The four MPs called the news conference to outline what they and the rest of the new Official Opposition plan to do in Parliament to promote the arts.

In its election platform, the NDP also promised to ensure Canadian networks remain Canadian-owned through foreign ownership regulations, to "re-focus the mandate" of the CRTC so it protects cultural industries better, and to invest in the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada.

To read more, please click here.

Read more.

Love and Art

I left Elizabeth Dinkel's studio in Belleville, on a real dopamine high. Three hours of sketching with fellow artists, soft music, a model who was a joy to draw and good companionship worked wonders with my spirit.

I have also found that during my time of illness that painting provides me with a great release from worry.

This recent video goes a long way to explain why.

Contributed by: Assistant Editor, Mo Bayliss.

The Art of Jozef Milczarski (continued)

Charley Fox. Painted by Jozef Milczarski

The Artist: In his 35 years in the commercial art and marketing world Jozef Milczarski has won numerous awards working with Fortune 500 companies in Canada and the United States.

Jozef's portrait work and custom commissions of such people as Prime Minister Jean Chretien (ret.) , Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir PGA, Vijay Singh PGA, Ian Millar, Anky van Grunsven and other Sport figures has made him a much sought after artist throughout North America.

Please click here to visit Jozef's website.

Charley Fox attacks Rommel: Canada's Unsung Hero

Charley Fox: Painted by Jozef
Milczarski



Colonel Charley Fox, DFC and Bar
February 16 1920 - October 18 2008

The Man: When war broke out in 1939, a young Charley Fox left his job and enlisted in the RCAF. He'd set his sights on flying the fastest fighter aircraft of the day -- the Spitfire. However, because he graduated second in his class, the Air Force told Fox he would train military pilots in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. From 1941 to 1943, Instructor Fox trained hundreds of pilots.

As a result of his two years of instructing in Canada, Fox accumulated 1,500 flying hours, but he still flew tail-end-Charley (last man in a group of four Spitfires) when he joined fighter command at Tangmere aerodrome in England in 1944
.
He scrambled numerous times from that storied Battle of Britain aerodrome in the lead-up to D-Day. As the June 6, 1944 invasion began , Fox and his RCAF 412 Squadron flew three operational trips over Normandy, protecting thousands of ships and landing craft.

Fox's greatest "opportunity" appeared on the afternoon of July 17, 1944. He and his wing-mate Steve Randall spotted a German staff car racing along an avenue of trees. While Randall protected his quick descent, Fox swooped in out of the sun, strafed the vehicle and drove it off the road. By the time Randall and Fox had landed back at their base, the radio buzzed with exciting news. An Allied pilot had shot up a Horch convertible containing a driver, three German officers and..... the Desert Fox himself, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel!

He specialized in ground attack and prided himself on accurate marksmanship. His success is neatly summed up in the official commendation for a bar to his DFC: "This officer has led his section against a variety of targets, often in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire.

It is noteworthy that fourteen of Charley's planes were rendered no longer usable after returning from missions due to excessive damage from enemy fire.


The Legacy: Charley's post-war accomplishments are equally notable. He was a major component of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, founder of Torch Bearers, a non-profit organization aimed at educating young people about Canadian military exploits, and a champion for the promotion of appreciation for the outstanding participation of all Polish Combatants of World War II.

To view this picture and to read the biography of artist Jozef Milczarski, please click here.

To visit Charley Fox's website, please click here.
Also, this memorial site: Please click here.

Sources: Wikipedia, National Defence & Canadian Forces, Charley Fox - Official Website

Blog Entry by Mo Bayliss, Assistant Editor.
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Jan Gyorfi-West and Her Search for Dignity, Feeling and Character in Portrait Painting

This painting by Jan Gyorfi-West touches me. There is a certain, unadorned honesty in this work. We are looking at everyday people. The soldier wears no medals or identifying symbols of rank and the woman wears no jewellery. They could be anyone or they could be everyone. Their faces are the faces of ordinary people and they have a certain look of hope about them; as if their love will bring them happiness and promise for the future.

The picture hangs around two elements: love and the man's uniform. The uniform positions the picture in time and place. He wears basic khaki and both the letters TIA on his arm suggests that he belonged to a Nova Scotia Regiment.

But there is more. The man's uniform appears to define their relationship. Had the soldier been recently demobbed or had he just enlisted or been conscripted or had he recently received orders that he would be sent overseas? Who really knows but the artist.

When I look at this work I have flashbacks from my childhood of old photographs which sat atop fireplace mantels and radios. Was an old photograph the source of this work?

Its interesting how such a simple and straight painting has so much to say. This is a world of absolutes. Notice how the lady wears no necklace, pendant, discernible ear rings, or facial makeup. Her sole concession to adornment is the little white handkerchief which sticks neatly out of her breast pocket.

I find myself looking at their faces. The woman looks directly into the picture and she has a certain look of enthusiasm in her expression. The man's eyes have a touch of sorrow about them and their upward look suggest a lower positioning of his chin. It would be easy to read into this expression that his life experiences were a burden for him to bear.

There is an almost metaphorical appeal within this work. When I look at it,it isn't hard to see myself facing my own life experiences, complete with their struggles, hopes and joys, and expectations.

To view this painting and others in Jan's Online Gallery, please click here.

Artist's Comments
I'm flattered that someone saw so much in my portrait. I was commissioned to do this about 3 years ago, by an 85 year old veteran, he wanted himself & his wife as they were 60 years ago.

I had to work from 2 black & white photos - the main problem was the uniform colour. Until I discovered that black and cad. orange made khaki.

In all my portraits, I try to show dignity, feeling and character. The result is, I hope, an image of a living, thinking person.

A Visit to Elizabeth Dinkel's Studio

Elizabeth Dinkel welcomed me to visit her in her studio a couple of weeks ago. The studio has a classic, artistic elegance about it as it sprawls above above some shops on Front Street, in Belleville, Ontario.

The ambiance took my breath away. The works of Elizabeth and her many artist friends, hung along the walls. Steel beams crossed the ceiling, a model's platform with background drapes sat in the central area and there was an area for socializing and coffee and a couple of other small rooms to complete it all.

When I walked into the studio, I found myself in the presence of half a dozen artists who were setting up their easels around the platform. Elizabeth introduced me to everyone and helped me prepare for 3 hours of artistic pleasure.

Elizabeth has lived in Belleville for 22 years and she is a transplant from Toronto.
Like many artists, she has always been blessed with the gift of the arts. She loved drawing as a child and her interest in art was developed by the art classes she took in Central Tech and the Ontario College of Art.

When her children were grown Elizabeth met fellow artist Igor Barbailov who was teaching in Belleville. He has since gone to the States where he has achieved success and acclaim. (Click here to visit his website)

Elizabeth began to flourish in the arts. She went on to become an excellent pastel portrait artist, and on one occasion painted a mural which found its home in a restaurant in Switzerland.



Elizabeth is proud, and rightly so, of her daughter who studied at the Florence Academy of Art, in Italy and who has become an excellent portrait artist. Her daughter learned to paint in the style of of the old masters.

Elizabeth has an obvious love for her studio, and she generously shares it with visiting artists, on Thursday afternoons. Elizabeth provides models and a warm atmosphere for people to grow and develop their skills.

This past month, she had a show along with 4 figurative artists at Gallery Art Plus in Belleville.

You can visit the Gallery Plus website by clicking here.

Screen Smart Week in Revelstoke BC

Revelstoke BC swings into the arts as Screen Smart Weeks begins. Among the many events they have on the books for this week is the grand show opening at Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre featuring Nakusp artist Gillian Redwood, juried show 'The Human Face of Revelstoke' and Peonies to Privies by Golden Girls Watercolour Group. Show starts at 6 at the RVAC.

It goes to show what can happen when a town gets together for the arts. Go for it Revelstoke!

Click here to read about it in BC news.

Eric Keast Ojibway Artist

Eric Keast, our resident Ojibway artist from Northern Ontario shares with 'The Portrait'
this sculptured work under construction.

Readers are invited to check Eric's website out to see what's going on in his studio.
Please click here.

Brian Lorimer returns from Africa

I had the pleasure of dropping into Gallery ArtPlus, in Belleville Ontario, which has featured Brian's works and talking to Dianne Lee, the gallery manager. Dianne was excited about her recent acquisitions of Brian's more recent works.

When I told her that I had seen his You Tube video on the Omo Valley in Ethiopia she informed me that both she and her husband had produced the video.

You can read more about Gallery ArtPlus, by clicking here.

To check out Brian's works you are invited to visit his website by clicking here.

Superman a Jewish Canadian Hero?

I know. I know. The elections have just finished and my thoughts turn to leaders who are greater than life. And who should leap into mind, but Superman!

Superman, is beyond a doubt - an American cultural icon? But there are rumours out there, that Superman, slipped into the US from Canada.

Wikipedia says:

Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon.

Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. (later DC Comics) in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book.[1] The character's appearance is distinctive and iconic: a blue, red and yellow costume, complete with cape, with a stylized "S" shield on his chest.[5][6][7] This shield is now typically used across media to symbolize the character.[8]

Please click here.

Now it would be nice to claim him as our own. He would stand right up there with such Canadian cultural icons as Wayne Gretzky, Dr. Frederick Banting, and Mohawk lacrosse player Tonto (Jay Silverheels).

But alas, a visit to the Superman website deflates the national ego.

Joe Shuster was born in Toronto, Canada on July 10, 1914. At the age of nine, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he would later meet Jerome Siegel.

Please click here.

But, Canadian author Mordecai Richler, saw something in Superman which seems eerily Canadian:

Shuster's Superman is a perfect expression of the Canadian psyche. The mighty "man of steel" hides his extraordinary strength, speed, and superhuman powers under the bland, self-effacing guise of the weak and clumsy Clark Kent. He is a hero who does not take any credit for his own heroism, a glamorous figure in cape and tights who is content to live his daily life in horn-rimmed glasses and brown suits.

Richler wryly suggests that Superman, with his modest alter-ego, is the archetypal Canadian personality who became a "universal hero," famed throughout the world as the champion of everything virtuous.

All this is sure to send Canuck comic book collectors, running to thumb through old issues of Superman comic books looking for the one vital clue which would nail down the case. Did Superman say, eh?

Please click here.

Jan Gyorfi-West. Painting through Life's Handicaps

Written by Kate Kitchen: 2006

Jan Gyorfi-West never thought of herself as an artist. "I didn't have the academic certificate or credentials that allowed me to say I was an artist", she explains. But her recent, unique exhibition at Cape Breton University Art Gallery confirms the fact that she is, indeed, an artist---and according to the gallery's curator, a good one.

Upon her discovery nearly three years ago that she had developed macular degeneration, this lovely British-born lady decided she had better begin to use her gifts to the fullest. So over a two-year period, she invited local painters, a sculptor, two photographers and several musicians to sit for her home-studio on the pristine island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, while she painted their portraits. The result was an astounding collection of 10 self-portraits and 38 oils and pastels featuring the cooperative local artists. The collection was exhibited May 12- June 9 and was a hit, not just with the locals, but with tourists as well. The following is an excerpt of a letter from the curator.

"I wish to thank Jan Gyorfi-West for creating this exhibition and giving Cape Breton University Art Gallery and myself the opportunity to present her extraordinary work and celebrate the talented artists living and working on this island. This exhibition captures a specific and unique moment in Cape Breton's cultural history and Jan must be congratulated for sensing this zeitgeist and documenting many of those who have made and continue to make enormous contributions to Cape Beton's visual and musical culture." --Suzanne A. Crowdis.

This experience has proved to Jan Gyorfi-West that a piece of paper isn't required for validation, that when one has gifts and talents to offer, they should be offered. The portraits were given to the sitting artists in exchange for their framing them and allowing them to be viewed. This gives "giving back to the community" a whole definition.

Jan was born in England in 1929. She and her younger brother had a wonderful childhood. The family of four lived in a little house in Leigh-on-Sea, situated on the southeast coast of England. "I remember that every chance we got, we ran to the beach", she had reflectively. "My father was a postal worker and we had no car, so we all biked everywhere as a family. There were small tents on the English beaches in which you could make tea on a little burner and we spent every moment possible there, from April to November."

Then in 1939 came the bombings. For several months, the area's school children were evacuated from the school district and relocated in Darbyshire in the Midlands. The family who took in Jan and her brother, a vicar and his wife, took in eight children. Jan's parents were able to visit by train, but they wanted a more permanent safe haven. So when she was 10, the family decided to move inland to Harrow in Middlesex, where they would be safer. But the imprint was made and the artist was to forever be tied to the sea.

Regardless of the austerity of the next years, Jan was filled with the dreams that little girls dream. "I wanted to go on stage. I took music lessons-- singing, dancing, everything available", she said. The family didn't have much, but Jan never knew it, even though during the war, rationing was severe. "Mom was a talented seamstress and made all my clothes, kntted all my sweaters. We were quite comfortable and even though we made do with very little, we didn't want for anything", she said.

At the early age of 12, Jan became a burgeoning artist when she drew her first portrait. "It was of my Belgium grandfather sitting by the fireplace." Through this engaging patriarch, she became curious about the rest of Europe, especially Belgium, as she grew into her teens and beyond.

When she was 19, she left England with a friend to visit Belgium. It was there she met a young Hungarian student named Alexander. He had just graduated from medical school in Brussels.

"It was sprongtime in Belgium and he was tall, dark and handsome and could speak no English. He communicated with me in broken French and I did my best to improve my French so we could speak," she said. The six foot six doctor-to-be and the nearly five foot eight slender beauty hit it off immediately and within six months, they had fallen in love. "I remember being able to wear four inch heels with him when we went out dancing," she said. The striking couple married in the fall of 1949. Still together today, still happy today, they will celebrate their 57th wedding in October 2006.

Nearly three years after they started their life together, a physician friend of Alex's found a job as a radiologist at Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and wrote to them, suggesting that Alex go into practice there. The area was incredibly rich in beauty, and the community was in great need of qualified medical personnel. Due to the language barrier, Alex had to spend two years in Montreal, writing all his exams over again, this time in English. "He had just learned English and it was difficult, but he did it," she said proudly.

Over the years, they moved several times, but always stayed in beautiful Nova Scotia. They celebrated the births of six babies, five boys and one girl, sandwiched in the middle.

Over one seven-year period, with their youngest just two, the family bought a house in a beautiful spot called Lake Ainslie where they ran a bed and breakfast, Ainslie Lodge. "I didn't have much time to paint then, it was hard work," she said, adding, "But it was wonderful to meet people from all over Canada and from the States." The downside was that Alex had to commute three hours a day and they knew he couldn't do that forever.

Wherever they went, Alex made sure Jan had an artist's studio in the house. At first it was a corner of the garage, then later a renovated barn, but she always had a place to withdraw from the hectic family life.

"Alex worked in several hospitals and when he retired, he even did a little farming," she said. They had blueberries, plum trees, strawberries... and Jan learned to can fruit by the cases. Their lives changed according to the seasons and they remained happy and fulfilled in their marriage. After several moves, they returned years ago to Sydney, the capital city of Cape Breton, back where they started.

All was well until two and a half years ago. Jan went in for her regular eye examination and the ophthalmologist referred her to a retinal specialist, five hours away in Halifax. Jan was found to have AMD in both eyes, the wet form in the left eye and the dry form in the right. "I'm so grateful to the doctor," she said. "He did a laser treatment to arrest the wet form and an injection in the eyelid that although painful, helped a lot. My vision impairment is not directly in the center, but off center a bit, so that is not as bad. And when I returned for a follow-up visit, he said that it hasn't progressed, so at this time, all is well. I take a multi-vitamin called ICaps, try to eat healthy, and we walk as much as we're able," she said.

As for her art, she has had to make adjustments for the visual acuity she enjoyed, but is philosophical about the manner in which AMD is affecting her sight. "I've often wanted to paint more impressionistically like Monet did after he began having vision problems. My work is so detailed, that I'm actually looking forward to facing this challenge and seeing how I can enhance my painting. Luckily, when wearing my glasses and using both my eyes, my vision is still fairly close to normal."

After her diagnosis, she did have a moment of fear, wondering if she would be able to continue her painting. "I was lucky to be able to paint the artists and show my work at the university," she said. "I was just given a natural talent and need to use it. And I'm doubly fortunate to have always had a husband who understood me. His attitude was always, 'Leave her alone, let her paint.' And with raising six kids, I needed that alone time to develop my own self."

Jan found something intriguing recently. On the back of a self-portrait she had painted in the 1980s, she had written these prophetic words: I want to be an artist. "It's only in the past couple of years that I think of myself as an artist," she said. "Because I don't have the academic art background, I think I shorted myself."

Jan says she is extremely fortunate to have this outlet. "First of all, to have a talent to paint is wonderful, especially as you grow older. My husband writes fiction and I paint and both are so therapeutic. I try to encourage others to draw, to find some passion that helps them grow, that helps them feel fulfilled. Too many people are bored in later years. It's important, especially when facing health issues such as macular degeneration, that you continue to delevop your talents, to use everything you have. You'll be much happier.