Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto Vancouver Archives

The Curated Collection | Brent Boechler

I have long been an admirer of the work of abstract artist Brent Boechler. To describe the draw is to describe something altogether visceral. I simply connect with the work on an intuitive level – the colour, the composition, the juxtaposition of chance and intention.

Though not at all literal, there is something of the human connection implied in Boechler’s abstraction.

Perhaps it is the collision of chaos and beauty that speaks to me – a filtering of what is real into something conceptual and therefore more palatable in its limitations.

What is it about abstract art that speaks to you? Can you put words on it, or do the words feel rather like an ill-fitting dress put on a beautiful girl? That is how it is for me with Brent’s work, so I will stop stitching together the ill-fitting garment of sentences and instead wish you an inspired Monday, filled with beauty that cannot be put into words.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|April 22nd, 2013|0 Comments

The Curated Collection | Barbara Cole

My fascination with water goes back to my earliest memories. Somehow it was always the place where I felt most at home – free to explore the stillness or the resistance in it; to work hard and feel the grip of my muscles against the pull of its density, or to simply float effortlessly while dreaming limitlessly.

Water has always had the power to distort things in a meaningful way for me. It took the limits others placed on me and helped me push them back like a wave. It became my sound-proof sanctuary where I could reveal my heart, knowing no one could understand my watery words. My sacred revelations rippled out into the blue like the play of light beneath the surface. I suppose water has always been rather healing for me since then.

I share this with you because I think it explains why I have such a visceral reaction to the fine art photography of Barbara Cole. She, too, sees the power of water to distort things meaningfully, transforming beauty into an otherworldly underworld of figurative fantasy.

A self-taught photographer who started out in image making in the 1980s, Cole pushes beyond the limits of rules and standard practices, delving deep into the realm of the spectacular.

Cole lives and works in Toronto and will be revealing her latest body of work in September 2013 at Bau-Xi Photo.

Wishing you all a day of working and resting; of labouring and dreaming; of light and sound and sanctuary; of safety in being known.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|April 8th, 2013|0 Comments

The Curated Collection | Janna Watson

What’s in a line? According to Janna Watson, a great deal. And as a long-time appreciator of her artwork, I agree unswervingly. At least when it comes to Janna’s gestural, exuberant, expressive lines. If you are not yet a fan of abstract art, this may be your conversion experience.

{photo: rene johnston}

“heart beats you”

As intriguing as the work she creates, Janna’s thoughts on her latest collection have me utterly enrapt:

How do I go about making a line that isn’t stupid? This is one of the things I have considered for the resulting aesthetics of my work. As one who desires to keep my perception and awareness in my process honest, I have found my answer to be this: To become childlike again; the line has a mind of it’s own. Through seemingly non-sensical mark making movements, action becomes visible. The childlike chromatic amusement turns everything weightless. Suspended space. Even the lines are floating. Like stilettos dancing in the clouds. It is the space between everything.

“caterpillar cave”

“ferris wheel”

“koolaid lips”

The night turns on its tap and I drink it through multi-coloured straws. Soul is the place. I want spirit more than anything. It is not about making a picture in a painting, it is about having an experience. The lighter I become with the weight of colour, line and space, the less gravity matters and all these things being created float up into the sky; the place you might call in between everything. My biggest reluctance in all of this is to not make a stupid line. When I reach the desired childlike space between everything, I remember that a line has a mind of it’s own, and I must not try to possess it, lest I do, and it becomes stupid.

“when I think of Paris I want to wrap my legs around it”

“irony is fun, fake and true”

I think it is the childlike weightlessness and freedom to Janna’s work that so compels me. I want to enter into that kind of joy and dwell comfortably in the tension of chaos and colour, order and form. And I think that means I want to dwell comfortably in my own skin. I want to experience the joy of living unfettered by fear.

For those of you in Toronto, Janna’s latest show just opened this past Friday at Bau-Xi Gallery and will be open until January 26th. Be sure to stop by and drink in life {in line and colour} through the multi-coloured straws of Janna’s work.

Happy Monday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 14th, 2013|0 Comments