Mediterranean Gold by Michael O’toole 28″ x 28″

Last Supper by Tobey 20″ x 8″

Success – Fall Leaf by Craig Little 22″ x 28″

‘Success is not the key to happiness
Happiness is the key to success.’

Vino in Red ll Plak Mount Black Edge

Stanley Cup Kids Float Mount

Bar Hound Flush Mount

Rose Art Print Canvas Wrap

Cypress ll Canvas Transfer

As spring looms, many will spring clean and open up the windows to get that still cold air drifting through the house.  This is also the time to give the place a fresh look.  Maybe it is time for some new paint?  Time to get rid of some old furniture?   I look around and see a few things that are going in our next garage sale.  As soon as the temperatures remain above zero for a week or more, I am going to be putting my free classified ad on Kijiji to help clean out the garage of all the stuff that landed in there since October.

If you are looking for some new art for your walls, I wanted to talk a little about our stock photo section.  What is a stock photo?  Well, it basically means that other photographers from all around the world have uploaded their images for you to look through and see what you like.  While there are millions of photos in thousands of categories, if you have a theme in mind, you will definitely find something you are looking for.

For example, if you have a store or a restaurant, you may want to get a canvas wrap or a poster of some fruit like this one:

Then there are photos of places like this skyline of Toronto or an Atlantic lighthouse:

If you are interested in other categories, follow this stock photo link to see some of the more popular categories we came up with.  You can also search for any text you like to narrow down your search.

Once you decide on an image, you can have it printed as a poster, printed on canvas, laminated, custom framed, weaved as a blanket, or made into a wall hanging.  If you notice on the images a watermark, don’t worry, as this mark will not show up on the final product.

Anyway, enjoy.  Let me know your thoughts.

Paul

We haven’t posted in some time. Bad on us. To be honest we are not exactly social media gurus (if that wasn’t obvious before). We promise to get better, pinky swear!

Anyway, just a few lines to touch base with everyone and let you know about our free shipping offer. Free shipping on what? Oh just everything. Move along now, nothing to see here. This is where we insert our obnoxious graphic of our free shipping offer for those not actually reading the post.

Really, free shipping on everything? Yes. All of our products, no minimum orders or anything like that. No need for a coupon code either. The cart automatically subtracts the shipping cost. Wow, technology. I am not sure how long it will last though. Maybe until it warms up in Canada. Well, to be honest, we have had a pretty good winter so I am not complaining, but it is almost March and I am sure most people are tired of the cold.

On a completely unrelated note, last month we added over sixteen million images to our database. By hand. Individually.

Really? No, not by hand.

But we did add them. If you click on “Search Photos” in the navigation bar at the top of this page you can search for any type of image. Once you find an image you like, you can have it printed as a poster, have it wrapped on canvas, have it framed, or even have it woven into a blanket or purse.

We have added a few categories but there are literally millions of subjects and categories. Want a beach image to warm your frozen Canadian butt? Search for beach and voila, you are no longer upset your neighbours left for Cuba and you have to shovel their driveway and feed their dog.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know what has been happening.

Paul

Well, this year I am raising the decorating bar, so to speak. I am going to transform my dining room into a Thanksgiving extravaganza and to do so I am changing up the decor in the room, as well as the art. I have had this project lurking in the back of my mind (as all great ideas tend to do) for some time now and this year I am going to make it happen!!!

There are fabulous artists out there who celebrated Fall with their art and here are a couple of my favs. I haven’t settled on either one yet and they have completely different vibes. The Franz Heigl is fresh and bright, while the Janet Kruskamp print has a feeling of rustic elegance and old world charm.

BANK MIT FRCHTEN by Franz Heigl

Tuscany Harvest by Janet Kruskamp

Vinyl wall art will play an important role in my thanksgiving decor transformation.  While tossing around ideas with my hubby at the dinner table, he suggested, “RIP Turkey” and “Let’s Eat” as some viable options.  I kid you not.  I, however, would like to maintain some semblance of respect to the holiday that is Thanksgiving.  Perhaps, “Family, Blessings Beyond Compare.”

Thanksgiving decor was my inspiration today.  What is yours?

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is boasting a showing of Pablo Picasso’s work with Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris, which is scheduled for a seventeen-week exhibition from April 28^th to August 26^th 2012. The show, a traveling exhibit that will hit several international cities in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and the U.S. will include some major works, as well as some more obscure ones, from important periods in the artist’s life. Along with his iconic painting, the traveling exhibit also includes other media like wood, bronze as well as repurposed material. The traveling exhibition comes at an opportune time for the Musee National Picasso, Paris, as the museum is undergoing extensive renovations and won’t open to the public until 2013; fans of the Spanish painter’s works then will be fortunate to have a chance to see his work while on the tour, which is touted as the only stop in Canada for the traveling collection.  Along with the traveling work, the AGO’s permanent collection contains some of Picasso’s works, as well, which is part of the museum’s Modern Collection.

Summer Bouquet by Pablo Picasso

Post No Bills: a Winnipeg “pop up art gallery”

Post No Bills has been billed as a “pop up art gallery” and the place where it popped up this month was Winnipeg. In cooperation with Winnipeg’s Fringe Festival, the outdoor commercial gallery was set up, featuring 40 local contemporary artists showing artwork priced from $20 up to $4000. To encourage people to purchase the artwork, they will accept time payments, a type of layaway program, of $75 per month. Certainly, Canada has some thriving art scenes—Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Montreal included. However, there has been a continuing problem of a relatively weak market for contemporary art— and that is the reason for the collaboration and bringing the art to those people who don’t normally visit galleries and buy local artwork. Organizers say that future pop ups are likely.

Haute Culture celebrates General Idea

At Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), you will find the Haute Culture exhibition. The exhibit started on July 30^th and will run until January 1, 2012. This exhibit will showcase the works of the artistic collaboration named General Idea that began in 1969 and lasted until the untimely deaths of two of the partners in 1994 from AIDS. The group consisted of AA Bronson, Jorge Zontal, and Felix Partz; only Bronson survives, and the disease has played an important role in their works.

Oddly, General Idea has gained an enormous following in France, even more so than in Canada. This international fame has increased immensely following the career-long Haute Culture retrospective at the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris (MAM), which came about due to the curator, Frédéric Bonnet, who took an interest in the artists years ago and in fact wrote his university thesis about them. The massive popularity of the exhibit in France, especially among those under the age of 35, did not go unnoticed by AGO. This exhibition includes some of General Idea’s most popular works and also some pieces that haven’t been seen in over 25 years.

Art Toronto
For art enthusiasts in Toronto and those around the world planning a fall visit, October will be an important month because of Art Toronto – one of the most important art fairs in North America. Not only is this a great opportunity for art collectors, but galleries and artists could benefit from the exposure that the fair brings. Galleries from all over the world participate in the fair. Art Toronto will also have concurrent programs, including talks and tours that will give audiences further opportunities to enjoy the work on display.  AGO is an important beneficiary of this show as the opening night event, on October 27^th, 2011 will be a fundraising benefit – the opening night event will be a great chance for artists, buyers and collectors to meet and preview the art before the general public – and this is especially good for serious collectors who will want first dibs on certain works. The event raises money for AGO to maintain its current collection, but the museum also purchases art for its collection from the show. According to its press release, the opening night event from 2010 raised over a quarter million dollars. For the general public, Art Toronto starts on October 28^th, 2011 and runs until the 31^st.

The Art Gallery of Ontario is North America’s 10th largest museum, holding over 40,000 works. There are seven main collection areas in the museum. The African and Oceanic area contains more than 1,000 Australian Aboriginal artworks (the largest collection in Canada) dating from prehistoric times to the mid 1900s as well as one of the most prestigious collections of African art in Canada. The Canadian collection features art from the earliest forms to 1985 and includes a vast Inuit collection showing the development and history of art in Canada. The European Collection features artwork from renowned artists such as Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Rembrandt. This collection also includes the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. In the Modern and Contemporary Collections, you will find artists such as Pablo Picasso, Hans Hoffman, Brian Jungen, and Thomas Struth. The Thomson Collection includes pieces from the Renaissance, Medieval art, Baroque works, and antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Japan, and Asia. The AGO also has a vast collection of photographs, drawings, and prints. Before going, check out their current exhibitions.

Another of the Canadian art museums in Toronto is the Royal Ontario Museum. The ROM is Canada’s largest field research institution as well as having over six million objects including collections of world culture and natural history. The collections include: Fossils, Invertebrates, Plants, and Traces; a chinese puppet theater; Egyptian Book-of-the Dead; miniature revolvers; and totem poles among many others. You can look through ROMs collection of images to see a sampling of the items in their collections. Also make sure to look through their programs to see if there is something that fits your desires.

The Power Plant is a contemporary art gallery devoted exclusively to contemporary visual art. It is recognized as Canada’s leading public art gallery. They offer many programs and events for all ages. The exhibitions at the Power Plant change frequently, so it is best to look at what is being shown during your trip to Toronto.

If you are looking for more of an outdoor trip that incorporates art, look no further than Yorkville and the Distillery District. These two outdoor Canadian art museums are not the typical museum. Yorkville features quaint architecture and elite shopping and dining (a great change from the hippie district it once was in the 1960s and 1970s). It also provides a plush atmosphere for your hotel stay while in Toronto. The Distillery District features brick lined streets and restored Victorian buildings.

The color combinations that she saw while visiting furniture shops amplified her creativeness and she incorporated this into her artwork, often depicting the mood that she felt at the time. After she completed high school, she went on to college, enrolling in the graphics design program.

With a flair for color as well as creating stunning graphics, she was quickly hired by a large company that produced wallpaper for homes and businesses, and then branched out her creativeness in the design world by taking on new mediums.

Some of these mediums included designing stationery and bathroom accessories as well as all kinds of fabrics. A lover of life with a creative mind and a flair for design, she is one Canadian artist with unique talent.

Lisa Audit has also created many fine art posters, canvas transfers, and limited edition art work. Many of her pieces are of floral nature, showcasing the beauty of a garden that is in full bloom. Other designs show the delectable delights that can be found in a sweet shop or in the home of a skilled baker.

When looking at her many beautiful designs, you can see how she definitely has found her niche in life. Some of her graphics are simple in nature, not modern art but art from a world long ago. All are beautiful indeed and it is hard not to compare Lisa Audit’s graphic designs to the wonderful artwork of Monet.

Her designs can also be found on recipe cards, which also depict a scene of floral or plant life. Ferns, grasses and ivy mixed in shades of green adorn these cards, they are used in homes where treasured family recipes are carefully written out and passed down through families.

Nowadays, she attributes her creativeness to the inspiration that she receives from her own family. Lisa Audit still lives in Marbleton, Quebec with her husband and two children, a boy and a girl. All of her design work is carefully planned and orchestrated in her loving home among the squeals and delight of her young children, along with her husband close by.

Since they passed a restitution law in 1998, the Austrian government has been returning paintings stolen by the Nazis to descendants of the rightful owners. In all, about 10,000 paintings are back in the hands of the families they belong to.

An Austrian museum has announced that it will be returning Gustav Klimt’s 1915 painting “Litzlberg am Attersee” worth in excess of 20 million euros or $29 million Canadian dollars to a descendant of the previous Jewish owner, Georges Jorisch. The painting had belonged to his grandmother Amalie Redlich, according to the Salzburg Museum of Modern Art, and was seized by the Gestapo some time after she was deported in 1941 and later killed.

The painting ended up in various Salzburg museums after being purchased by a local art collector. It is now owned by the local assembly of Salzburg province, who would love to keep the painting, and will likely attempt a negotiation with sole heir Jorsich, who is retired at 83, and lives in Montreal.

The most famous of the paintings restored to previous owners was also a Gustav Klimt, the 1907 Adele Bloch-Bauer portrait. It was returned to the heirs after a lengthy legal battle in 2006.

Picasso work loaned to West Bank goes on display

Picasso’s 1943 “Buste de Femme,” valued at $7 million, has been loaned to a Palestinian academy after two years of difficulties. The academy in Ramallah requested the piece in the beginning of 2010, and that is normally routine and only takes six months or so to coordinate. It is on loan from a museum in Eindhoven, Holland.

Another Painting around the same period--Bull Skull, Fruit, Pitcher, 1939 by Pablo Picasso

Because of the difficulties in the area, however, nothing is really easy or normal in that area; political complications are simply a fact of life. Organizers talked of Israeli checkpoints along the route, and lack of reliable transportation for an artwork of this type. In the end, the painting was flown to Tel Aviv from Amsterdam, where an Israeli security agency was charged with keeping it safe and delivering it to the academy. Uprisings postponed the delivery past the intended display date.

The school has made the painting the centerpiece of its “Picasso In Palestine” exhibit, and it is the most prestigious and valuable piece of art ever displayed in the West Bank. It’s a 100 by 80 cm oil work on canvas in the master painter’s cubist style. The Palestinian academy are taking this opportunity to introduce classic works to the people in the area, and they also hope that this will encourage other museums and galleries to lend artwork to places in the West Bank.

Tom Thomson’s “Early Snow, Algonquin Park” Returns Home, but Fails to Sell

The value of art and paintings are decided by authenticity and how rare the piece is– making Tom Thomson’s 1916 oil sketch “Early Snow, Algonquin Park” very valuable indeed. Even though the sketch is only about eight by ten inches, it is estimated to be worth $450,000 to $650,000, reportedly causing quite a stir with border crossing guards when it was returned to Canada.

Sotheby’s offered the sketch for sale in their May 26^th Important Canadian Art Auction in Toronto, but the bidding stalled at $425,000. It is rumored to have sold later to a buyer who chooses to remain anonymous for $425,000. On the back is a note from A.Y. Jackson, one of the Group of Seven painters and friend of Tom Thomson’s before his early death in 1917.

For the past 53 years, the Thomson sketch has been hanging in a bungalow in a Pittsburgh sailing community, having been purchased from the Laing Gallery in 1958 for $1,000. Linda Rodeck of Sotheby’s drove down to retrieve it herself and was amused by the excitement of the border guards at Fort Erie over the diminutive sketch and its very large value.

David Silcox, president of Sotheby’s, wrote a book about Tom Thomson together with Harold Town. He says few knew about the painting’s existence, since it had gone to the states so long ago; he further speculates that Thomson may have gifted it to a friend.

Fellini Exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox explores Celebrity, Paparazzi, and Obsession

Long before spoiled celebrities like Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen dominated the news, there was Swedish blonde bombshell Anita Ekberg. She shocked people with her ‘way beyond sexy for 1960′ behavior and had the press hounding her and following her every move. More importantly, she caught the eye of Federico Fellini and he cast her as the star in La Dolce Vita, catapulting her to fame instantly. Rome in the late 1950s and early 1960s was the cheapest place in the world to make films, so it attracted many celebrities. In fact, it was ‘Hollywood on the Tiber’ and American and European stars shocked everyone’s sensibilities with their raucus behavior, all of it captured on film by paparazzi-style celebrity photos.

Federico Fellini and Anita Ekberg

The collaboration between the two is one subject explored in Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions, that is running through September 18^th at TIFF. This Fellini exhibit was jam packed when it opened in Paris; it has also been well-received in other cities on the tour like Madrid, Moscow, Barcelona, and Bologna. For North America, it has been modified to focus more on the work that audiences on the continent will be familiar with, and has left out some things like Fellini’s TV work in Italy and France.

TIFF Director Noah Cowan feels that “All the great art cinema of the post-war period is becoming less well known here [and] there’s a certain militancy we feel about reminding people of the importance of these films and filmmakers.”

Two paintings that have hung in the halls of the British Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and were purchased directly from the artist in 1955 for between $300 to $350 each, netted just shy of $2 million in Vancouver at the Heffel Auction House. The two E.J. Hughes paintings were Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC and Mouth of the Courtenay River.

Another of Riopelle's paintings-- Soufle D'oies

A Jean-Paul Riopelle painting, Sans titre, sold for close to $1.1million, while Jean Lemieux’s Les Moniales sold for a little over $1 million. Robert Heffel, owner of the auction house, said “The Hughes and Lemieux works in the sale represented both artists at their finest.” Also sold were works by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris which netted over $800,000.

Like most years, this auction was the first of the spring arts season, and it has kicked off the season in Canada on May 18^th.

Sotheby’s Toronto Auction

The Thursday, May 26, Sotheby’s auction held some surprises. Some celebrated pieces by renowned Canadian artists failed to sell, including a signed but untitled work by Jean-Paul Riopelle with an estimated value of $800,000 to $1.2 million, and Tom Thomson’s Early Snow, Algonquin Park, which was estimated to draw $450,000 to $650,000. The Thomson painting later sold for $425,000.

Wildflowers by Tom Thomson

The sale, titled Sotheby’s Canada spring sale of Important Canadian Art, did sell Trilliums and Trilliums by David Brown Milne for the highest amount of $278,500. Other pieces that changed hands were Emily Carr’s Forest Interior, and works by George Pepper, Robert Harris, and Frederick Simpson Coburn. In all, there were pieces available by 26 living Canadian artists.

Order of Canada Awards 2011

Today’s Order of Canada awards ceremony was officiated by Governor General David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. As always, the awards were given to those Canadians who who have made a significant difference in the country, and it is the highest award Canada bestows. Established in 1967 to recognize extraordinary people and their accomplishments, 43 awards were conferred in today’s ceremony. Among today’s recipients were actor Michael J. Fox and rock legend Robbie Robertson.

Robertson was initially a member of The Band and later enjoyed a solo career, often collaborating with Bob Dylan. Johnston said “Through a fertile blending of diverse musical styles, he has introduced native music to a much wider audience.”

Famous actor and British Columbia native Michael J. Fox has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, and is also well-known for his charitable work and the Parkinson’s Research Foundation he established. He was touted as a “respected and accomplished screen actor” and “an outspoken advocate” for those with Parkinson’s.

Aboriginal Art Getting Attention

A movement led by Steven Loft, who is a curator and media artist, is calling for an overhaul of the history of Canadian art. He wrote a paper for a conference at the University of Alberta last year, titled The Group of Who? The paper, and a subsequent speech with the same topic, was designed to draw attention to ancient art, including that of the Inuit and Haida peoples. Steven Loft is a Mohawk of the Six Nations, and he is researching indigenous art at Ryerson University in Toronto. He previously was curator for Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada, and he put together two exhibitions on the subject which are both touring nationwide. Prior to that, he was Curator for the largest Aboriginal public gallery in Canada, Winnipeg’s Urban Shaman Gallery. His extensive writings on indigenous art for lots of magazines and art publications are bringing further attention.

Art Gallery of Ontario hosts Abstract Expressionist New York

From May 28^th till September 4^th, 2011, the Art Gallery of Ontario becomes the exclusive tour venue for New York’s Museum of Modern Art exhibit called Abstract Expressionist New York. The exhibit opened at MoMA last autumn, and includes works by mid-century NYC artists that were famous for the drips and splatters of paint that defined the postwar era art. Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko are the most well-known of the artists involved in the movement.

"Convergence" by Jackson Pollock

These artists became famous starting during World War II, during the time when many artists relocated to North America, and quite a large number to New York City. The change from traditional art was encouraged by famous gallery owners like Peggy Guggenheim, and critic Clement Greenberg. Many artist gallery debuts, including those for Motherwell, Pollock, and Rothko, took place at Guggenheim’s gallery; in fact, Pollock was even provided a salary to help him continue painting. Greenberg positioned them for prominence via his many favorable reviews.