Encaustic
digital
If you were one of a few thousand people who attended The Artist Project 2013 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place in Toronto this weekend (Feb. 21-24), you were treated to a feast for the eyes. Wow, what a fabulous collection of art for sale in one place.
I found out about the event through an email invite and decided I had to go. I went along with my friend Joanne MacNair , an artist in Oakville, who was going to be my interpreter. I wanted to understand and learn about the different styles, techniques and trends in art today so that I could provide a little insight to clients looking to buy original pieces of art work.
collage
oil & acrylic
On entering the Better Living Centre, we were welcomed by a huge canvas featuring a piece of graffiti style art. This art certainly brought a smile to our faces on a dull dreary cold Toronto day, and we couldn’t stop talking about all the vivid colours and how cheery it was. Standing at the entrance to the exhibition, I counted at least ten long aisles with art work. Little did I know that there were a few international artists in addition to lots of Toronto GTA based artists showcasing their work. There were several from other Ontario towns and a few from BC, Alberta, and a few from Quebec. I got the opportunity to speak to one of the Israeli artists - Gal Cohen - and two from the US too.
textile
As we went through the exhibition we were exposed to Digital Media art; Collages; drawings; Encaustic pieces of art; Glass work; Mixed Media; Oils/Acrylic; Pastel; Photography; Print Making; Sculpture; Textile art; Untapped, Video ArtBox work and Watercolour pieces. I was fascinated with the detail Jonathan O'Dea put into his art work. His Pastel pieces of work are incredibly realistic. You felt compelled to stop and look at each one really closely as you’d think it was a photograph. Whimsical and different were the only way I can describe
Marcelo Suaznabar's art. Peter Rotter's amazing talent showed through the beautiful landscapes featuring trees. Both Joanne and I stopped to admire the detail and complexity of his pieces of art. Sally Milne produced the most beautiful watercolour pieces. Resin art seemed quite popular at this event and a good example of this type of work was featured by Katja Van Den Enden. You should visit Olaf Schneider's website to see his beautiful oils/acrylic work. Our final stop was at the booth of an Oakville artist – Gabriella Collier . Her talent shows in her works of oils/acrylic which are both beautiful and serene. The pictures she exhibited were mostly beach scenes that exuded a peaceful and calm feeling.....a perfect end to our memorable outing at The Artist Project event.
Graffiti Art
Photo Credit: Vanda Albuquerque