DECEMBER 4th: SWIM TEAM

Cynthia Chapman
OCEAN PEARL
Oil on canvas, 30 X 24
2008

Cynthia Chapman

Emerging painter Cynthia Chapman graduated from OCAD in 2002. Moore Gallery Ltd. picked her up in 2003 after showing at the Beverly Tavern. Her fourth major exhibition at Moore Gallery is scheduled for March 2009. Chapman's paintings can be found in private and corporate collections across Canada and internationally in Germany, Italy and Holland. The prestigious Hazelton Hotel commissioned Cynthia to do a series of large paintings for the third floor corridor.

This preview of Chapman's most recent work is a taste of her true passions, medium and colour. These paintings are an insight to her inner energy. Chapman uses a wide spectrum of colours, she is not afraid of and likes to explore radical themes of colour while at the same time appreciates traditional calmer palettes. Chapman is very generous with her paint; she layers it on with a thick impasto technique. The work oozes heavy globs along a horizon weaving in and out of strategically placed tiles of solid colours. Her brush strokes are painterly, yet mechanical; she applies the paint with quick left to right gestures in order to get her expression across. Her compositions are structured perpetually, they possess a strong sense of movement while allowing the viewer to also gain stability and find comfort. Chapman's work is diverse within itself. She has a lot to keep herself busy with.




Alex D'Arcy
VARIATIONS
Oil on canvas, 40 x 36
2008


Alex D’Arcy

Alex D’Arcy is an emerging Canadian artist who lives and works in Toronto. She shows her work in Toronto and Vancouver. Her recent collection of paintings is permanently installed at Nota Bene in Toronto. She trained at the Ontario College of Art and Design and also has a degree in literature from the University of Toronto.

Alex D’Arcy’s oil paintings are urban dreamscapes, architectural labyrinths that hover on the boundary between figuration and abstraction inviting an imaginative free play between the two. Thick, saturated colour swatches float on exuberant, gestural washes creating densely painted moments. In these works, the city dissolves into a picture of airiness, movement and light.








CONCENTRICITY

Ceramics by SARA-LILA ASSELIN

November 21 - November 30



Concentricity




The ceramics in this exhibition explore the interior spaces within a form. My interest is the multiple within the singular, and using concave and convex line to define space. I begin these forms on the potters’ wheel, centering the clay in the traditional method and they progress into playful, eccentric ‘pots’. The negation of utility is not done for its’ own sake but to freely experiment with clay on a wheel. I felt the best way to view this work is head on; so hanging them on the wall is a matter of practicality and a further deviation from functional pottery.

By questioning the expectations for function and perhaps offering up some new

ones: The realm of art, design and craft are linked yet live as a dysfunctional family in the outskirts of town.




Sara-Lila Asselin

O QANADA

SPOOKEY RUBEN

O Qanada - Spookey Ruben

7 - 4' x 2'

1 - 8' x 4'

wood sculpture (stained fir and pine)

woodworking/creative assistant: Eric Nielsen

November 6 – 16, 2008

OPENING Reception: Thursday, Nov 6, 7 pm

O Qanada.

Underground pop legend, Spookey Ruben, most widely known in some circles, not only for his music, but for his groundbreaking music videos, has his foot firmly planted in visual ground. Ruben is currently in production of his third short film for his popular ExclaimTV series, 'Spookey Ruben’s Dizzy Playground'. His latest edition, “Space Package,” features John McEntire of Tortoise/The Sea and Cake. In addition to his love of video, Ruben has been drawing and painting his whole life. He has been conceptualizing his idea of flags as art objects over the past six years.

In ‘O Qanada,’ Ruben explores what happens when elements of a National flag are replaced with something else, transmuting two different things. In examining how a flag is like a human face, Ruben posits: How many clues do you need to give away (i.e. mouth, eyes, nose) to say, ‘Oh, that’s a face’? In this case, How easily can 2 red rectangles imply a Canadian flag? He has always found the Canadian flag an elementary, comprehensive flag, not with "all these miniature stars and indecipherable elements, but very in-your-face", and wishes the sometimes complicated Canadian identity was equally as bold as its flag. Above all, Ruben urges viewers to see ‘O Qanada’ as a visual experiment of the iconography of the Canadian flag rather than a political statement.

As a purveyor of all things candy for the ear and eye, Ruben doesn’t stop with ‘O Qanada,’ using simple wood coloured red and white. The main components of each flag protrude from a white background to bring attention to a heart, or the circle of the Japanese flag, for example. Ruben is always after an eternal boldness. Big, basic shapes have always been appealing to him. His 3-D expression of bold shapes, this idea of big Lego blocks, has a fun, tangible quality to it. Beyond the juxtaposition of the bold with the deceptively simple, there is a surprise element to Ruben’s pieces. Upon inspection, parts of each piece open to reveal an array of 'ethnic delights' (inner mysteries?).

Spookey Ruben is a Toronto based musician, composer, and visual artist. This is his debut solo exhibit. His upcoming album, “Mechanical Royalty” will be released December 2008.

-Kathryn McBride