Ashley resides in Fort McMurry Alberta working with a variety of media to express her self to the fullest.
Find her work at Artistically Connected
Showing posts with label canadian artists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canadian artists. Show all posts
Ashley Almon
Ashley resides in Fort McMurry Alberta working with a variety of media to express her self to the fullest.
Find her work at Artistically Connected
Toronto Islamic arts centre breaks ground
The leader of the world's Ismaili Muslim community was in Toronto Friday to break ground on what is being billed as the largest Islamic art and culture centre in North America.
The $300-million development slated for Wynford Drive near Don Mills Road will cover 6.8 hectares and will include a museum, an Ismaili cultural centre and a park.
The Aga Khan, leader of the group of Shia Muslims known as Ismailis, said the Aga Khan Museum for Islamic Art and Culture is his gift to Toronto.
"The museum's focus on the arts of Islam will make it a unique institution in North America, contributing to a better understanding of Islamic civilization, the plurality within Islam and Islam's relationship to other traditions," said the Aga Khan.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who presented the spiritual leader with honorary Canadian citizenship, attended the ceremony.
"I've been deeply moved by your gracious gesture," said the Aga Khan. "This is significant recognition of the values which our community of faith shares with the people of Canada."
Countering post-9/11 stereotypes
Jehad Aliweiwi, who runs a newcomer's settlement agency called Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, said since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, young Muslims have struggled with negative stereotypes about their religion and identity.
"I think this will present them with a spatial and physical institution that they can look up to," said Aliweiwi. "They can feel proud of and say, 'Yeah, we do have a legacy of architectural marvel and painting'."
Aliweiwi said the Aga Khan's appearance inspires dedication and community engagement in the Ismaili community.
"The machine of volunteers that the Islamic community manages to put together to organize something like this, it is equal in terms of being impressive to the preparations going into the G8 and G20 [summits in the Toronto area]," said Aliweiwi.
Tazim Hirji, a member the city's Ismaili community, said the new centre fills her with pride.
"It's exciting because it's right off the DVP [Don Valley Parkway], and you can see it as you're coming down," said Hirji. "It's such a pride to see that."
Afia Parveen said the new centre will help teach her daughter about Islamic history.
"I went to the ROM, but there [is nothing] I can show my kids [about] Islamic history," said Parveen.
Museum designed by Japanese architect
The centrepiece of the development will be the Aga Khan Museum, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.
According to the Aga Khan Foundation, the museum will house and exhibit "some of the most important works of Islamic art in the world."
Around 200 pieces from the museum's collection of more than 1,000 objects will be on display in a permanent gallery. The artifacts date back 1,000 years.
Temporary exhibitions will also take place in addition to an extensive educational program that makes use of a multimedia centre and reference library. The museum will host workshops and classes for the public.
A 350-seat auditorium will feature musical performances, book readings, films, conferences and theatre productions.
The landscaped park will incorporate a formal garden, reflecting pools and walkways.
The development is to be completed in 2013.
Article From: CBC: Toronto Islamic arts centre breaks ground.
Collector's Group of Seven works up for sale
CBC News - Art & Design - Collector's Group of Seven works up for sale.
Heffel's Fine Art Auction House has announced plans to sell three dozen paintings from the collection of the late Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton.
The daughter of a Canadian National Railway executive whose family spent much time travelling via train, Thornton was a Montrealer who built a collection reflective of landscapes she recalled from her childhood travels.
Her collection, compiled over about 10 years after the Second World War, spans Canada from coast to coast. It includes Lawren Harris sketches of Newfoundland, Arthur Lismer's paintings of wild Quebec undergrowth and A.Y. Jackson's images of the Rockies.
"It was the golden era of art collecting."
Thornton, who died at the age of 93 in October, amassed a collection that includes works she bought directly from artists such as Harris, Jackson and Lismer.
At the time, the art dealing business was still young in Canada and it wasn't uncommon for collectors to directly contact artists in whom they were interested.
Thornton was plucky and earnest about her passion for art in her letters to, for instance, Harris.
"She had to seek out these artists independently," Heffel said, noting her creative and aggressive attempts.
In one case, Harris sent along three panels for Thornton to peruse and select from. She nabbed them all for $75 a piece.
A.Y. Jackson's canvas Spring Evening, Lower St. Lawrence (Early Spring) is expected to fetch between $175,000 and $225,000 at auction. (Heffel Fine Art Auction House)Many of the 36 paintings Heffel will auction have not been seen in public since Thornton, who also trained in photography and took painting lessons from Lismer, acquired them.
"With a work that's been 'time-capsuled' for 50 or 60 years … it's exciting for current day collectors," Heffel said.
The 36 Thornton estate paintings will be on display in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver before joining the lots to be sold at the regular Heffel's spring auction, which will take place May 26 in Vancouver.
In November, paintings from another rare Canadian collection (including works collected by Group of Seven booster Charles Band) were among the highlights of the fall Heffel's auction in Toronto.
One of the pieces, the oil sketch The Old Stump, Lake Superior, by Lawren Harris, fetched $3.5 million — the second highest amount ever paid at Canadian auction for a piece of art.
The impressionistic Lawren Harris painting Winter is among the Thornton estate's seven Harris works up for sale. It is expected to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000. (Heffel Fine Art Auction House)An art lover's treasured collection of Canadian landscapes by the Group of Seven and other contemporaries is slated to go on the block in Vancouver this spring.
Heffel's Fine Art Auction House has announced plans to sell three dozen paintings from the collection of the late Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton.
The daughter of a Canadian National Railway executive whose family spent much time travelling via train, Thornton was a Montrealer who built a collection reflective of landscapes she recalled from her childhood travels.
Her collection, compiled over about 10 years after the Second World War, spans Canada from coast to coast. It includes Lawren Harris sketches of Newfoundland, Arthur Lismer's paintings of wild Quebec undergrowth and A.Y. Jackson's images of the Rockies.
Art lover Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton collected the works of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries after the Second World War. (Heffel Fine Art Auction House) "It was a good time for her to start collecting," auction house president David Heffel told CBC News on Monday, pointing out Thornton wouldn't have had as much competition from other buyers for major Group of Seven works and that, after a wartime economy, the artists themselves welcomed her patronage.
"It was the golden era of art collecting."
Bought from artist's own studios
Thornton, who died at the age of 93 in October, amassed a collection that includes works she bought directly from artists such as Harris, Jackson and Lismer.
At the time, the art dealing business was still young in Canada and it wasn't uncommon for collectors to directly contact artists in whom they were interested.
Thornton was plucky and earnest about her passion for art in her letters to, for instance, Harris.
"She had to seek out these artists independently," Heffel said, noting her creative and aggressive attempts.
In one case, Harris sent along three panels for Thornton to peruse and select from. She nabbed them all for $75 a piece.
'Time-capsuled' for five or six decades
A.Y. Jackson's canvas Spring Evening, Lower St. Lawrence (Early Spring) is expected to fetch between $175,000 and $225,000 at auction. (Heffel Fine Art Auction House)Many of the 36 paintings Heffel will auction have not been seen in public since Thornton, who also trained in photography and took painting lessons from Lismer, acquired them.
"With a work that's been 'time-capsuled' for 50 or 60 years … it's exciting for current day collectors," Heffel said.
The 36 Thornton estate paintings will be on display in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver before joining the lots to be sold at the regular Heffel's spring auction, which will take place May 26 in Vancouver.
In November, paintings from another rare Canadian collection (including works collected by Group of Seven booster Charles Band) were among the highlights of the fall Heffel's auction in Toronto.
One of the pieces, the oil sketch The Old Stump, Lake Superior, by Lawren Harris, fetched $3.5 million — the second highest amount ever paid at Canadian auction for a piece of art.
Looking for affordable original Canadian art? Visit Artistically Connected
Canada's spring auctions feature collectors' art
CBC News - Art & Design - Canada's spring auctions feature collectors' art.
An exciting batch of rare Canadian artworks — recently unearthed from several noted collections — will be among the pieces for sale during Canada's spring auction season.
Heffel's Fine Art Auction House will be first out of the gate in Vancouver on May 26 with its sale, with highlights from three prominent collections: the estates of architect Arthur Erickson, Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, who built her post-war collection by purchasing canvases directly from Group of Seven artists — and an unnamed Canadian philanthropist.
Among the top Heffel lots is Lawren Harris's oil on canvas mountainscape Bylot Island I, estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.
It's a similar story at Sotheby's Canada, which is selling a host of paintings from the estate of art aficionado W. Allan Manford, who possessed — for a time — what was considered the finest collection of Group of Seven paintings in Canada, Sotheby's Canada president David Silcox told CBC News.
Though Manford had sold a few major works in the past decade, "he kept some pretty wonderful things for himself," Silcox said, noting the works by Harris, David Milne, J.E.H. Macdonald and Emily Carr that will be sold in Toronto on June 2.
For instance, a Carr from the collection — the oil-on-canvas work Sunlight in the Forest — is the top lot and estimated to sell for $700,000 to $900,000.
While the public's taste typically runs to the Group of Seven, their contemporaries and has also expanded to latter collective Painters Eleven, Silcox is especially excited by Canada's newer wave of living contemporary artists.
Lots in the upcoming sale include works by Kent Monkman, Charlie Pachter, Edward Burtynsky, Graham Gillmore and Attila Richard Lukacs.
"We're — relatively speaking — still a small country as far as the contemporary art market is concerned. We still have a way to go to catch up to places like the U.K., France, Germany, even Australia," Silcox said.
Access to many collections has also led to a large, sweeping sale for Toronto-based auctioneer Joyner Waddington, slated for June 1.
"We're starting an hour early to accommodate," said Joyner Waddington vice-president Rob Cowley.
The Joyner Waddington offerings range from strong historical art from the 19th and 20th centuries, to living artists, native art, fine sculpture, folk art and prints, Cowley noted.
"We're very pleased with the breadth of the sale," which will be "accessible to many different types of collectors across the country."
So far, the A.J. Casson oil canvas Street in Glen Williams — featured on the cover of the Joyner Waddington spring catalog — has been garnering the most interest from buyers, Cowley said. The vibrant small-town Ontario-inspired work is estimated to sell for $200,000 to $250,000.
On the other end of the scale is Flat Paraire Pantry, a massive painted ceramic and wood sculpture by Saskatchewan artist Victor Cicansky (estimated to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000) that has also sparked buzz and excitment among art lovers and auction staffers.
"In the past, at auction, you've literally seen just one mason jar," Cowley said of Cicansky's whimsical, food-related sculptures.'
"In this case, you have a pantry full of not only the mason jars, but also made up of the cabbages and potatoes [and vegetables] ... It's eight feet long [2.43 metres] and over eight feet high," he added.
"We're very excited to see what is going to happen with that piece at auction."
The
Victor Cicansky sculpture, Flat Prairie Pantry, is estimated to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000 at this spring's auction. (Joyner Waddington)
One of Heffel's top lots this spring is Bylot Island I by Lawren Harris, estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. (Heffel.com)
An exciting batch of rare Canadian artworks — recently unearthed from several noted collections — will be among the pieces for sale during Canada's spring auction season.
Heffel's Fine Art Auction House will be first out of the gate in Vancouver on May 26 with its sale, with highlights from three prominent collections: the estates of architect Arthur Erickson, Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton, who built her post-war collection by purchasing canvases directly from Group of Seven artists — and an unnamed Canadian philanthropist.
Among the top Heffel lots is Lawren Harris's oil on canvas mountainscape Bylot Island I, estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.
It's a similar story at Sotheby's Canada, which is selling a host of paintings from the estate of art aficionado W. Allan Manford, who possessed — for a time — what was considered the finest collection of Group of Seven paintings in Canada, Sotheby's Canada president David Silcox told CBC News.
Sunlight in the Forest by Emily Carr is one of the featured lots of the upcoming Sotheby's Canada spring auction on June 2. (Sotheby's Canada)
Though Manford had sold a few major works in the past decade, "he kept some pretty wonderful things for himself," Silcox said, noting the works by Harris, David Milne, J.E.H. Macdonald and Emily Carr that will be sold in Toronto on June 2.
For instance, a Carr from the collection — the oil-on-canvas work Sunlight in the Forest — is the top lot and estimated to sell for $700,000 to $900,000.
While the public's taste typically runs to the Group of Seven, their contemporaries and has also expanded to latter collective Painters Eleven, Silcox is especially excited by Canada's newer wave of living contemporary artists.
Lots in the upcoming sale include works by Kent Monkman, Charlie Pachter, Edward Burtynsky, Graham Gillmore and Attila Richard Lukacs.
"We're — relatively speaking — still a small country as far as the contemporary art market is concerned. We still have a way to go to catch up to places like the U.K., France, Germany, even Australia," Silcox said.
Sweeping sale in Toronto
Access to many collections has also led to a large, sweeping sale for Toronto-based auctioneer Joyner Waddington, slated for June 1.
"We're starting an hour early to accommodate," said Joyner Waddington vice-president Rob Cowley.
Joyner Waddington will offer A.J. Casson's Street in Glen Williams this spring. (Joyner Waddington)
The Joyner Waddington offerings range from strong historical art from the 19th and 20th centuries, to living artists, native art, fine sculpture, folk art and prints, Cowley noted.
"We're very pleased with the breadth of the sale," which will be "accessible to many different types of collectors across the country."
So far, the A.J. Casson oil canvas Street in Glen Williams — featured on the cover of the Joyner Waddington spring catalog — has been garnering the most interest from buyers, Cowley said. The vibrant small-town Ontario-inspired work is estimated to sell for $200,000 to $250,000.
Appetizing sculpture
On the other end of the scale is Flat Paraire Pantry, a massive painted ceramic and wood sculpture by Saskatchewan artist Victor Cicansky (estimated to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000) that has also sparked buzz and excitment among art lovers and auction staffers.
"In the past, at auction, you've literally seen just one mason jar," Cowley said of Cicansky's whimsical, food-related sculptures.'
"In this case, you have a pantry full of not only the mason jars, but also made up of the cabbages and potatoes [and vegetables] ... It's eight feet long [2.43 metres] and over eight feet high," he added.
"We're very excited to see what is going to happen with that piece at auction."
The Victor Cicansky sculpture, Flat Prairie Pantry, is estimated to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000 at this spring's auction. (Joyner Waddington)
Looking for affordable original art? Check out Artistically Connected
AGO reaches tentative deal with union
Just in time for the long weekend the AGO keeps its doors open!
CBC News - Art & Design - AGO reaches tentative deal with union.
CBC News - Art & Design - AGO reaches tentative deal with union.
AGO strike deadline looms
People hoping to visit Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario over the long weekend may be locked out if a contract impasse can't be resolved and a strike is called.
The union representing gallery workers says it is still negotiating with the gallery and has extended its strike deadline to noon on Friday.
The union representing gallery workers says it is still negotiating with the gallery and has extended its strike deadline to noon on Friday.
Looking to view Canadian art? Check out Artistically Connected
Douglas Coupland donates archive to UBC
Writer and artist Douglas Coupland, credited with popularizing the term Generation X with his novel of the same name, has donated his archives to the University of British Columbia.
"I am honoured that UBC has accepted my papers," said Coupland in a statement released on Thursday. "I hope that within them, people in the future will find patterns and constellations that can't be apparent to me or to anyone simply because they are there, and we are here.
"The donation process makes me feel old and yet young at the same time."
The author will also receive an honorary degree from UBC on May 27.
Read more at CBC
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