ALLUSION 2010

AL GREEN SCULPTURE STUDIO

1

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

Our thanks go out to our incredible set up crew:John MacBride, Brian Meeson, W.W. Hung,

Jung Mo Kim, Dean Povinsky, and Melanie Chikofsky, for making the sum of the individual parts create such a beautiful collective whole.

Invitation Design:Dean Povinsky

Sculpture Photography: Inge Johnson &John MacBride

Opening night shots: Melanie Chikofsky,Penny Fiksel, Inge Johnson, &Donna Zekas

Editing and Show Title: Penny Fiksel

Book design: Melanie Chikofsky

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe members and staff of the Al Green Sculpture Studio School would sincerely like to thank our benefactor Al Green for his vision and generousity in creating the studio. More than just a place to work, the studio is an edifying, creative environment where members have an opportunity for true artistic exploration. Al founded a community of like minds that would love nothing better than to spend their time creating in a welcoming, stimulating, and supportive environment. We would also like to thank Barry Green and Lindy Green who have provided insight and given direction and their valuable time all for the benefit of the studio. As well, our thanks go out to the Sculptors Society of Canada for the use of this beautiful gallery, and especially Judi Young for all her time and effort.

2

DEDICATIONWe dedicate this show to the memory of our dear friend Calvin Pollack, Gerard Godin’s loving partner who was taken from us on March 11, 2010. Although Cal was not officially a member, his being in the studio was more than just a passive presence. Cal always supported the work of the studio. He actively helped to clean and organize during our functions and eagerly jumped in when an extra pair of hands was needed. But what we miss the most is his good humour. Our studio is not the same without him and without question it lacks for the absence of his gentle spirit.

3

ELLEN BLANKSTEINI have always been interested in experimenting with various materials.

In these chosen images, paper, pigmented beeswax, and light play a major role.

“Flattened Dress With Three Robes” is a continuation of my exploration of sculptural images in my dress/robe series

FLATTENED DRESS WITH 3 ROBES4

PENNY FIKSEL

Ever since I was a little girl, all I ever wanted was for the world to be as magical as the stories I loved: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, The Wind in the Willows and of course, The Wizard of Oz. Growing up in Downsview in the 50’s and 60’s there was barely a tree in the neighbourhood, let alone an enchanted forest. But luckily, there was a small culvert between two streets just south of our home where you could walk through a forest-like gully that had a small rill and all the flora and fauna that tiny place could hold. Here my sister and I idled away many an hour, sitting and pretending, and on occasion catching pollywogs we would steal home to savour later on.

Owning dogs in the city, my sister and I would find local greenery to walk our pals just as we had done with our father and our childhood dog Duchess. Binky, Ebi and now Bodey and Cash have given me the chance to see this world of nature again through nostalgic eyes. West Don Phantasmagoria represents my connection to that beloved dream that I have cherished and hopefully will always inspire the child-like wonder in me.

Molded into Winterstone, washed in acids, “Frogwood” is a childhood dream of being closer to nature.

WEST DON PHANTASMAGORIA "FROGWOOD"5

GERARD GODINThe making of the portrait bust of Calvin A. Pollock has been more than just the expression of my love; it has also furthered my understanding of the union between line and plane, and has accelerated the development of myself as a sculptor. My personal desire was to capture more then just the emotional feel of my subject matter, it is my attempt to preserve the essence of his being forever.

"BELOVED" PROTRAIT OF CALVIN POLLACK6

My art draws from memory to create sculptures that blend classical art with contemporary sensibilities.

Currently I have been employing found objects with a variety of constructed materials from wood, wax to Winterstone and incorporating photographic elements in the process.

GREGORY GUEUNTITLED

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

"ALL IN DUE TIME"

7

SARAH HASTIESculpture allows me to move to another world, where all of the modern-day pressures recede. It is just the work and you!

I derive inspiration from my travels, and from the whimsical expressions of place and fashion.

ANGEL PIPER

EQUUS 1 FRIENDS BUCEPHALUS

8

CRYSTAL HAWK

Being involved in some creative activity has always been an important activity in my life. I remember as a youngster going across the border from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan every Saturday afternoon to attend an Art Class. I was probably 13. This trip involved a bus to the border, another bus through the tunnel, passing through Immigration, and a street car ride plus walking several blocks to the School. At one stage I was lucky to find a ceramics studio and a teacher and even though I was busy working, somehow I managed to spend one day a week at that studio. Today I enjoy setting my table with serving dishes and plates that I made. My luck held out when I moved downtown. I found the Al Green Studio across the street from my apartment building and have been playing around in this Studio since it opened. There are so many possibilities here. I do like to work with Winterstone, but sometimes I create something in clay, make a mold and make several copies for family and friends. This year I've decided to do a group of reliefs entitled "By The Sea", of which this is the first.

BY THE SEA

9

W.W. HUNG“The body expresses what words cannot.” Martha Graham

W.W. Hung studied architecture at the University of Waterloo, where he earned a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, and a Bachelor of Architecture in l997. After graduation, Mr. Hung relocated to New York City, where he worked with several leading design firms. In 2004, he became a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Inspired by the human body’s language of movement in space, W.W. Hung’s creations are characterized by imaginative compositions which explore the body as an expression of one’s mind, emotions, and spirit. Despite the often intimate scale of the pieces, they possess a powerful spatial presence, where forms are always in dynamic engagement with the space they inhabit.

W.W. Hung currently lives in Toronto, where he is an avid sculptor and dance enthusiast.

DELIVERANCE10

JANET HUNTER

"As a classicist I am interested in the figure and its form in relationship to drapery.

Having taught Art History for many years, I draw on a memory bank of images from the past.

The rough textures and corrugated surfaces of my Winterstone pieces reflect the influence of archaeology. The bronzes suggest not only metal but marble, a 19th century practice.".

SOPHIA SUSANNAH11

INGE JOHNSONI was born, raised and studied art in school in Trinidad. Although I have spent the last 21 years in Toronto, there can be little doubt that the Caribbean, in all it’s facets, provides the inspiration for my sculpture.

When I went hiking among the vegetation of my native Trinidad, I developed an appreciation for the curved organic forms and fluid lines found in nature. That environment and the sensuality of the people informs my artistic style.

“Light Becomes Her” is my homage to the power of woman. Her form is sensual, strong, yet nurturing and her power emanates as a light from within.

LIGHT BECOMES HER12

JUNG MO KIM

In this most recent series of sculptures, I explore the concepts of family, love, and memories.

Many of us have cherished memories of our childhood, and I have striven to convey the warm feelings one gets as you look back to those long lost times, and the innocence of youth. This series is reflective of my past and the love I feel for my family.

ECHOES OF MY PAST

FAMILY OUTTING

LOVE IS...

13

The truth is I always loved painting, but soon realized I had no talent for it. However, I have always been fascinated with the grace and beauty of the human form, and discovered that I was able to put my hands on a piece of clay and make it come alive. Figurative sculpture has now engaged me for many years, and still to this day it delights, and excites me every time I put my hands to clay.

PHYLLIS LIPMANWAITING FOR EVE OH!!!! QUARTER TO THREE

14

JOHN MACBRIDEI am fascinated with natural materials (branches, wax, bark) and seek to arrange them in compositions that enhance their aesthetic qualities, while challenging the viewer to interact with them in unfamiliar ways. Colour, texture, form and positive/negative space all play critical roles in my compositions.

These pieces are also reflections of my internal state of mind. Clearing, for example, represents a phase of my life where I was making room for new things, both figuratively and literally. Crosscut was made during a period of intense personal disassembly and rebuilding.

CROSSCUT I I CLEARING15

Form informs. A shell, a seed, a leaf, 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 of life can emerge. The clashes between inert materials - metal, wood, stone - and the container of new life - the seedpod, are attempts to express sculpturally the thrust for life against the forces that limit it.

BRIAN MEESONGENERATION 1, 2 & 3

16

Within the process of creating my work, I derive the greatest satisfaction.For me, the manipulation of the clay by: heating, kneading, rolling, and

pounding, permits the emergence of the essence of the female form in all its power and beauty.

RUTH LOVE PAISLEY

ALL OF ME #1, 2, & 3

17

SUSAN PALOSCHISusan's main interest is the human figure.

She is well known for her paintings of children in action and now her monumental sculptures full of movement and graceful lines.

WINTER CHILDREN 2 & 3

WINTER CHILD 118

VIRGINIA PETEHERYCH

My art has to have meaning for me and therefore it must be about what is important to me - and that is people - family and friends. My work is expressive rather than innovative. There is nothing new to paint or sculpt as it has all been done before. So far, I have worked from photos and in my coming work I am looking forward to working from life.

ALEXANDER19

Sculpting has been my anchor for the past twenty-five years. Clay, wood, stone, plaster, Hydrocal, Winterstone, and bronze are some of the materials that I have used for my creations.

These three sculptures are about memories, loosely fashioned after the memorials constructed for the Mexican Day of the Dead.

JANET RAVINMEMENTO MORI 1, 2, & 3

20

KARI REYNOLDS

This trio of masks was selected from a series I call “Variations on a Joe”. That series, in turn, comes from a long line of “Joes”.

First, I made a series of 17 busts, each depicting Regular Joe with a different facial expression, e.g. happy, angry, surprised, disgusted, perplexed, etc. That series is called “Expressions of Interest”, and can be seen on my website.

I then made a rubber mould of the Laughing Joe. Just for fun, I tried stretching the rubber mould this way and that, to distort the face. Because I have a twisted sense of humour, I made casts of the face in several of these distorted shapes: round, square, oval, rectangular, triangular, and wedge-shaped.

I had a good laugh in the process, and I know Joe won’t mind if you point at him, and have a laugh, too.

VARIATIONS ON A JOE, REGULAR JOE, "ALFRED E. JOE", & JOE BLOE

21

Many years ago before becoming a sculptor, I was involved in three very different areas of expression: fashion illustration for newspapers and magazines, copper enamelling of giftware, and finally the design and creation of jewelry in gold and silver.My love of ballet however has been a constant all of my life, so it was a natural choice of subject matter when I turned my talents to sculpture. It gives me tremendous pleasure to capture in clay, the essence of the dancers, both male and female engaged in balletic movements. Many other subjects obviously excite me as well, but ballet will always be my chief source of inspiration.

GLORIA ROBINS

"THE SMILES THAT WIN, THE TINTS THAT GLOW" LORD BYRON "HOW CAN YOU KNOW THE DANCERS FROM THE

DANCE" W.B. YEATS

IN THE MOMENT

22

A poem written by Thich Nhat Hanh which begins “Our true home is in the present moment.”

has informed and inspired my work in sculpture this year.

DONA SAUNDERS

THE OLD STORIES GODDESS OF SURPRISE AND DELIGHT GODDESS OF THE HUNT

23

PHILIPPA STEPHENSON

The "Head of a Young Boy" is a quote from a life size standing figure by the French 19th century sculptor Paul Dubois, whose early work was strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance. The features reference classical antiquity and the facial expression is baroque in it's psychological intensity.

HEAD OF A YOUNG BOY24

DONNA ZEKAS

The suggestion of a passage of time is a common thread that runs through my work. Many versions of the sculptures I create evolve into another and allow me to further my exploration of textured surfaces, patinas, and acid washes.I continue to work on the series of figurative forms which share a fundamental relationship, that of movement. My intent is to capture spatial energy in an endless flow/dance. Not only is each gesture altered in shape, height, depth and movement but also, in the application of Winterstone. To maintain a sense of vertical rhythm, I leave the forms as accentuated slender silhouettes. And to suggest lightness and fragility, I do away with layers and expose the armature. The contrast between segmentation and solidity, asks the viewer to pause for exploration and contemplation. The incomplete forms, in transition, and the open and exposed crevices lead me inward to think about the vulnerability of living.To convey a worn and aged presence I apply multiple layers of acid washes as well. The end result of the continuous addition and removal of acid washes is not immediately apparent and often unexpected. By transforming the surface, I enter into the surprise of the unknown and avoid the intentional.

RESONANCE ALCHEMIST25

OPENING NIGHT26

27

28

AL GREEN SCULPTURE STUDIO