….thanks to Hugh from Hugh’s Views and News for hosting Sunday Stills this week
All these windows are in London, England. They start at Heathrow Airport and include Buckingham Palace, storefronts, museums, churches and the train station.
…thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge
….the new art season at Montgomery’s Inn has begun
Now that the renovations at the inn are 95% complete they are able to host art exhibitions in the Briarly Room once more. Just over two weeks ago I helped curate and install the art work of Shannon McManus.
Shannon is an abstract painter who uses different mediums on Terraskin and Yupo papers. In her artist statement she describes her work thusly: My abstract paintings depict visions of a natural world largely untouched by humankind. They portray the alchemic reactions inherent in stone, water, and earth; in decay, germination, migration and transformation.
Ten days after the installation the inn hosted the opening reception for Shannon’s show. It was very well received and close to 100 people showed up.
Shannon is on the left side of the previous photo.
Last April, Shannon was invited to display her work in China.
If you’d like to see Shannon’s work first hand you can still catch it at Montgomery’s Inn until March. For more information about Shannon and her art go her website here.
….a new photo challenge
Going through my emails this morning I discovered that two blogging friends have started a new photo challenge and are inviting bloggers from around the world to join in. One of the bloggers is Snow from The Snow Melts Somewhere and the other is Amanda from Something to Ponder About.
This week’s theme is inspiration. What inspires me? There are so many things; my husband inspires me with his daily drawings, other artists inspire me, photos from around the world inspire me to travel, my friends inspire me to be a better person, reading books inspire me, music inspires me, etc., etc..
I saw these two sculptures at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto last week. They inspire me to get my hands on some clay and mold an image from my imagination. The only thing holding me back is not having access to a kiln.
….after 4 days with Mom and Papa we decided to give the girls a break
Today Kevin and I ventured out on our own while Andrea and Josie did their own thing. We got on the Tube and made our way to the Bloomsbury District of London. The Tube by the way is the name of London’s subway system because it is shaped like a tube.
The Underground platforms lie anywhere from 41m to 58m below street level. The longest escalator at the Angel station is 60 m or 200 ft. long. All day long the PA system sends out PSAs warning people about the dangers on the escalators and advising commuters to keep to the right side.
The first stop we made on this day was at the British Museum. We were there in the middle of the week and so were hundreds of school children. This museum was built in 1753 and is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture.
Some of the objects that we saw included Japanese art forms from Manga cartoons to wood cut prints and sculptures made from clay, bronze and glass.
We also visited the Iraq display where we saw the Cyrus Cylinder.
We passed on seeing the Rosetta Stone because there was a class of children in the line ahead of us and my husband just wanted to leave at that point. We made our way across the street and decided to grab some lunch at a pub.
One of our biggest disappointments in London was the lack of independent pubs. Many of the pubs belong to a chain called Greene King and when you walk into one it is pretty obvious that it is part of the chain. It seems they all have the same menu and alcohol selection. The first one we ate in was situated across the street from the museum. The food was good but later during our trip we found it difficult to find a pub with a different menu.
Around the block from the pub we discovered this wonderful art gallery called the Contemporary Ceramic Centre. We were immediately drawn to the window by the display of Sophie Favre’s figurative sculptures. At the front and back of the gallery dozens of her animated sculptures greeted us with their human-like qualities.
These creatures certainly brought a smile to my face.
….thanks to Jenn from Wits End Photography for hosting Photography Inspirations for November
Old cities have such wonderful architectural detail and London, England was not exception.
Buckingham Palace
Harrod’s Department Store
Prince Albert Monument and Royal Albert Hall
Victoria and Albert Museum
British Museum
…thanks to Fandango for hosting the One Word Challenge
My trip to London allowed me to take in numerous museums and art galleries. One of the things that I saw numerous examples of was abstract art. Here are just a few. Maybe you’ll recognize some of them.
Most of these paintings came from the Tate Modern. The first sculpture was outside the Museum of Modern Design.
….thanks Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge
….thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge
This week my husband and I did a three day road trip to Prince Edward County to take in the sites and sample some amazing homegrown wines. We started at the Montrose Inn where we were treated to luxury accommodations in the beautifully restored Montebello style inn. Our hosts Suzette and Roger and their pastry chef, Sabine, spoiled us to the core.
Many of the wineries also displayed some amazing art and some even had their own art galleries. If you love wine, good food and great art you need to check out Prince Edward County, Ontario (not to be confused with Prince Edward Island).
…..it all happened so quickly
Last week I was informed that I had won a membership to the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) and when I went for a tour they asked me if I had a painting to submit for their New Members Art Show. The theme was ‘flowers’ and I knew that I had at least one painting that would fit the bill. I submitted the painting on Monday and the opening happened today.
When I arrived downtown I was greeted by three friends outside the gallery. They were very excited for me and I was touched that they wanted to be there. It’s not a huge show but the work was beautifully curated. I met some of the members and was made to feel very welcome. Here is my submission: Floral Abundance
Here are a few more pieces from some of the artists who are members of the WAAC. I really liked the teapot but it was already sold.
Mama Cormier 