Opening Event In Action

Thank you Young & Restless for taking these amazing pictures of the Neck of the Woods opening event!

See them here.

Artist Prints for Sale - Perfect Holiday Gifts

See what we have in store! Prints ranging from $5 to $35

Check out the artist prints HERE.

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Free Giveaways - Find them by the print table!

Onsite Bookstore 10% coupons!

* Onsite Bookstore has books ranging from Gary Taxali "I Love You, OK" to Marian Bantjes "I Wonder" * 

Sweet Flour Bake Shop 20% off coupons!

* Sweet Flour makes fresh gourmet cookies and other delicious treats!*

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Sarah Anne Prior is a photographer and illustrator based in Hong Kong with a particular attraction to rust and pipes.  While visiting Canada she found a park in her “neck of the woods”, it was here that she developed her subject matter. Like Sarah dandelions are not native to North America. Like dandelions Sarah is enjoying life in North America. 

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Pallavi Thampi is a Toronto based graphic designer and illustrator. She is currently in her final year at OCAD University studying graphic design and minoring in English. She also enjoys colour-coding, electronic music, typography, patterning, photography, coffee sipping,freewriting, reading well worn books, over-analyzing, museums, taking walks in strange cities.

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Pallavi and NOTW:

"In exploring Mirvish Village, I was struck by the constructed and branded theatricality of the entire neighborhood. Honest Ed is such a well-known and theatrical trademark of Toronto and it permeates every aspect of the neighborhood, from every angle. In ‘Honest to Holt’, I question the ownership and authorship, the cheap abundance, and glorified nostalgia and kitsch aesthetic of Honest Ed’s and Mirvish village using typography as a means of satire. In my work I’m also interested in ownership of space, and the relationship between space and object. Emporium delves into the divide between low and high-end items and spaces, and the transformations of the discounted deals into objects of desire."

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Check our her graphic design and illustrative work here.

Readings by Ellie Anglin

Ellie Anglin is a Toronto based writer of prose and poetry as well as a visual artist who works mostly in collage. She has been the sole- or co-creator of 10 zines. She was the recipient of the 2011 Toronto Arts Council grant for Emerging Visual Artists.  Her work has been published in The Hart House Review, Steel Bananas, Broken Pencil, Papirmasse and Little Brother. Her first book, Tender Buttons is now available. 

Check out more of her work here.
 
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Ellie and her  book, Tender Buttons:

Tender Buttons is a fusion of collage and flash fiction, lovingly created by Ellie Anglin. Each full-colour book is numbered, signed and hand-bound by the artist, and has a one-of-a-kind collaged book sleeve.  $12

“After surviving a mysterious and dark childhood, an emotionally stunted narrator struggles with mental illness, self-injury, and to reconcile her queerness with her strange spiritualism.  Our deeply repressed and simple heroine’s true sadness is only glimpsed at through frequent cracks in the delirious, slavish narrative about her prized Button Collection. The accompanying collages serve to open these cracks wider, giving a literal glimpse of her true desperation. If you like flash fiction, collage, and strange, sad women, Tender Buttons might be the one for you. 

Self-Published in Toronto, Ontario in 2012. 

76 pp. ISBN # 978-0-9879898-0-2

Tender Buttons can be purchased from Ellie at ‘zine and craft fairs throughout the city, as well as at Art Metropole (1490 Dundas Street West), or online at etsy.com/shop/ellieanglin  

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Vincent Luk had his birth into the world of photography through his Dad's Zeiss Ikon Contessa LKE and his Mom's Olympus Pen-EE. Influenced by the cameras that surrounded his childhood, it wasn't long until he picked one up for himself and starting snapping away. His work is often personal as it explores the essence of his own life experiences, through his travels, spirituality and everyday encounters. 

He recently moved to the Junction and will be exploring the urban landscape at night for 'Neck of the Woods'.

See more of Vincent's wonderful work here.

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Richael Laking is a visual artist who benefits from single child syndrome. She receded into her imagination at a young age, having no friends to play with other than her sleeping dad's feet. The world is her playground and her brain her favourite toy. 

Richael would like to thank the Missisaugas of New Credit for allowing us the use of their traditional land as she represents all the beauty and diversity of the Aboriginal community in Toronto for this brilliant show. 

Check out her blog here!

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Kevin Morris is an emerging photographer from Toronto, Ontario. He has traveled extensively over the last six years exploring diverse landscapes, people, and cultures ranging from urban city centers in North America to rural farmlands in mainland China. His images have been published in leading magazines & for corporate commissions in North America.
 
Kevin’s body of work “Imperial Age” brings to light the growing challenges found in Toronto’s stock of aging concrete towers. Built during the 1960s and 1970s, these once prestigious residences are increasingly slipping through the cracks of Toronto’s otherwise evolving social fabric.
 
Profiling the area north of St. Clair Avenue between Avenue Road and Yonge Street, “Imperial Age” provides a snapshot of tower life in the neighbourhood that is Deer Park; once full of the promise and
opportunity which came with the rise of big oil, a ‘Mad Men’-like lifestyle, and an exclusive uptown community.
 
This project was inspired by the work of E.R.A. Architects, former Mayor David Miller, and the University of Toronto on Mayor’s Tower Renewal.

See Kevin's beautiful work here.

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From the controlled and quiet rationale of the Mississauga suburbs emerges the uncontrolled, passionate, vibrant and spirited artist, Tyler Armstrong. A fairly new addition to the Toronto eye but has been fluent in the paints for years, in what started as a weekend hobby has transformed into a heated passion. A self taught artist, Tyler daringly creates haunting images of a darker territory with wild lines and vibrant colour use that seem to balance in perfect harmony along side the disturbing imagery.  

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Tyler and NOTW:

"I'm exploring the Jarvis and Gerard area. More specific, George street. An area known for it's drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. Amidst the darkness and despair there is still light and hope."

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Check out Tyler's intriguing and energetic work here.

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EL BLACK's focus as an artist is with makeup and hair. Her inspiration comes from special effects in film to the fashion world. She is passionate towards pushing boundaries in the makeup industry where her work often exudes creative edge and confidence.
El BLACK is a versatile makeup artist, however believes that less is more. 

For our show EL BLACK is using Main and Danforth as her source of inspiration. She will be exploring photography, styling in hair, makeup and clothing to translate her connection with where she grew up. Her work will have a retro feel with candid moments.

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DRONE ONE, illustrator/aerosol painter/muralist. Began drawing at the age of pencil holding dexterity, and has since refined the craft, excelling in traditional illustration techniques (paper and pencil style). DRONE uses dynamic perspectives to reveal unfolding scenes, or perhaps one frame in the continuous flow of a moment.

DRONE ONE will be exploring east side Toronto, with Pape neighborhood being his source of inspiration. 

Check out DRONE's amazing work here. 

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Patrick Estebar is an editorial, portrait and street photographer born and raised in Manila, Philippines now based in Toronto. He believes in honesty by capturing the purest of memories. Taking photos of the mundane and making them worth the viewer's time.

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Patrick and NOTW:

"Eglinton west is the neighbourhood that I chose to document. It is close to my heart because of the 5 years i spent living and growing there. This is one of Toronto's most unique neighbourhoods because of all the different stores and residents. From weave stores to Caribbean restaurants the neighbourhood is bustling with people from all walks of life. This scene has become normal/regular to the point that i feel at home in this neighbourhood even though I no longer reside there."

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Check out Patrick's intriguing work here.

- or -  see what Patrick is all about and his daily findings on his blog.

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Rosena Fung is a comics artist and illustrator currently studying at OCAD University in Toronto. Her work is at once playful and melancholic with a penchant for details, patterns, and fanciful surrealism.

Rosena draws inspiration from the Annex neighbourhood as a space of friendly community that is rife with boisterous energy and hospitality. It is the place she goes to unwind and dream, immerse in nostalgia while also looking forward to great opportunities to come. Rosena’s Neck of the Wood pieces investigates the Annex as a place where strange dreams fuelled by delight and merriment surface to the fore.

Check out more of her wonderful work here.

Have something nice to say about Rosena's work?

Give her a tweet @Nerdatronic500 or via e-mail rosenafung@gmail.com

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Justin de Lima is a visual artist working out of Toronto. He is currently a student at OCAD University. Justin uses found material as a device to explore concepts of loss and home. The idea of utilizing raw material to create something fragile and elegant is an interest of his. This is Justin's fourth group show in the city. 

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Justin and NOTW:

  

"There comes a time in everyone's life when they're old enough to hear the bits about the family history they were never told before because they were too young and the histories too dark.  

This past summer I returned to my family's ancestral village in the Açores Islands for the first time in many years. After learning about the village my parents grew up in, I took an interest in my family's history and the research led me to Little Portugal in downtown Toronto: the neighbourhood my parents settled down in after leaving the islands. For a time, I also called the sprawling neighbourhood home and ironically, lived a street away from my parents' old place. 

By painting from photographs taken in Little Portugal that illustrate my family's immigrant experience and incorporating found objects taken during my time in the neighbourhood, I hope to reconcile the two cultures that have influenced my identity most.

Like many Canadians, I suffer from an identity crisis. By exploring the past, I hope to resolve this postmodern predicament and conjure the confidence to embrace a multicultural identity."

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Check out Justin's beautiful work here.

New day, new artist

Each day we will be introducing you to a talented NOTW artist and also reveal what neighborhood they're exploring!

We are also asking you to show us your neighborhood:

You can tag us by adding @NOTW_artshow to your tweets and hash tag instagram pics with #neckofthewoodsTO.

We will contact you if your image has been selected. At the opening event, you will see your image be a part of a collection, where it will be projected on the gallery walls!

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Marc O’Brien is a Canadian artist/illustrator that spent most of his youth on the road. With little to do in an empty parked car but stare at people with discomforting intensity, he took up drawing and obnoxious face making. Unfortunately, his face got stuck that way, so drawing was the only way he could get people to like him. For a period in high school, he wore only black and began to draw on his own body with permanent marker. People said he had art school written all over him.

Marc is primarily a painter, but works in a variety of digital and analogue media. Recently his experiments have begun to take shape in the 3rd, and sometimes 4th, dimension but he doesn't feel the world is ready for the latter yet. As an illustrator, he has worked in music, marketing, game/film concept and book illustration, recently producing a fully illustrated 'fantasy' book for Specialized Bicycle Components' First Gear initiative. In 2011/2012 he worked as Art Director and Designer for Spontaneous Combustion Magazine. He currently lives andworks in Toronto, Canada.

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Marc and NOTW: "South of queen, between University and Spadina is a district that exists only in the dark. It is more of a time than a place; a time that I rarely set my watch for. It is definitely not my neck of the woods, which is why I chose to explore it. The district in the dark glitters with pretty lights. It’s luring, seductive and chaotic.

Every city needs a place to lose its mind."

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Check out Marc's imaginative work here.

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Suharu Ogawa is a Toronto-based illustrator originally from Japan. Her illustrations are often metaphorical, conceptual, and whimsical. Her work illustrates contemporary issues with a touch of nostalgic tenderness.

“For this show, I chose the College West area where I live and linger when I need to be charged with positive energy. With live Gypsy Jazz playing in the background, a local pub owner once told me, “You might show up mad, but this is the place where you can’t stay mad. You always leave here with a smile.” In our busy daily lives, utopia may not exist, but this neighborhood, which I call home, is where my bad days are accepted and turned into big smiles by the end of the night. Whenever I hear the ”Skiddleebop! Skiddleebop! Skiddleebop!” of Jazz, I feel things just might be alright.”

Check out Suharu's wonderful work here.

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Shane Fester is a fine art photographer who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design University. Fester has had the privilege of exhibiting within Toronto and Florence, Italy. He currently resides and works in Toronto, Ontario. 

“Earlscourt”  investigates the silent history of the St Clair West neighbourhood. This work documents the prominent architecture of the Prospect Cemetery and Mausoleum. "Earlscourt" represents a permanence that will remain unchanged as the surrounding community is constantly evolving. 

Check out his beautiful photography here.

NOTW Animation by A.D.C

Introducing an amazing promo video by the talented, jack-of-all-trades artist, Andrew Dunn Clarke. Thanks for making this awesome video!

Neck of the Woods

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