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Urbandreamer tours the indie art galleries....

^I love open-minded elitists!;)

I'd rather make a fool of myself than sit around politely sipping a glass of wine with my fellow artist community....

Remember, the point of this thread is to showcase the art, not the wine....

Do I speak before I think? Absolutely, the curse of the Sagittarian. Oh well, I shall continue to snap away in oblivion of the small-town gossipers....
 
Oh I can be a red wine snob myself.... I'm such a hypocrite.

I was sort of playing with the wine...as in the fact so few artists like it when I whine about their art. Lucky I'm not an art critic for a major newspaper...yet.:)

Many things I stated previously were, to be frank, generalizations. I really am an outsider looking in; maybe I'm a freak and weirdo? Probably, but at least I'm not shy about expressing my pov, eh?

To avoid getting thrown out of anymore art openings (yes it has happened before;) ) I'll try to stick to the camera as mouthpiece. But, hey, I love breaking the rules....:)
 
Today, walking along Queen St East it struck me how many attractive birds I saw--models perhaps? Here's one of them...;)
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Further East, I spotted some "crap" art (from my perspective) but in fairness to this Vancouver artist here's his work:
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To be honest, I couldn't find any more art galleries along Queen East, so next time I'll bring along Slate so I don't miss anything. Maybe they're hidden in back alleys?

So I'll cheat a little here and show you something different in this bonus photo:
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It may be not a real art gallery but to my eye it looked like a really interesting "art installation." Anyone else agree?
 
I'm surprised they let you take pics inside the gallery.

that last pic is actually quite good. I always stare at such busineses in disbelief... I guess this one is more legit though since its an auto parts place... I was thinking more of those ones you see on Queen West that have all sorts of vintage appliances and other assorted out of date equipment piled dense and high in the front window. Always makes me wonder who the hell is buying that crap? But thanks for tuning me in to the possibilty for an interesting photo op...
 
Re: Brayham Contempory Art (1270 Queen St East) and the James Koester exhibit:

The gallery owner was very nice today and said I could snap away--as long as she wasn't in the photo! I told her about urbantoronto--she claimed to be familiar with the site.

The art is sort of like jewelry--too fussy and detail-oriented for my taste. As she was beginning to bore me with the details, I quickly fled....

....Auto parts: much more interesting! (I have a better photo btw--which I just put up.)

Edit: Here's a review of the Koester show: http://www.torontolife.com/guide/arts-and-entertainment/art/james-koester/
Though incredibly spare, this Vancouverite’s work has the somewhat glamorous attribute of glowing in the dark. For years now, Koester has used wires coated in phosphorescent material to make his sculptures. Sometimes, as with his Big Lines and Equator ser*ies, the phosphorescent shapes stand on their own, curling into simple evocations of doodles or land masses on a map. Alternately, Koester combines this material with domestic objects such as baking sheets, forming it into letters and words that communicate, with humour and opacity, a range of existential sentiments. Artwork $350–$2,000.—David Balzer

Maybe I'm just a redneck?;)
 
urbandreamer said:
Today, walking along Queen St East it struck me how many attractive birds I saw--models perhaps? Here's one of them...;)

It may be not a real art gallery but to my eye it looked like a really interesting "art installation." Anyone else agree?
Click to expand...

i've been trying to figure out if you are doing some kind of weird faux-naïf thing. do you enjoy coming off as a total bumpkin?

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A farmer tours Dundas and College St art galleries only to find...

...very little worth hanging in the barn. But, it being a nice day outside, the music on the ipod on loud to annoy those sensitive gallerinas ;) and the tractor in the garage getting a Spring tuneup, what could be better than to take a peek at how the other half lives...?

Let's start on Dundas Street, just East of Roncevalles and head towards the action.

I have no idea if this photo depicts some conceptual art, is a joke or is even affiliated with the AGO but it looked sort of weird out in the middle of nowhere (aka Dundas St W near the RR bridge):
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More like rubbish art imo:


More furniture than art but still very creative I like it!


False advertising?


Jessica Bradley disappoints today...agree or disagree?
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Approaching Bathurst, I find some nice bathroom art here (I like it):
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Finally reaching civilization, I see an interesting art gallery/art 'zine shop and they let me take photos inside!:)
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It's an interactive show (apparently) but I just interact with the camera....




This drawing makes me smile (I'm such a geek:)
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Up on College St near Bathurst Vivian is up to her usual garish promotional schtick (but her daughter is a rather adorable:)
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I essentially got kicked out of this gallery (no photos allowed:( For a student show (Ryerson) the promoters sure aren't very nice; but then I found most of the art rather dull too....


Finally, the tour ends on a positive note (and I must admit I was surprised to see Mr TTC's office next door.)
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Oh yeah, as befits this redneck gallery goer, the final bonus shot that shall become a tradition.;) On Dundas St I spot an interesting "installation" (destined for new condos?)
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A smallish tour of some Yorkville galleries, 18 April 2008. Yorkville galleries sometimes intimidate me...they did this hot Friday afternoon I will admit so I didn't go inside any nor get all the galleries. But really, Yorkville's art scene has gone down the drain these last five years with the competition from the DD and Drake strip. The area looks more and more out of touch ... the end is near!?

But, let's view a few bits of stuff some stuffy people might call art ....;)





 
Mira Goddard is still there though, and represents a number of interesting artists - from Burtynsky to Serra, from Borduas to Riopelle ... and beyond. So you might want to poke your head through the door now and then and take a look around.

Be not afraid, galleries are among the best free shows in town. Leave your inhibitions at the door - there is nothing to fear but art itself.
 
Oh yeah it was a combo of factors that had me feeling all shy; next time I'll drink before I tour the galleries not after ....:) And it was too bright outside--I hate bright hot sun light.

While Mira Goddard may rep some rather A-list artists, do you find her target clientele rather corporate and mainstream? Burtynsky, for example, just reeks of corporate patronage. Maybe I've seen too many mine tailings' scams and insides of factories to "get" his art??? And Riopelle--I actually prefer the Riopelle Condomium under construction in Montreal to most of his paintings! http://www.imtl.org/montreal/building/Le-Riopelle.php
 
Sunday afternoon at the galleries...

...is my idea of the perfect way to spend the day. So I get off the TTC at Dundas and Ossington and begin the gawking and shooting.



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Freezing on Ossington I was looking forward to seeing....
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an early sign of the masses on Queen West:
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Now we hit Queen Street West--and thankfully, most galleries were open today. Loads of people on Queen West today--what a contrast to a mere eight years ago when the Sabbath made anything west of Spadina a ghost town! Maybe some fellow UT-ers were sight seeing today as well? Here's what you missed:

As a wanna-be chef, these knife blades with quirky quotes made me smile at KM-art east:
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Is there a blue paint sale somewhere? (I can relate: in first year art school I was broke and only had blue paint to work with...also fit my mood at the time...:(


Just a few doors west, KMart west proved to be the highlight of the day! Tyler Clarke Burke's colourful paintings are hot! --I'm almost tempted to spend a few bills.:)
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Sadly, the birds are spoken for--would look great in a FashionHouse condo I think!
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This painting references something which escapes me...and was inspired by her(?) facebook profile:
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It was starting to get overcast outside, but several colourful shows on Queen West put me in a happy mood.:) Not quite as good imo as the KMart show, but still nice to see a few of these:
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Colour versus a rather grim Dovercourt house:
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Relatively blah art....


A bit of France in Toronto?
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Another peek at the OCC show: nice pickle jars!:)




I learned how to drive ... with a truck just like this one!
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It's Spring and colour is in the air!!!
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The first Paul Petro show in years that I like (more colour damn it! lol):
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I prefer the bikes!
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Which Gallery should I buy next?
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Now that we've seen what the artsy folk have to offer, I will tell y'all my next great idea. Take one saucepan, mix in various paint (blue acrylic included;) and organic matter and put on to boil. Wait for the masterpiece to be created. But maybe first I need a stove?
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That's all for now... the damn paint is boiling!
 
ha ha, great fun glancing through your photos and for me atleast your commentary is pleasanly entertaining. And kudos for being able to have a laugh at yourself too. hey there's one of those antique appliance outlets I was referring to a few posts back- just hilarious, how do they pay the bills? You've got quite a few nice photographic compositions in there too, the best of which is likely the 2 Harley's with the art display behind them. Also like the one with the pickup truck and the one right after it where you can see a car on the side street through another window... anyways, I was here.
 
Oh yes, urbandreamer, Mira Godard has been working with corporate clients since she first opened the gallery in the early '60s. She represents old, dead, famous artists ( the estate of David Milne for instance ) as well as mid-career and younger contemporary artists. She opened when Toronto's commercial gallery scene was much, much smaller, and is a benefactor as well - donations of photography to Ryerson, funding for Sick Kid's Hospital etc.
 
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