Akin Studios: Jill Price Artist Talk, At Intervals 2020 exhibition, 158 ...

Coffee Hangout Found!

So today was a long one with me leaving the house at 6:00 am and riding the subway up at 11:15 pm only to drive another hour from Downsview station.  It has already become very evident that a coffee break will become part of my daily ritual to maintain the level of energy required for this program! Great news is that the OCAD cafeteria has the most aromatic coffee  I have found to date. 

Today also contained our first introduction to our theory and criticism class as well as our first Directed Studio session which requires us to pull together a group exhibition by next week!  I stuck to my rule and didn't take on any additional administration or curating, but rather stuck to menial tasks of organizing signage and helping with installation.  The show will be called trajectory to speak to the new paths we are all about to take within our practice. 

What will the weekend hold? Readings, artist statements, 500 word studio practice proposal, TA preparation, visit with my inlaws, curatorial talk at Quest Art and opening of Marlene Hilton Moore's exhibit in Midland, order of signage for exhibit, delivery of work for exhibit, contacting potential advisors and beginning new sketches to outline my plans for the new direction I would like to take so I can leave for Jamaica next week with no worries.  Oh yeah, eat and sleep should be in this somewhere.

ODays at OCAD led to unexpected surprises!

My second day down in Toronto was filled with informative workshops, book shopping, social networking and fantastic sushi as part of our program's orientation schedule.  Able to meet lots of other students from the variety of Masters programs as well as meeting my second year buddy Jennifer Wigmore , served to be a very exciting and informative day. Three other highlights of the day included randomly being given a large roll of speckled strathmore paper, getting a free subscription to C Magazine and discovering this adorable ring tailed critter above one of the many doorways that line McCaul street.

Survived first day at OCAD!

Well it was a long day figuring out how to get down to the city and checking out all the studio facilities we can access at 100 McCaul.  So what did I learn? I learned that you turn left on Dundas when coming out of the ST.PATRICK subway station, watch out for the intricate and dangerous pattern of subway tracks, hold your nose while walking past manholes and be sure to get to the Downsview commuter parking early.. How did I feel? Absolutely terrified, but some familiar faces such as Annette, Alexander and the one and only Max Lupo made the day feel not so lonely or scary.  What was exciting? Meeting new people is always a blast and Paulette, the interm head of the program is a warm and generous delight.  We were led on an extensive tour of all the studios and materials we will have access to as well as met all the technicians who we will be running to for technical advice and perhaps rescue as the year proceeds.  Blunders for the day include taking a washroom break during the tour resulting in me being left behind and wearing inappropriate shoes for walking.  Now I know why urbanites are so skinny!  Tune in next week for a report on how our Orientation day goes.

Upcoming MFA Studio Sale on August 16th and Indiegogo Campaign!

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me on my journey as an artist.  This fall I head back to OCAD to attain my MFA in Interdisciplinary studies.  In preparation, I will be selling off some some old, new, and never seen works from my new home studio to make room for the creation of works over the next two years.  If you are able to come directly to the studio, the hours of the sale will happen between 10 am and 5 pm.  Small works on paper, canvas and even a selection of framed work will be part of the sale.  A selection of my handmade cards and Jillery will also be available for purchase.   If you are unable to make it on that weekend, but would like to visit the studio in person, please give me a call to set up a private viewing.  I can be reached at 705-229-5211.

Studio Location:  114 Esther Drive, Barrie, Ontario

See you in a couple of weeks!

Daily challenges depicted in show | The London Free Press

Daily challenges depicted in show | The London Free Press

Artist Talk with Jill Price | Events | Londoner

Artist Talk with Jill Price | Events | Londoner

Slip: Jill Price and Jenna Faye Powell | Events | Londoner

Slip: Jill Price and Jenna Faye Powell | Events | Londoner

Nice surprise for Christmas!

Al & Karen, the wonderful owners of Westand.

If you haven't been to the Westland Gallery in London, Ontario, it is a beautiful gallery located in the quaint Wortley Village.  This little area in South London has everything a person needs to get by, including some of the best cafe's I have ever been to.  Currently having their pre-Christmas show and sale, I was lucky enough that the editor chose one of my canvases from my Kitchen series to advertise the show.  Currently working on my new series of hills, I hope to have a show of my new work at the Westland in the near future.  Be sure to make this gallery a destination to visit if you are ever in the London area. Visit the link to read more about the gallery and the show. http://www.lfpress.com/2014/12/14/heres-your-chance-to-give-local-artists-work-for-christmas

Good Friend Lois Green opens at Gallery 111 on June 12th!

Enigmatic Gestures: Lois Green & Jennifer Tsuchida
Dates: June 12 – July 6, 2014
Reception: Thurs, June 12, 2014, 7 -9 pm

During the month of June, Gallery 111 will feature the dynamic and mysterious works of local artist Lois Green and Toronto textile artist Jennifer Tsuchida.  Both working with bold areas of colour, intriquing lines and organic shapes, this show will visually excite the eyes and stimulate the mind into generating associations on humanity and our relationship to other entities or organisms within our midst.

In her latest figurative explorations, Lois Green pushes foundation studio exercises of gesture to new levels, integrating artistic principles of space, shape, colour and line in order “to translate the primary thrust, weight and energy of the pose” to her viewer.  Green’s confident mark making and juxtaposition of emotionally charged colours work to engage the audience both from a distance and close up.

Felted surreal masses of colour by Jennifer Tsuchida are amoebic in form and beg to be touched.  Celebrating pattern and all that is tactile, each work is   “Enshrouded in mystery and intrigue, teetering between the natural world and fantasy”.  Seemingly alive due their organic shapes, napes and crevices, the viewer cannot deny elements within the work, which serve to unite that, which is human with what we might consider alien, on a cellular level.  Although created independently, when placed beside the representational figurative work of Green’s, Jen’s work can’t help but morph into 3D appendages or innards belonging to the human entities depicted behind them, speaking to our innate desire to make connections with that and those around us.

- See more at: http://www.gallery111.ca

Jill Price's Pick of the Day @ Latcham Gallery - A true celebration of the Act of Drawing

Jill Price's Pick of the day from Wednesday, April 30th: Derek Martin

A Cool Work by Martha Henrickson takes Photography to a whole new level!

Jill Price's Pick of the Day: Wing by Tracey Martin at Gallery 111

Jill Price's Pick of the Day: Mulmur River by Peter Adams

Art and more art!

Here are the shots I promised of how the moving in to my new studio is going.  As you can see the space is already overflowing with materials and unfinished works.  My biggest challenge will be to stay focused on one thing at a time as there are so many things I have on the go.  I have been told that you should really have negative white space to allow for new ideas to evolve and keep old ones at bay.  As I have a commission to start ans finish before anything else, I may need to flat file everything away before I begin to play. 

NEW STUDIO NOW OVER FLOWING WITH THE PAST & NEW IDEAS

My husband has once again come to the rescue to build me a space that will inspire me to create despite my crazy schedule.  With new white walls and beautifully bright pot lights, my new space is cheery enough to make me head to the basement.  Still organizing all my stuff, I have still managed to pull out my brushes, scissors, paints & grease pencils to release physical angst over my lack of time with my work.  I'll show you some new shots tomorrow to reveal how things are progressing with making everything fit.

A big thank you to Lauren Miller @ Art Inspire

Last night, I received a lovely little note from Lauren Miller via Facebook that she had done an artist profile on me for their new blog Art Inspire.  Despite the surprise about the work that they chose to use as the cover; a wee watercolour and ink landscape done in Japan (seen left), I was grateful for her attention. Upon visiting the blog, I was astonished at the variety of things the blog will be talking about and how they go about sharing wonderful articles from other publications.  I was also surprised to see my images being used everywhere, not just for my artist profile.  My images were being used as the cover for an article on the Armoury Show in New York, a place that I love, the image used to promote a link to a Basquiat, one of my favourite artists, as well as in their slide cover on their home page and heading up a series of other cool posts.  The important part was how they have been so professional in using these images.  Each picture is tagged with my name and the title of the work.  Congratulations and Thank You on so many levels to Lauren Miller and the Art Inspire team.  You are well worth a follow.  http://artistinspire.com/?p=476

CAN YOU SAY STUDIO SALE?

For those still having Jill Price Studios Gift Certificates, the sale price
of the work must be atleast double the price of the value of the
gift certificate!

Well if you haven't heard yet, my husband is frantically getting the basement ready for me to move my studio into the basement.  The walls are built, the lights are in and the first layer of plaster is on.  He is even being a doll and building me some built in shelves for all of the books and art mags I just can't seem to let go of.  My excitement is building to get into my new space and get busy, but there is something inside me telling me that there is no way there will be room to work if I move my studio from Lakeshore Mews into it.  Not only do I have enough tables to start a school, but my mixed media approach requires so much more storage than if I were just a painter or drawer.  Let's not even begin to mention the amount of work I have created in the last three years!  So here it is.  The only way I can forsee myself squeezing into my new space is if I part with a good chunk of my work.  Yep, you guessed it, A MASSIVE STUDIO SALE! Starting next Sunday, I will be in my studio packing things up and getting organized.  All works in the space will be 50% off. Hope to see you there!

Tangled Realities Continue

Continuing to play seems to be the name of the game.  I had the privilege of meeting with Leo Kamen a couple of months ago to discuss the direction of my personal practice.  Shocked at how I was able to talk about my work so clearly, he thought that perhaps I need to turn the brain off for awhile and just play.  How do I do that I asked?  I often have a vision of how everything should look before I have even made one mark.  He suggested I would need to trick myself?!  This sounds like someone trying to tickle them self. Despite my frustration, what Leo was suggesting rang true for me.  So my goals for this year are to not necessarily create a series of work, but rather play intuitively to arrive at one finished artwork at a time.  Some of my most recent play arrived at three miniatures which will be on display at Bohemia during Gallery 111's Black and White show during the month of February.  Each artist was asked to work within 10" x 10" frames to create small works that people will just love!  I arrived at three pieces play with the notion of love, two of the them entitled "Not Quite a Valentine".  Integrating partial scenes from the toile fabrics I have been collecting, became a fun way to combine old drawings, prints and collage elements to arrive at bizarre love scenes.  Be sure to stop by one of Barrie's best cafes to find the perfect small work for your Valentine.