art Archives - Page 10 of 14 - The Curated House

Make Something Mondays | Sarah Hillock

It’s always inspiring to me to learn about how people realize their calling. For artist Sarah Hillock, it came unexpectedly. Traveling on a break from studies in figurative painting and drawing at OCAD University, Sarah was hiking through a field when she found herself greeted by the warm and intelligent affections of a herd of cows pressing against the fence, each one competing for her attention.

The encounter flooded Sarah with the memories and emotions of an early childhood spent in the adoring presence of just such creatures on her family farm in rural Ontario. At once her life history, passion and talent collided to form the future direction Hillock’s body of work. Sarah returned from the trip and painted her first bovine portrait. Hillock hasn’t looked back since.

I will confess that I am not commonly drawn to the subject matter of farm animals in fine art, but Sarah’s paintings feel more figurative than farm animal to me. Each creature is depicted with such personality and engagement that I find myself drawn in unexpectedly and entirely. With each piece, there is something in the eyes that speaks of a dialogue between creature and girl, and I feel transported into Sarah’s story as I drink that in. I was truly moved when I saw Sarah’s work for the first time – in fact, it stopped me short in the midst of a fast-paced walk. I found myself immediately engaged with her passion for rural life and the beauty of the creatures she honours in her work.

An avid traveller, Sarah now chooses her subjects from fields and farms all over the world. Hillock’s work has been included in collections and exhibitions all across Canada, and she is currently working on an upcoming exhibition with DeLuca Gallery in Toronto.

Wishing you an inspired Monday, where at least one moment of unexpected beauty will stop you short and make you linger.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 10th, 2012|0 Comments

The Curated Collection | Stewart Jones

I love stumbling across Canadian artists who paint my home and native land like a character being captured on canvas. Stewart Jones is just such an artist. His dramatic perspectives of the streets of Toronto not only transport me into the middle of each scene {with the audible clang of streetcars going by}, but they depict something of the personality of this city that I love to call home.

Stewart‘s work really feels like stories on canvas to me. Less taken with major landmarks, Jones seems to focus on side streets and alleys that would otherwise go unnoticed, capturing in their essence something of the secret story of the city. I want to know who lives up that alley, who just took a walk down that street with their sweetheart, and what were they talking about? Who makes these streets come alive with the hum and electricity that makes Toronto so unique? It’s almost as though Jones’ paintings are figurative, the city as his subject, and he invites us to explore the depth and breadth of all she has to say to us.

If you live in the city, my guess is Stewart Jone‘s paintings will inspire you to look around each corner and down each quiet street in search of inspiration. Whatever city you call home today, I invite you to take on an adventurer’s spirit. Allow yourself to become awake and alive to the stories taking place all around you. Take note of the gleam of sunlight dancing on the street as you walk by. Listen for the hum and heartbeat of your city. And savour this day for all the life it holds. You just never know what inspiration might await you around the next corner.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 3rd, 2012|0 Comments

Make Something Mondays | Patrick Lajoie | The Lost Art of Photographic Transfers

My first introduction to photo transfer was on a trip to NYC many years ago. My husband and I were wandering through Soho with no particular agenda except to find inspiration around every corner. It was on a not-so-quiet side street that we stumbled upon a photographer offering her art to passers by for a mere $20. Using a vintage polaroid camera, she had us stand out in the street {surrounded by the hum of traffic} while she snapped our portrait. While the print developed, she carefully soaked her thick watercolour paper in water to prepare for the next step in the process. Once the print was ready, she removed the watercolour paper from the water, removed the protective film from the polaroid print, and quickly pressed them into one another, massaging the back of the polaroid with great fervour. When she peeled it back, the transfer that was left behind had a wonderfully vintage charm to it, revealing a portrait that is still one of my favourites of my husband and I to this day.

I admit that I haven’t really stumbled upon anyone doing photographic transfers with such elegance and charm since that memorable day in Soho. It seemed the art of photo transfer was lost to my world of wonder. Lost, that is, until last year’s Interior Design Show where I happily found Patrick Lajoie neatly tucked into a small end row booth presenting his art. A furniture maker by trade, Patrick had started to integrate his love of wood with his lifelong passion for photography, and the result is nothing short of lovely.

Of the many reasons I love Patrick’s work, one is his experimentation with scale. The first image above is my favourite {and is permanently on my wish list for Christmas or a birthday or an anniversary…really any occasion that might justify having it hanging over my fireplace!}. This piece is available in two sizes {6×36 and 11×60} in a limited edition series of 50 prints on wood panel. I adore the way the wood grain subtly reveals itself through the photograph, marrying its texture with the clouds in a way that charmingly belies the artist’s process.

I also love the vintage warmth and figurative subject matter of the second piece above, the out-of-focus photograph allowing a dream like remembering of a favourite day spent at the beach. The unexpected scale of these pieces feel like a narrow window into memories of days gone by, almost as if the viewer is squinting to see what it is they long to remember.

I think it is the dream-like state of remembering that I feel in Patrick’s work that has captured my heart and attention. I feel as though I can superimpose countless memories onto his images and linger there with nostalgic happiness.

Patrick is currently showing at Toronto’s One of A Kind Show {on until December 2nd} and his work can also be purchased through Art Interiors.

Happy Make Something Mondays!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 26th, 2012|0 Comments