Toller Cranston

Fantasy, movement, flamboyance

Last week we introduced you to Gary Slipper - Canadian born artist inspired by European Renaissance painting who found his home in Mexico. Slipper talks about how Mexico is his artistic home: "My persistent interest in the spiritual - in mysticism, mythology and magic - has provided the basis for my art. Mexico is surreal and mystical - a country of witches and shamans - and a congenial place for me to work."

Toller Cranston is another Canadian who settled in Mexico, specifically San Miguel de Allende. Drawn by its fantastic light, vibrant skies, pleasant climate and artistic reputation, Cranston fell in love with the town and has lived there since the 1990s.

Before heading south, Cranston was world-renowned for his figure-skating. He was the 1971-1976 Canadian National Champion, the 1974 World Bronze Medalist, and the 1976 Olympic Bronze Medalist. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1976, the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997, the Order of Canada in 1977 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 2003.

Figure skating is a prominent theme in Cranston's paintings. The painting at the gallery features the movement and flamboyance characteristic of Cranston's skating, but focuses on a more Mexican setting. Fantastic animals dance around trees dripping with luscious fruit. Ruined stone structures are found along the shore of aquamarine water, set against an fiery sky. The scene is mesmerizing. magical, and inviting.