Happy Holidays!

I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May it be filled with a lot of exciting art events, challenging exhibitions, meaningful artist talks, and public debates about the state of art. I keep you posted.

An Amazing Evening at The Rectory Open House

 

Last Wednesday, Dec. 11th, I made my way downtown to the open house of The Rectory – an amazing studio space on Murray Street. I had an awesome evening with enlightening chats with some of the artists, and a chance to see exciting contemporary art at its very source - in the artists' studios.

Andrew Morrow's studio gives an insight in his artistic process: Studies and sketches on its walls and a huge canvas with an dream-like landscape.

I could take a glimpse into Andrew Morrow's studio with a large-scale painting in its very early stage – the landscape with rocky cliffs will become a narrative historic painting as he indicated. The detailed figure studies, his sketches and notes hanging on his walls gave a first impression on how he creates his amazing complex figurative paintings with a contemporary twist.

Andrew Morrow's studio

Karen Bailey was so nice to pose for me in front of her recent self-portrait. She calls it her “Official Self-Portrait” as related to the amazing official portrait she made of Michaëlle Jean in 2012. Her studio is filled with two big mirrors (a useful tool for her self-portraits), memorabilia, books, letters, small sketches, portraits she did for the Ottawa StoryTellers, and paint paraphernalia – a wonderful creative place...

Karen Bailey in her studio with her "Official Self-Portrait" from this year

Karen Bailey's studio at The Rectory

Lori Victor (I had talked about her Iceberg project before) talked about her recent project, an installation about the awareness for aboriginal issues and gave me an insight in the colorful skeleton hanging on her studio wall – she made it with touristy pictures of Frida Kahlo after her trip to Mexico.

Lori Victor's Iceberg Project: IP2 in front of The Rectory

Lori Victor in her studio

And Andrea Mueller gave me an insight into her jewellery studio which was crowded all evening long with visitors admiring her beautiful jewellery. Natural shapes play an important role in her unique designs, and the combination with semi precious and precious stones create interesting accents.

And I should forget the hilarious and so true portrait of Stephen Harper by Sharon Lafferty hanging in The Rectory's stairway!

Sharon Lafferty's portraits at The Rectory

Thanks to all participating artists for that great evening!


Facts:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rectory-Art-House/121343688061156?_fb_noscript=1

http://andrewmorrow.com/home.html

http://www.karenbailey.ca/

http://lorivictor.com/

http://andreamueller.ca/

http://www.sharonlafferty.com/