News

Congratulations to Bau-Xi artist Ted Fullerton who has recently been awarded a sculpture commission for the Billings Art and Heritage Trail, Manitoulin Island, to be installed in the Summer of 2017.

Digital rendering of the artist’s intention for commissioned piece Ascend/Transcend

Ascend/Transcend: Billings Art and Heritage Trail, Manitoulin Island.

The sculpture Ascend/Transcend will consist of three figures stepping up into “imagined space”. Each pole will have a different elevation reinforcing the notion of ascension and transcendance, creating a sculpture that places imagined human endeavor and achievement between earth and sky. This inference will be reinforced with a yellow bird – yellow being symbollc of enlightenment – surmounted on the highest figure’s head.

View paintings and sculpture by Ted Fullerton online here 

1. Why the fascination with the Grid?

 In western art history the grid is an emblem of modernism.  It references a point in timein which new ways of seeing and thinking were expressed through artists such as Mondrian, Malevich,  Rodchenko and later Agnes Martin.  These artists continue to inspire me.

 Within my artistic practice the grid acts a vessel, it becomes the perimeter for various metaphors, processes and rituals.  For example the metaphor of a veil, an enclosed space, and the ritualistic marking of counted breaths within a specific time frame.

I have also wanted to simultaneously convey a relationship between conceptual minimalism and textile handiwork.  The layered paint forms a grid, which in turn embodies a relationship to paint that is seemingly woven.

I was raised in a family where the women were avid about cloth and all forms of handiwork, crochet, knitting, weaving and sewing: that impulse has informed my art practice.

2. There appears to be a feeling of restraint and an internal elegant logic within each painting. Do you set a predetermined guideline or set of rules for each work or is it very processed oriented?

 I  do begin with a predetermined guideline of the grid, which I draw out in pencil first. I can then have a flexible guide and work on a group of paintings to begin with.

As I keep working I then begin to respond to the individual needs of each piece.  I can introduce new rules, such as colour or proportional sequence and build layers this way, but I trust how I respond when viewing a piece in determining if it’s completed or not.  If I have an internal response I know it’s finished.

This may take some time and that is why some paintings have thicker layers or are denser.  I also go back and rework paintings, sometimes over a period of years.  The accumulation metaphor of my forever and endless paintings is intuitively guided. This process is something I want to explore more of in the future.

3. Do you have rituals or routines in the studio that help you paint? For example do you listen to music or is it completely quiet?

I like to create an atmosphere through listening to different meditative music or mantras. This helps me create a focus of intent.  I have practiced meditation for many years and my painting process shares many of its elements.  Being present in the moment and being conscious of my breath.

Joseph Plaskett, Suffolk Spring #1(diptych), 1992, Oil on Canvas, 36 X 96 in. ACQUIRE

Bau-Xi Gallery is pleased to announce that a selection of Joseph Plaskett paintings have been released for sale, following the recent settlement of his estate. We look forward to discussing these works with collectors. Plaskett passed away September 21, 2014 in his home in Suffolk, England. He was 96. 

Joseph Plaskett is considered to be one of Canada’s most talented and established painters. In the spring of 2001, he was awarded The Order of Canada for excellence in the field of visual art. Since the 1940’s, he has had over 65 solo and group exhibitions, with work in major public, private and corporate collections, including the National Gallery of Canada. He has exhibited with the Bau-Xi Gallery, both in Vancouver and Toronto, since 1973.

Born in 1918 in New Westminster, B.C., Plaskett studied art in Banff, San Francisco, New York, London, and Paris, where he lived for many years. His chosen subjects are intimate expressions of everyday life – interiors, still life, and portraits of friends and models. There is a warm humanity to his work; a love of light, form, and colour that is evident in every painting he produces. The ensuing results are masterworks of visual delight.

Read Joseph Plaskett's obituary in The Globe & Mail here

VIEW AVAILABLE JOSEPH PLASKETT ARTWORK HERE

Bau-Xi Gallery is pleased to announce representation of Canadian abstract painter Vicky Christou.

Vicky Christou explores the illusionary play between colour, proportion and pattern to construct a dimensional surface within the pure form of the grid. Her abstract paintings and pastels are her way of encoding a series of personal experiences in time. 

The metaphor of the shield and veil inform the poetic interplay of her most recent work, which is composed of multiple layers of thick impasto that resemble paint-constructed bas-relief works, working together to form a grid with incredible depth. 

The application of the paint in repetitive patterns in various orders and consistency becomes an industrial system for Christou, constructing surfaces that appear both sculptural and painterly. A grid of acrylic impasto, suggestive of an architectural tapestry, thread throughout the top surface offering varying glimpses into the layers of colour that form the composition. A record of accumulated paint lines are seemingly cast out for a thematic search of the netted form, inviting an optical play between the pigments solidity and illusionary characteristics.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Christou immigrated to Canada in 1969 and is a graduate of the Emily Carr College of Art and Design.

Richly textured abstract paintings and geometric pastels on paper will debut at Bau-Xi Vancouver as part of the annual Holiday Exhibition (December 3 - 28).

VIEW VICKY CHRISTOU WORK HERE

Anda Kubis, Dance, digital painting on canvas, 30 x 42 inches, ACQUIRE

Bau-Xi Gallery is thrilled to announce representation of recognized Canadian abstract painter Anda Kubis.

Anda Kubis works in expanded digital, material, and traditional oil painting processes. Due to the prominence of colour in her artwork, Kubis consciously considers how the engagement with aesthetics and creativity positive affects human flourishing and quality of life. With degrees from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and York University, Kubis crosses her artistic practice with design and architecture, material exploration, and her significant teaching career. She is the Associate Dean of Outreach and Innovation in the Faculty of Art at OCAD University. Numerous public and private collections have acquired Kubis’ work, including RBC, TD Bank, BMO, Cenovus Energy, Aimia, The Westaim Corporation, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

VIEW ANDA KUBIS ARTWORK HERE

'The Intimates' On display at Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto, December 3-18, 2016

The Intimates (window sill), 54 x 40 in. oil on canvas, 2016

We recently sat down with artist Darlene Cole for a conversation about her upcoming exhibition, 'The Intimates'.

How do you approach creating a new series?

 a) A new playlist!

 b) I find that working on a small scale in the beginning gets me to the gritty raw bits of what I want to say and feel... I immediately know if it has the push and pull that I want.

 c) I draw from what is around me, human to human, relationships, pathways, landscapes, visits to antique shops in Old Ontario, my artist retreat, etc.

For 'The Intimates' I bought a new Moleskine sketchbook and some yummy chalk that feels like I'm on a boat when I work with it. It is a green/grey blue...like a wild lake colour. I've been drawing (rather habitual) while standing at an old table that came from a historical building in Belleville, Ontario. The table is painted in an 'as found' glossy blue/grey colour that I can see the shadow of my hand in as I draw. Although I'm a bit of a nighthawk, I draw only during the day under natural light. It is an intimate experience with the music, daylight, the soft chalk on cream paper on the old table.

How do you know when you've chosen the perfect 'theme' for the show?

I keep bits of green masking tape on my walls in the studio...words or phrases that often have dual meanings. I might hear words in songs as I'm working, or often they just come to me at odd times...unloading the dishwasher or drying my hair. My work is truly on my mind all the time...like fine webbing that joins one thought to another as I move from space to space. The title for the show has to feel right in my space as I walk around this old house. It has to feel right with the ceiling height, the light filtering in...it is like part of the plot somehow or a hint of the setting...it has to 'fit' into my world...and make your cheeks blush a bit when you think of it.

What element of your work do you visualize first?

The feeling...the atmosphere of the painting.

How long will you work on paintings for 'The Intimates'? 

I never know the answer to this question...but with 'The Intimates', the small scale paintings may continue perhaps for a museum show... 

Which elements of your familiar imagery will turn up in this show?

The white rabbit, the dress, the boat, the fawn, the horse, the curtain, roses and peonies...

Do you have any surprises for us?

Palm trees, perhaps a violin, some leopard print and a honey container from WWII...

CLICK TO VIEW ARTWORK BY DARLENE COLE

Kathryn Macnaughton, 'Appear Tame', mixed media on canvas, 60 x 48 inches, available at Bau-Xi Toronto. Click to purchase.

New artwork arrives daily at the gallery, which means we have a selection of artwork that never sits still for long. Check out this stunning new Kathryn Macnaughton piece - similar in subject matter to the multiple sold out pieces for Art Toronto, yet much larger!

VIEW MORE NEW ARTWORK BY KATHRYN MACNAUGHTON

SEA-Tac Delta Sky lounge welcomes an exciting new installation by sculptor Paul Vexler

A fluid dance of bentwood and laminate hangs suspended from Delta's newly renovated Sky Lounge at Seattle's Sea-Tac airport. Created by sculptor Paul Vexler, the commission work cleverly speaks to the flight patterns, excitement and the optimism of travel. 

View more work by Paul Vexler