AL GREEN SCULPTURE STUDIO 2012

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Special thanks to our installation crew of: John MacBride, Brian Meeson, Gregory Gue, Bruce Brown, Melanie Chikofsky, William Hung , and Mary Ann Grainger for all their hard work,hanging, installing and lighting the exhibition .

Invitation Design:Dean Povinsky

Sculpture Photography:Peter Shepherd

Opening Night Photography:Peter Shepherd &Melanie Chikofsky

Book Design:Melanie Chikofsky

Editing : Thea Carvel & Penny Fiksel

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe members and staff of the Al Green Sculpture Studio would sincerely like to thank our benefactors: Al Green for his vision and generousity in creating the studio, and the Green family, in helping it to continue year after year. They have supported a wonderful community of like minds that are so thankful to spend their time in such a welcoming, stimulating and creative environment. In this space, our members have an opportunity for true artistic expression. Finally, we are so thankful to The Sculptors Society of Canada for the use of this beautiful gallery, and especially Judi Young for all her time and effort.

JACOB’S LADDER

Sincere gratitude to all who helped make this exhibition a success.

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DedicationWe dedicate this exhibition to the memory of Janet Ravin, our member of longest standing, our beloved "studio muse", who passed suddenly.

She was the first person through the doors of the studio when there was not even a work surface to be had, and remained dedicated to every aspect of the studio over her time with us.

In her the last few years, Janet valiantly battled cancer. Throughout her struggle, she was never daunted; smiling and positive, she faced each day. She was a symbol of strength and she remained encouraging to everyone here.

Her artwork expresses her unique way of looking at the world. As an artist, Janet was playful, experimental and always witty. As a testament to Janet's creativity, she could wander through Goodwill, and find artistic potential and beauty in the most insignificant of objects, later infusing them with her personal vision. Her pieces always revealed a deeper conceptual component, dealing with: politics, gender, psychological issues, lighthearted cultural thoughts and, recently, the horrible disease she fought with such courage.

She will remain one of the most considerate, most giving and warm person it was our honour to know.

Janet is irreplaceable, and her absence will leave a void in our studio.

Janet is greatly missed both as member of our studio and for her inimitable zeitgeist.

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JANET RAVIN 1949 - 2012

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Penny FikselIt so happened that I just wanted to try and create a freestanding piece. All of my previous work needed space on a wall or a small easel, either a botanical tile relief of a woodland scene or a mirror. I also wanted an element of practicality to this piece; something I could use.“Cottingly Candle’s Spherical Illumination” is the effect caused by my continuing love of nature and my pursuit of the phantasmagorical.

COTTINGLEY CANDLESTICK PHANTASMAGORICAL REFLECTION, AUTUMNAL REFLECTIONS 6

Janet Ravin

“Sculpting has been my anchor for the past

twenty-five years. Clay, wood, stone, plaster,

Hydrocal, Winterstone, silicone and bronze are

some of the materials that I have used for my

creations.”

“To each living thing its own life.”

RAVIN’S LAST DANCE7

Matthew BatesMatthew Bates’ work is about balance, equality and adventure, built on a foundation of harmlessness. His artwork and museum work embrace both art and science, two faces on the same process he claims. Matthew works in media that afford quick feedback loops, but with a special love of sculpture - the touch, the view, the weight. Process, object and intent are equally important in his works. “Embrace” starts with the simple notions of duality and togetherness from which builds a melody of forms. The vocabulary of shapes are at once geometric and organic, with a selected presence of random “dirt”.

EMBRACE8

StefaniaBaresic

My inspiration is the human body as a sacred vessel for our soul and as a vehicle for expressing and sharing emotions and feelings. I am drawn to abstracted forms, simplified intersecting planes and lines which flow into each other to convey a certain emotion. I have been with Al Green Sculpting Studio for one year now and I am thrilled, honoured and grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by so many talented artists.

LOVERS 9

DorothyChan Motion, transformation, and a certain amount of stillness define my work. Emotions are the ephemeral, tentative foundations upon which my work grows.

FIRST FLIGHT

TAKING THE LEAD10

DonnaZekas

CONTEMPLATIONRENEWED QUIETUDE

The suggestion of a passage of time is a

common thread that runs through my work. My

fascination of the consequences and

unpredictability of time has led me to explore

textured surfaces.

My method of working is process-directed fusing

the conscious and accidental. I work with

numerous layers: building up, chiselling

away, or filing, at times leaving the armature

exposed. Each step is dictated by the previous one; I submit and react intuitively relying on my instincts and impulses

with the knowledge that surfaces will be altered. I

leave scope for instinct and intuition to drive

changes and keep the sculptures alive.

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BruceBrownThe creative process amazes me as much as the final piece. The magic of the imagination is an endless fascination. Most of my work is an exercise to capture the human form in motion; not only that one moment in time but also the ephemeral emotion.

GARGOYLENUDE 1 & 212

GarsonConn

With "Off the Floor" and its exuberant step and defiant gesture, I am pursuing my

quest "to reach the sky" ; an artist's dream and dilemma.

OFF THE FLOOR 13

MarkMayersonMy background in animation drives my interest in exploring the expressive quality of a figure's pose.

I SAW HER STANDING THERE14

AnvarolsadatDamad Gharvian

Since childhood, I was interested in making dolls; fashioning them from bits of leftover bread and other scrap material. As

an adult, I became more sophisticated in the pursuit of my desire while attending the Shahab Institute of Sculpture in

Tehran. In 2010, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, I received excellent care and treatment here in

Toronto. My wonderful doctors encouraged me to pursue my hobby, which lead me to The Al Green Sculpture School and

Studio. It is a formidable place to learn and work.

HAPPY DREAM 15

MelanieChikofskyThe three main components that drive my practice are : 1: the expression of the idea; 2: the physical act of creation;3: the exploration of diverse materials. These three elements coalesce and are requisite in my creative process.

COUNTERPOISE16

RuthLove

PaisleyThe emergence of a human

form through the manipulation of a lump of warm malleable clay is a constant source of surprise and wonderment. The joy is in the power of

creation.

LEEBA17

BRIANMEESONForm informs. A shell, a seed, a wave, a bone: each communicates a shape, potential movement, a sense of time past and future possibilities. From such impulses and organic forms, my work attempts to embody tensions from which new forms can emerge - the moments of generation.  Clashes between inert materials- wood, cement, metal-and the containers of new life are explorations to express sculpturally the thrust for life against deadening forces.

WAVEBORN 1

WAVEBORN 3WAVEBORN 218

Kari Reynolds

Although entirely different , both portraits represent

moments in time and two women I admire. In , "Who

the --- called 911", I commemorate Mary Walsh

the comedian at Mayor Rob Ford's house. "i'm just trying to help you, my darling, " she

said as he did actually call emergency services.

"Me and My Mom', is based on a photo of my mother

carrying me on her shoulders. Her fabulous smile and the

tenderness of the contact inspired this sculpture.

ME AND MY MOM “WHO THE…? CALL 9-1-1”19

GloriaRobinsMy greatest joy and challenge is creating human “life” – modelling all ages of figures and heads, from babies to the aged; creating commissioned portraits that are cast in bronze. Sculpting to reflect the wide and fascinating range of human life in the world around us is my endless source of inspiration.

WOMAN WITH FLOATING SHAWLTHE JOY OF MY GARDEN INTHE WARMTH OF SUMMER

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IreneFrolic

I have been sculpting in glass for over 30 years. My mission

has been to expand the emotive power of this most

seductive material. I am showing early work, which set

the path for my career.

SHEKINAH 21

JohnMacBride

I am fascinated with natural materials (branches, wood, wax, bark) and seek to arrange them in compositions that enhance their aesthetic qualities, while challenging the viewing to interact with them in unfamiliar ways. I call this work "Organic Abstraction."The pieces in this show create compositions that are rigid in their mathematical proportions, yet full of movement and vitality.

FOUR BY EIGHT BY TWELVESEGMENTATION22

bekkyO'Neil

bekky O’Neil is a writer, director and puppeteer. She is usually covered in paper-maché. she

dislikes bad manners, but doesn’t mind nudity. Some might consider her a dreamer.  She believes

in acts of resistance, but not in bad grammar. 

DEAD RABBIT LES OISEAUX 23

John Sproule, the alter ego of Professor Thaddeus Glitzmore has been a member of the Al Green Sculpture Studio School for just over two years. His regular output has included classical realist paintings and sculpture. This exhibit has been infused with a great deal of

“steam”... from Steampunk! (Neo- Victorian science fiction)

“I was going to write something profound about steampunk, now where did I put my jewel encrusted quill pen?”

--Professor "Thaddeus “Gli#y” Gli#more

John Sproule aka: Professor Thaddeus Glitzmore

GENERAL ÆTHERIC’S PAN-DIMENSIONALVORTEX GENERATOR

THE DEATH-O-MATIC BLASTER(MACH III)

COMBINED RUCKSACK & TEMPORAL CONTINUUM STABILIZER

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DORIS WALTER

I am expressing the body’s movements, reflections and

intentions through clay,ceramics, paints and found

objects in compositions where the interplay

between real and imagined is given centre stage.

FLOW & INTEGRATION 25

My current explorations have centred around the symbolic form of the tribal mask conceived within the context of contemporary sensibilities. context

GREGORY GUEDYSTHYMIA BLACK BOY SAY NO EVIL

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FRANTZBRENT-HARRIS

Frantz's  sculpture is predominantly figurative. In his work, he is exploring the

complex themes of  migration and  displacement, particularly within the

context of immigration and how cultures adapt, affect, and interact against each

other in a multicultural society. The sculpture  entitled, " Daedalus", (Father of

Icarus) is a commentary on immigrant fathers' sometimes futile sacrifice to

provide for their offspring.

DAEDALUS (FATHER OF ICARUS) 27

VISHALLUTHRAMoments of connection, with both the external and subconscious worlds, are what I seek in my art. These moments nourish me and I cannot think of a more meaningful pursuit than to learn how to cultivate them with greater frequency and intensity; to learn how to clarify my communication in three-dimensional forms; to learn how to live a life filled with art .

NECESSARY ABSTRACTION (CAT'S ASS) A PORTRAIT OF PAUL MCNAIR28

W.W. HUNGIt was the day after.  The suffering was over.  Or perhaps the pain had merely reached a numbing equilibrium. Shrouded in dust, his body is reduced to a limp mass.  Lifeless.  Drained. In this state of final submission, he hangs from the cross he once bore.

AFTERMATH

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JANETHUNTER

I enjoy the physicality of sculpture; the most primitive desire to just make, build, construct something beautiful.I have been greatly influenced by my love of archaeology and antiquity.My choice of subject, the draped figure and the fragment or partial figure, reflect my interest in classical antique form.My medium of choice is Winterstone because the distressed surfaces of the finished pieces suggest the impact of climate and the passage of time.

MEDUSA

SOPHIA30

DONA SAUNDERS

This year, I was again inspired by the present

moment and all that it brings if one is attentive.

In particular receiving inspiration from Thich Nhat

Hanh as he writes:

In touch with the singing birds I breath in.

Smiling with the singing birds I breath out.

THIS MOMENT CALLING THE BIRDS HOME FOR SPRING 31

AlexandraTytarenko

When I put my hands on a piece of clay for the first time, it delighted me so much that I felt that this connection would last a long time, if not forever. I have always been

tremendously moved by the art of sculpture and its creators - the wonderful combination of movement, emotion and form. Living in Winnipeg for over ten years, I was continuously inspired by its artists and its landmarks, such as the wonderful Leo Mol sculpture garden.  I am inspired by the idea of expressing emotions through sculpture and I particularly

enjoy working with portraits and figures.

MUSIC

THE VIOLINIST

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Rediscovered rose coloured Washi paper purchased several years ago in Japan when cherry blossoms were in bloom was the inspiration for this current installation of paper dresses.

ELLEN BLANKSTEINCHERRY BLOSSOMS

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To communicate, we must start from a normative statement.  I change the context of normative statements to raise questions. This is my reflection, through art, on the underlying meanings of common experience and how norms are actually quite fragile and

contextual. 

PETER SHEPHERDFIRST QUESTION

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DEANPOVINSKY

Epic Failure wasn’t so much created as it was destroyed into existence. The painted

canvas used in this piece was lifted from my wall in frustration years ago, where I cut the

only piece from it I liked and hung it back up, only to look upon it every day as a

failure. In 2011 I suffered a debilitating injury to my Achilles tendon that left me unable to

walk properly for 8 months. After my final visit with the surgeon, all medical

paraphernalia removed, I walked home with a huge feeling of relief and a twisted

bounce in my step. When I got home I sat there, not really sure what to do. I stripped

down, took a shot of whiskey and pulled the awful, crippled mess off the wall and

transferred 8 months of raging frustration onto that canvas. One aluminum garbage can later and the result is a symbol of how

we take our pain, and the holes that are carved into us by the awfulness that fate

can sometimes send our way, and fill those spaces with new tragedies that are

hopefully less evil than the last.EPIC FAILURE 35

GERARDGODINThe eye rivets itself into the centre of the chrysalis. From there, it moves in ever concentric circles outward into the world and its colour vicissitudes.

CHRYSALIS36

TOOTSIE HALBERTI draw my inspiration from

people and the diverse forms in nature. In my work, I strive

to evoke an innocence with which to engage the viewer. I love the challenges that arise

from exploring new media and forms, allowing me to

express my vision.

MOTHER NATURE IN FULL BLOOM CHASING THE BULL MARKET 37

Mary Ann Grainger primarily works in sculpture and mixed media.  In 2009 she became a full time artist and in 2010 joined the Al Green Sculpture Studio where she took her fear in hand and began to experiment.  Her 3 pieces in this show are examples of the many directions this experiment has taken… so far. “My art explores how I feel about life and the world in which I live.  It challenges the viewer to participate in the art, hopefully causing the viewer to ponder.  Then again, sometimes a piece has no greater intention than to share a simple, pure emotion.”

MARY ANN GRAINGERSLIGHTLY TWISTED WHEEL OF SEX“GILD TRIP”

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OPENINGNIGHT

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