Seen at the front counter today in a Toronto independent used book and disc store:
Author: artsofmay
I have made art works all my life. Arts of May shows some of my explorations in different media and the inspiration I take from other artists and works. An earlier blog, of humans and nature, concentrates on my photographs of natural places that help my spirit.
Before and After the Ice Storm
On my walks around my neighbourhood in Toronto, I notice small sights and sounds. Around ten days ago, and before last weekend's ice storm, I came upon these soggy leaves in a garden. The long white and grey leaf looked very much like a wing to me. I had to look closely at first to… Continue reading Before and After the Ice Storm
Little Face Lino
It's a beastly day here in Toronto--the whole weekend we've had freezing rain and ice pellets. Wind and rain are due tonight. To the rescue comes a little linocut I made in the '80s or '90s. I unearthed this forgotten piece just before working on the prints I'm going to enter into the miniature print show,… Continue reading Little Face Lino
Changes
I've finally completed the block prints I'll be sending to the miniature print show in Vancouver, Canada. Two of the three I showed in Proofs and the Past have either changed or been eliminated. The blue print called Dreamscape is the one that remains. Here it is printed on Japanese paper: The print I thought of… Continue reading Changes
The Must See Kimonos of Itchiku Kubota
Some of the most beautiful works of art I've ever seen are now on display at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto. Itchiku Kubota created the 41 kimonos in this show between 1976 and 2003, when he died at the age of 86. If you live in or near Toronto, this show is on… Continue reading The Must See Kimonos of Itchiku Kubota
Proofs and the Past
Some highlights from the past week: First, The Proofs: I've continued working on rough proofs, trial block prints, that I'll be submitting to BIMPE--Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition. I've gotten them to the point where I'm ready to print them in their final form. Here's the three of them. I think of the first as… Continue reading Proofs and the Past
This Past Week
Here's two photos from a mostly grey, flurrying day in Toronto last Friday, March 9th. The clouds and mist over the ravines always draw my attention with their endless beautiful variations. And I loved the look of this church I passed--the deep red and brown brick, the trees' branches above. These scenes from the city--they… Continue reading This Past Week
Proofs
Over the past few weeks, I've been making rough proofs--trial prints--of several linoleum and soft linoleum blocks to see which, if any, I will enter into an international miniature juried print exhibition. In these, I'm working on design elements mainly. I printed the blocks on newsprint paper, taped them to bookcases to view and tried… Continue reading Proofs
Kusama Exhibition
I'm a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. As a member, I had the chance to see a preview of the Yayoi Kusama exhibit on Thursday. Getting a ticket for the show was a very long process. I was in a virtual line for 7 hours and could only do that because I… Continue reading Kusama Exhibition
Inadvertently Changed
Thankfully, I didn't panic when I inadvertently changed the look of Arts of May and could no longer find my old wordpress theme that sets the look of the blog. This one, however, is fine. And fooling around at the computer is a good distraction from matters of life and death that we witnessed this… Continue reading Inadvertently Changed
Arts of May 