…at WAAC
Every year Women’s Art hosts The Small Gems Show. Members are called upon to submit up to three small pieces that are no more than $400.00 each. This year 47 members participated.
On Saturday I attended the opening reception and took photos of the show.
If you’re in Toronto come down and check out this show. It runs till Jan. 10, 2026 and if you want an original Christmas gift you can take it with you on the day you make the purchase.
….sometimes shows get cancelled so members are asked to step up
Yesterday I dropped off three pieces of my work to the Women’s Art Association of Canada. The show that had been scheduled to go up this week dropped out and instead of leaving the gallery empty a last minute call was made to members to bring in up to three pieces of work to fill the gallery.
Yesterday after I dropped off my work I also volunteered to stay and help hang the show. Apart from hanging my solo shows, I haven’t been able to do this in almost a year and I really missed the challenge of working with other artists towards a common goal. Not only is the show called ‘Joy’ but it also brought me a great deal of joy working with these wonderful women.
My contributions were three pieces from my solo show that give me much joy.
…taking in The National Gallery and Canada House
On Friday we headed down to the Theatre District. We were gifted tickets to see a show at the Harold Pinter Theatre. We had a few hours before the show started so we walked towards Trafalgar Square.
Canada House sits next to the Square so we decided to step inside to take in the Hannah Claus exhibit. She is an indigenous artist from the Montreal area.
When entering Canada House, security is high and it’s like going through the airport without having to show a passport.
We also explored the National Gallery which is directly across the street from Canada House. We were interested in seeing the featured show but at £27 each we decided to stick to the galleries that were free. We headed straight to the Impressionists Rooms. I was not disappointed. Many of my favourite artists, including Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Rousseau had work hung in these rooms.
…taking in two great shows
The first show featured indigenous artists. It is called REDefined: voices from Turtle Island. Here are a few of my favourite pieces.
The second show was in the Ruth Upjohn Gallery where Kate Greenway featured her beautiful watercolours.
….at WAAC
It was a beautiful day. We had the doors wide open at the gallery waiting for my guests and the public to arrive. The wine was chilling and my hostess, Mary had prepared the platters of sweets and nibbles. Here is a quick tour of the gallery.
The afternoon started out slowly but my guests started to arrive and the wine started to flow. The public also started to come through the doors. It was wonderful catching up with friends and family and I loved meeting new people. My cards were a big hit and several paintings and photographs sold. Here is where I was able to add red dots.
…after months of preparation
My art show in the Ruth Upjohn Gallery at the Women’s Art Association of Canada officially opened on Wednesday. I’d love to say that it opened without a hitch but alas a couple of problems did arise or should I say ‘fell down’.
On Wednesday morning I received a message from the gallery that one of my pieces had fallen. After finishing my shift at the Inn (I volunteer at one of Toronto’s Historical Museums) I drove into the city to fix the problem. When I arrived I discovered that a second photo had fallen.
The problem stemmed from the hanging system on the back of the frame. It works fine when you hang it in your home but it doesn’t work in a gallery situation where you are required to use D rings. I had five frames in total with this faulty system and I knew that it was only a matter of time before the others fell.
I took home the frame that broke and purchased two new frames and repurposed two similar frames that I had at home. I returned the next day and found that two more frames had fallen. I reframed and rehung the pieces. I know that the nothing else will fall now and I can rest easy.
The official opening reception starts in a few hours.
Here is a glimpse of what the show looks like:
…an art gallery in north London
Victoria Miro is a contemporary art gallery in a converted former furniture factory.
If you have any trios to share I’d love to see them. Just copy my link and paste it into your post.
…a gem in Piccadilly Circus
After seeing the Victor Hugo show we made our way to the first floor to check out the main permanent collection. We were blown away when we rounded the corner and came across two giant murals on opposite sides of the room.
One was a replica of the Last Supper.
I had no idea that the original painted by Leonardo da Vinci had deteriorated very quickly and many of the features seen in the replica are no longer visible on the original. Several of da Vinci’s students painted the replica roughly 20 years after the original was completed.
These threes paintings are replicas of Rafael’s work created by Sir James Thornhill, almost 200 years after the originals were made.
The rest of the gallery housed everything from classical to contemporary sculptures and paintings.
We ended our day with a lovely soup from the RA café.
…with Judy’s Numbers Game Photo Challenge https://judydykstrabrown.com/2025/06/02/the-numbers-game-75-june-2-2025-todays-number-is-196-come-play-along/
This week’s number is 196.
…Thanks to Dan from No Facilities for hosting CFFC https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/02/things-made-of-metal-cffc/
Mama Cormier 