February 4th 2012

I'm taking a break from work this morning to post a couple of things that I've had in mind to write about recently.  I don't often feature many other local artists on my blog, (except for Team Macho I guess, but that's because I'm completely biased).  That's not to say that Toronto doesn't have an incredible selection of super-talented artists, so I'm taking the time to mention a few of my favourites.


For a long while, (since I saw her first solo exhibition in 2005), I've been a big fan of Julie Moon's work.  She's a ceramicist currently working at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA.  I've always been especially drawn to porcelain.  There's something very painterly about working in porcelain, but there is another element of richness added when working in 3D.  Part of what appeals most in Julie's work is her glazes; hand-brushed over her pieces.  I've included a couple of images below as examples of some of my favourite work.  These two pieces were housed at the Katzman Kamen Gallery back in November of 2011, and are some of her most recent work.  For more of her work, there is a small collection for view on her page at Narwhal Art Projects, and her website, linked above.

Another local ceramicist and great friend, Naomi Yasui, has recently begun a project with her friend Heather Goodchild that I've been checking in with daily.  They've begun a collection of posts on their site, THE WARDENS TODAY, dedicated "To celebrate the beautiful, interesting, and dynamic people, places, ideas and objects we encounter in our daily lives".  For a short history of their influence and their manifesto, see here.  They're adding to it daily.  It's a beautiful project so far.  They've taken inspired photos of their daily surroundings, the work of friends and locals, and shared them graciously.  A particular favourite post was this, the apartment of artist Lisa DiQuinzio and cinematographer Michael Leblanc.

I'll post more of my favourites shortly; this has turned in to a longer post than I'd intended!