Double down on art with us this month at the gallery, as not one, but two solo exhibitions  open this May.  With Saturday afternoon receptions ahead for both Florence Vale (May 2nd) and John Doyle (May 23rd) -- our already well enjoyed tradition of weekend art socials is about to grow.  Please join us Saturday, May 2nd between 2pm and 4pm as we mark the opening of Florence Vale: Time & Line.  With an artist as pure and groundbreaking as Vale, the conversations to be had are unlimited.


FLORENCE VALE
Time & Line
May 2 - 16 . 2015

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 2nd | 2pm-4pm



Florence Vale and her husband, renowned artist Albert Franck, were pivotal figures in the shaping of mid-century Toronto's intelligentsia.  Their home on Gerrard St. W. was a social hub for culturally minded thinkers and artists.  As a second home to young artists such as Harold Town, Tom Hodgson and William Ronald -- their living room is considered an integral part of the shaping of Toronto's bohemian movement, namely the art collective Painters Eleven.  Painters Eleven came out of Unaffiliated Artists, formed in 1950 by the Francks and others as an alternative to the existing conservative art establishment.

"Unaffiliated Artists lasted for three years.  It was the genesis of Painters Eleven, ... from which sprang many of the branches now flowering in all the visual arts in Canada"
-James Purdie, Globe & Mail, 1975

Vale, a talented musician who turned to her husband's idle brushes when he wasn't in studio, is unmatched in her innate abilities and capacity for excelling in a range of subject matter.  Time & Line explores her early figurative and interior works, through to her strong 1960s collage works which also hint at her excellent Surrealist vision and variations found in her later works.  Joyful and witty, Vale was well loved, so too are her works; "The best of Florence Vale's pictures are strong little nuggets of transcendent beauty.".

"Florence Vale is an x-rated Emily Dickinson of art.  A homemade surrealist."
-Gary Michael Dault, Toronto Star, 1979

With our new location on Hazelton housing this important exhibition, we give great  pause to the fact that "Flory & Albie" lived at 90 Hazelton Avenue.  Although much has changed in Yorkville over the decades, so very little has at the same time.  The Francks purchased their Hazelton home in 1953 and by 1954 had opened the first gallery in what was to become Yorkville Village.  It was this very neighbourhood that led to Vale meeting her longtime art dealers, and friends, Julie and Stephen Gadacsy.  The Gadacsys owned and operated the Gadatsy Gallery which they opened at 112 Yorkville Avenue in 1972.   The gallery was an avant-garde space that represented such Canadian greats as Fred Hagan and the young John Hartman.  Both Julie and Stephen will be at the gallery for the opening reception.

I paint what I dream, I draw what I know and I collage who I am.  -Florence Vale (1909-2003)


For a PDF of the catalogue for Time & Line as well as all purchasing and press queries, please contact the gallery.


 
JOHN DOYLE
Interpretations: Tree Lines and Colour
May 23 - June 6 . 2015

Opening Reception with the Artist: Saturday, May 23rd | 2pm-4pm

Interpretations: Tree Lines and Colour is John Doyle's (b. 1950) first solo exhibition with the gallery.  Exhibiting professionally since 1981, Doyle builds on the tradition of landscape painting in tableaux replete with atmospheric light and colour.  With a meditative take on place: A certain place at a certain time has the power to stir, says Doyle, his studio work is straight from the land, vistas and vantage paints he knows and explores. 



The interpretation on canvas becomes the sole driving force of the work's final realization. The translation of the landscape into paint involves much colour layering, sometimes with major, and at other times very subtle colour changes. It also necessitates an exploration of the possibilities arising from the search for simplification: the search for the essence of, and the unity within the composition.

The process often leads to surprising new places not anticipated; a new landscape with something of what caused those initial stirrings and with something of its indefinable force. This choosing between different directions, this exploring of what seem to be endless possibilities, is what takes me back to the studio each day.

Please join John Doyle at the gallery between 2pm and 4pm, Saturday May 23rd.  The new works range in size from 16 x 16 inches to 60 x 72 inches.  Please contact the gallery for the exhibition catalogue and full artist statement.


 

Our front room collectors' den is ripe for the picking this month, too.  Great works of historical significance line the hall and walls of what has become our favourite spot in our new home.  You can view a sample of these work by clicking here.  In addition, the most recent release from the EY Canadian Print Collection also sees newly to market works by many high profile Canadian artists.  Whether your walls are crying out for the impact of a David Blackwood, the soothing quality of Takao Tanabe or a cerebral experimental work -- the EY Collection has what you are looking for.  With cottages set to be opened the country over, consider this opportunity as you think about ways to enliven your summer getaway.

   
Left to right: Harold Town, Daniel Hughes, Alain Bonder, Peter Mitchell, Sara Sniderhan 
 
It is a positive and busy time for the artists we work with.  Travis Shilling has two  works currently on view at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon.  Curated by Wanda Nanibush, Fifth World, on until June 7th, celebrates the 20 year history of Tribe Inc..  Sara Sniderhan, Sean Yelland and others have just submitted to this year's Kingston Portrait Prize.  We look forward to when they announce the short list!  Ryan Dineen is in studio and has very recently received news of being part of an important upcoming public exhibition soon to be announced.  Sharon Okun, Sniderhan and others will be hosting workshops and art camps in the weeks ahead. New works have arrived from Kate Grigg and next month marks an Ingram Art News feature on the return of Joe Rosenthal (R.C.A.) to the gallery's roster.

See you soon at the gallery.

All the best, 
Tarah 

  

Tarah Aylward, Director   
Ingram Gallery 

@TorontoART | For the love of art | #24Hazelton 

 
Ryan Price | Installation | Bedtime Stories | April 2015