Meet the Gestures Artists

With work so breathtaking, words are necessary to describe the beauty of Gestures. Twist Gallery’s two-month-long exhibition displays 8 local Toronto artists’ brush strokes, showing just how intentional and deliberate each stroke is. Experience the feelings illustrated in this exhibition, it is sure to leave a mark

→ Join us at 1100 Queen Street West, Tuesday to Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM ←

Gestures Opening Reception

Join us for light appetizers, refreshments, music, and a chance to meet the artists.

Thursday, April 7th, 2022 | 6 pm to 9 pm

1100 Queen Street W

Along with the incredible works done by our various artists it is important to us that we get to know each artist more personally. We asked each artist to send in a short paragraph explaining a bit about who they are in order for us, and you to feel more connected to them outside of their work! All of the artists from this exhibit have such incredible stories and explanations for why they love their craft, and we invite you to learn more about how they came to be who they are, and why they decided to create. Keep reading to get the full story!

MEET THE GESTURES ARTISTS

Alice Kelso

Alice Kelso is a Canadian artist, teacher, and social advocate. Though based mainly out of Hamilton and Toronto, she has also shown her work at pop-up exhibitions in the UK. As a graduate of OCAD University's painting program (BFA) and Sheridan College's social services program (SSW), she teaches (and learns) through an anti-oppressive and holistic framework. Alice's work is abstract but representational and her process is expressive and cathartic. It showcases the patterns created by natural growth through texture, mark-making and colour harmonies; conceptual interconnectivity between art and science, people and the world around them.

Andrea Higgins

Andrea is a contemporary self-taught artist with a background in music, film and dance. 

Her work is physical and improvisational, driven by emotion captured through an abstract lens. She describes her works as a dance with one's self, spontaneous and free, releasing energy and emotions in a limitless direction. 

Similar to the way music creates a soundtrack to our lives, colours play a role in the background of our everyday moments yet carry meanings that vary from person to person. 

Andrea lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

Andrea Rosara

Andrea Rosara is an interdisciplinary artist from Venice, Italy. He works primarily in the media of painting and drawing and has an interest in printmaking. He holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Art and a Master’s of Fine Art/Visual Studies in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. Andrea has exhibited his work in a wide variety of solo and group exhibitions in Venetian galleries and art festivals including Atelier 3+10, the Festival of Contemporary Art Giudecca, La Fenice Gallery, Techwood Venezia, and Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. He is now based in Toronto, Canada.

Caroline Chorazy

Caroline Chorazy is a self-taught, Toronto-based abstract artist specializing in acrylics and gold leaf. She draws her inspiration from natural elements in an attempt to capture organic movement and flow in all of her artwork. Her use of gold leaf and pigment gives each piece a unique gesture and ability to change appearance or shape in cohesion with the room and light.

Moses Salihou

Moses is a contemporary artist whose artwork reads like visual poetry; subjective & limitless in its interpretation.  His inspiration and creativity are sourced from his surroundings, the environment and his imagination.  Moses’ creative process is guided by a desire to establish a dialogue through his work without setting any limits.

As a versatile artist, Moses uses various supports (canvas, paper, reclaimed materials) and mediums (oil, acrylic, watercolour, pigment and charcoal).  Originally from Cameroon, Moses now calls Toronto home and his artwork is proudly featured in private collections in Canada and abroad.

Seokhoon Jun

Seokhoon Jun loves family, friends, and nature. Currently studying art therapy at Toronto Art Therapy Institute with an interest in how art and spirituality come together in life. Glad and grateful for the opportunity to connect through art.

Valentina Youkhanna

Valentina Youkhanna is a self-taught artist who has always had a creative side since childhood. She spent a lot of her time as a kid drawing, colouring, and painting. In her early 20s, she began painting with acrylics and it’s been love ever since. She is not only passionate about the arts and creativity but also had a career as a mental health worker and facilitated art groups for those facing mental health and addiction challenges. In her late 20s, Valentina decided creativity would take the main seat in her life and pursued an education in hairstyling which ultimately led her to work in both professions. By 2019 she would dedicate and commit more time to her creative outlets and left the mental health sector to solely focus on her hairstylist career and art. 

Valentina is passionate about healing through art and believes everyone is creative. She believes everyone has gifts and talents in the arts but as time goes on and people “grow up” they forget what it means to play, to have fun, and let your mind be creative. She hopes to see more people tune into their intuition and create from the heart and soul to express or heal. She values community, supporting one another and believes there is abundance for all in the art world and no need to compete because as she states, “no two people can draw the same line.”

Vian Ewart

Vian’s early career was in the graphic side of journalism. About 15 years ago Vian had the opportunity to go to the Gallery School at the AGO, and then the Toronto School of Art, and then the three-year adult art course at Central Tech Art School. For several years since, Vian has been part of the ProjectArt studio group in Toronto. He has also been involved with a number of group exhibitions from the Praxis Gallery to Lennox Contemporary to Don Valley/Forest Hill and most recently Gallery 1313. Last year he completed a couple of commissions in Canada and the U.S.

We hope to see you there!

This exhibit is one of the longer ones, and we felt that this was necessary due to the complexity and emotional depth inherent in a lot of the artists pieces. We hope that this blog post gave you some insight into why each artist decided to express themselves through this medium, and how their art has helped shaped their life. We are excited to see you at the new exhibit Gestures and hope this work will inspire you in the way it was meant too.

Get to Know the Artists From Chromatics! March 2nd-26th

This month Twist Gallery has chosen 7 local Toronto artists to be a part of our Chromatics Exhibit. Each of these artists has their very own unique inspirations, creative processes and messages they display in their art. Their artwork communicates the same theme of expressing themselves through the use of bold and vibrant colours. How they use and express these colours is entirely unique.

→ Join us at 1100 Queen Street West, Tuesday to Saturday from 11 AM to 6 PM ←

Liz Szymczak

Liz Szymczak’s painting journey started in 2018 as therapy for anxiety, post-heart attack. She initially started painting rocks that she gathered from her walks at the lake. From there she jumped to small canvases, and now Liz’s largest piece to date is 36” x 48” and she hopes to go even larger! Painting opened up in her a well of creative energy that lay dormant for most of her life. Now painting is her sanctuary! All of her work is intuitive and many of her works have appeared to her in dreams. Liz’s only hope is that her art makes the viewer feel- because that is what makes life so beautiful!

Tamar Kevorkian

Tamar is an Armenian Canadian painter born in Beirut, Lebanon. Tamar grew up in Montreal, where she studied Fine Arts at Concordia University and Photography at Dawson Institute of Photography. Her infinite imagination and inspiration from her life experiences along with the influence of Pablo Picasso give life to an empty canvas.

Tamar’s preferred mediums are acrylic, oil pastel, charcoal, and ink, using brushes and palette knives of various sizes. She brings forth harmony to explore and create the visual imagery of her cubist graffiti paintings. Now living in Toronto, Canada, Tamar actively paints both on canvas and on digital media.

“Art should have no boundaries, therefore I paint freely and boldly because Art always matters.”

— Tamar Kevorkian

Judith McKay

Judith McKay is a Toronto-area abstract surrealist artist. Her intensely coloured, vibrant landscapes and portraits are influenced by magical realism and surrealistic dreams. The concept underlying her work is that of inseparable and contradictory opposites. The playful duality of abstract and representation—altering perception and reality. Interconnectedness and dissolving boundaries permeate her work—one element flows into another, merging and mixing, creating something altogether new. We think we recognize the places and people in these paintings but they are not as we remember them.

Her artworks featured at the Chromatics exhibit depict powerfully ethereal women spirits and sensual flowing skies, birds, and flowers in vivid, hopeful colours. Her mission in creating these works is to offer an alternative elsewhere, an escape from the chaotic world we find ourselves in. She uses acrylic on canvas; painting with swirling motion to give a sense of floating in ambient air. 

Recent exhibitions include the Loft Gallery Group Exhibition, The Artist Project, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, HIRAETH, a solo show at the Urban Gallery, Toronto and FUSION, a shared solo show with Moses Salihou at the Freedom Factory Gallery, Toronto. Her work can also be found in private and corporate collections across Canada, the US, and overseas.

Adeeba Aslam

Adeeba comes from a deeply artistic family of painters, potters and clothing designers with roots in Pakistan. She is a self-taught artist who derives inspiration for her work from her spirituality, lived experiences and interactions with her community.

Over the past several years Adeeba has been trained with and is currently under the mentorship of a prominent Canadian artist, Catherine Shea.

Influenced by expressionist painters, Adeeba typically doesn't have a plan before exploring the canvas. She works with acrylic paint and selected mediums using unconventional tools and techniques to create her abstract pieces. Using bold colours, spatial and organic structures, Adeeba’s paintings evoke an ethereal depth and drama in telling her stories. The process of painting is both a deeply emotional and meditative experience for Adeeba.

Adeeba’s work has been featured at various locations in Toronto, where she was born, raised and currently resides.

For more information about her work, contact adeeba.aslam@gmail.com. Check out her Instagram: @adeeba.aslam.art.

Andrea Higgins

Andrea is a contemporary self-taught artist with a background in music, film, and dance. Her work is physical and improvisational, driven by emotion captured through an abstract lens. She describes her works as a dance with one's self, spontaneous and free, releasing energy, and emotions in a limitless direction. 

Similar to the way music creates a soundtrack to our lives, colours play a role in the background of our everyday moments yet carry meanings that vary from person to person. 

Andrea lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Check out her Instagram: @andreahigginsart.

Giuseppe Mandarino

Rooted in Italian tradition, Giuseppe was born in November 1976 and raised in the Downsview neighbourhood of Toronto. Giuseppe has been passionate about putting paint to canvas since his childhood. Experimenting with his artistic style by fusing a combination of textures, colours, and mediums his creations are one of a kind pieces developed through emotions, surroundings and human connections. Giuseppe speaks through his work, and each paint stroke is an expression. His art is created to channel feeling, movement, and inspiration for those that view it. With a love for his hometown of Toronto, Giuseppe has created custom work for an array of local art collectors, entrepreneurs, and admirers. The world that surrounds us has inspiration everywhere if we take the time to notice it, which Giuseppe displays on his canvas.  

“Do something you really enjoy and it will never feel like work. I’m grateful for my family’s support, and for the opportunities I have been given.”

— Giuseppe Mandarino

Kim Benoit

Creating art is the perfect occasion for an artist to explore happiness. Experiencing art is a mindful activity which allows time and space to experience an emotion. In the paintings from Kim’s series “What Is Happiness?”, she proposes to expound on happiness. What aspects of art make someone feel good? Making a painting that aims to have someone explore their happiness or even to guide them to feel happy is no easy task. She needed to find a visual vocabulary to define happiness. All artists choose a palette to convey the mood. Dark colours can be calming or depressing, bright colours can be uplifting or overwhelming. The use of space can attract or repel. Loose brush strokes and flowing organic shapes can be freeing or disorienting. Strict movement and controlled geometric shapes can evoke safeness or confinement. All of these elements affect the experience. In Kim’s series ‘What Is Happiness?’ She selected paintings that are bright, flowing, and organic for the Chromatics exhibition. To see Kim’s other paintings which express stricter controlled geometric expressions, go to kimbenoitart.com.

The artist’s portion of the proceeds of the sale of these paintings will be donated to research and programs which support people with a mental illness.

We hope to see you there!

Valentine's Day Date Night on Queen Street West

This Monday February 14th is Valentine’s Day and whether you’re spending it with your significant other, your friends, or your family, Queen Street West provides you with a whole day of fun local places to explore. Queen Street West is known for trendy retail stores, unique coffee shops, and a large cluster of art galleries in the city. Walking along this street makes you feel like you’re in the city. Trendy cafes surrounding you, art from creative people, and the CN Tower poking out from between the skyscrapers. Below are some options of the fun things to do on Queen Street West. It’s your day, so if exploring the city is something you love to do then follow the list below, but if just going to a café is your thing, then grab a cup at the place listed to try something new.

Photo taken by Twist Gallery.

Frankie’s Diner 

Located at 994 Queen Street West, start the day off right with some diner styled breakfast food. They also serve draught beers. This local diner is handmade fresh and has been open since 1977. They are open for dine-in, curb-side pickup, and delivery. There’s just something about diner food and the atmosphere with your loved ones. It’s both delicious and comforting.

Photo from Frankie’s Diner’s Facebook.

Birds

If you’re in the mood to shop come shop at Birds, located at 1114 Queen Street West. The clothes are vegan, sustainable, and made ethically in Canada. They also have a “ReNesting” section which allows you to resell the clothes you bought there as long as it is still in re-sellable condition. If it isn’t then they offer to take the item anyways to donate it to a local charity who raise money through recycled cloth.

Photo from Birdsofna’s Instagram.

Euclid Farms

 Located at 913 Queen Street West, Euclid Farms is a flower shop. Spoil your loved one or spoil yourself because self-care is important too. This local flower shop is chemical free so making a purchase here you know you are getting great quality flowers. They grow their flowers in eleven yards in West Queen West and Roncesvalles.

Photo from Euclidfarm’s Instagram.

Helen and Hildegard

Located at 1174 Queen Street West, they are a cute local shop that sells beauty products, candles and essential oils, home products, and tea ware. Walking by their window their designed mugs will pop out at you. They also sell organic teas. They even have a Valentine’s Gift Guide on their website to check out this weekend.

Photo from HelenandHildegard’s Instagram.

Café Neon

Café Neon is an artsy hip café to visit to warm up on these cold winter days. Located at 1024 Queen Street West, get take-out or dine-in and admire the unique art pieces that line the walls. The café offers breakfast, lunch, a wide selection of coffee and baked goods. They also sell baked breads, wine, and beer to order from their website. This place is sure to warm you and your loved ones up.

Photo from cafe_neon’s Instagram.

Fonda Lola 

Located at 942 Queen Street West, Fonda Lola is a great dinner place for your Valentine’s Day dinner. You’ll know you’re in the artsy Queen Street West scene from the decadent plates served. This restaurant offers Mexican cuisine and several Margaritas. They also have a “sassy yet classy” drink list which is perfect if that’s your vibe too. 

Photo from Fonda Lola’s Instagram.

Twist Gallery

Finish your day with some art or visit during the day as you can spend some time admiring six different local Toronto artist’s pieces. Twist Gallery is located at 1100 Queen Street West. From February 2nd to February 26th the current exhibition is Crossing Boundaries. Crossing Boundaries showcases the beauties of the world that have inspired the six artists. Six different styles and many different locations you can travel to multiple places in this one gallery. Twist Gallery is open from 11am-6pm. The Gallery is a New York style loft, and the windows offer a cute aesthetic overlooking the hustle and bustle of the city decorated with fairy lights.

Photo taken by Twist Gallery.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day locally this year by browsing shops, eating at a café or diner food, or exploring some art from local Toronto artists. Especially because it’s still cold outside, walking store to store is a great way to warm up as well! We hope you come visit Twist Gallery with your loved ones and we look forward to seeing you!

Also Read: Event Space Toronto, wedding venue Toronto, Wedding Reception Toronto

5 Locations in Toronto to Inspire your Creativity

Whether you’re a writer, an artist, photographer, or just love being creative; we’ve all experienced artist’s block. Lucky for us, there are plenty of artistic places in Toronto to spark inspiration. Or just some fun things to do during this pandemic. There isn’t much we can do right now, but these are a few creative spaces in Toronto that you may not have been to or even heard about.   

1.     Graffitti Alley

Graffiti Alley is located within Toronto’s Fashion District. The corner of Rush Lane and Portland Street is where Graffiti Alley begins. It runs south of Queen Street from Spadina Avenue to Portland Avenue. The art displayed reflects social activism and the Queen Street West city art vibe. The whole alleyway is covered in graffiti so you’re sure to find some inspiration surrounded by that much art. Especially for photography, street style photos would be perfect in this location.

Image from @graffitialleyt.o on Instagram

2.     Angel Wings at Calii Love  

 Street artist Colette Miller created these pair of angel wings located at 367 King Street West. These wings are sure to inspire with the bright teal background and blue ombre wings. Sit by the wings and create your own angel wings. Or if you’re a writer, maybe the angel wings will inspire some ideas on a fantasy world. And if you still have artist’s block, you can at least take a creative Instagram photo standing in front of these wings.

Photo from https://thevarsity.ca/2020/09/17/five-must-see-street-murals-around-u-of-t/

3.     Pink Park

Also known as, June Callwood Park, this Pink Park is a cool little park that not many people know about. Go to 636 Fleet Street to find this unusual pop of pink amongst June Callwood Park’s greenery. The park also has amazing greenery if nature is your thing. Great contrasted pictures between the green and pink are sure to come out. Or experiment with contrasting and mixing unusual colors together like the way the pink and green make you feel.

Photo from https://www.blogto.com/city/2019/06/june-callwood-park-toronto-first-voice-print-park/

4. Crown Flora Studio

Crown Flora Studio is a gift shop located in Parkdale at 1233 Queen Street West. Catch some LA vibes with this building’s pink walls. The plants that surround the building add some great greenery if you like the outdoors. Browse the outside, but also the inside where there are a variety of plants and flowers.

Photo From @curiocitytoronto on Instagram

5.     Twist Gallery Crossing Boundaries Exhibit

The last place you can visit to gain inspiration is at our gallery. Twist Gallery is located on 1100 Queen Street West. You can basically be inspired by travelling to 6 places in one. Travel with the artist in our gallery and find some inspiration. The current exhibit, running from February 2nd to February 26th, is called Crossing Boundaries. The artwork displayed is art inspired by the artist’s trips or a specific time period. Looking through these pieces is sure to spark some inspiration for an art project, writing, or photography. Get to know the 6 artists and more information on their pieces here. And come visit us to get the real feel of having this many different locations surround you.

Also Read: Event Space Toronto, wedding venue Toronto, Wedding Reception Toronto

Wendy Teasdale's Intuitive Style

Wendy Teasdale is a participant in the Kaleidoscope exhibit. Her paintings are intricate and eye-catching, we love her work. We asked her a couple of questions about her style and processes which you can read below!

Do you have a favourite medium? What materials and tools do you use the most and why?

I love working in acrylic inks and high flow acrylics for the background of my paintings. I enjoy the blending process and layering of colours using solid, translucent and metallic. My favourite archival ink pens are micron black and uni-ball signo white.

Do you have a process/method when painting?

My painting process is very much an intuitive one. I usually start with a colour in mind and the next one almost chooses itself! I find painting and drawing to be meditative, it’s really my therapy. I have very much relied on my art during these pandemic months for a little escape. Being creative everyday helps to stay sane!

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Thank you Wendy for exhibiting you beautiful works at Twist Gallery!

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Meet Maureen Doody!

“I believe that art can forge the path to one’s true self-expression and nurture a mind-body-spirit connection. I hope to engage, inspire and help others find and nurture their true purpose in life through art.”

— Maureen Doody

“Never Enough” by Maureen Doody

How did you start out as an artist?

Art has always played an important part in my life. I’ve always been connected to it in one way or another as a professional athlete, photographer, writer, anthropologist, and business analyst. Painting has always been a natural outlet; a way to escape and speak to a nonverbal part of my existence. It was not until a cancer diagnosis in 2017, however, that I was ‘awakened’ to fully pursue my life-long passion for painting. Holistically, it provided me with a sense of clarity and purpose towards fulfillment of living my most authentic self.

How did you get into creating abstract artwork? What does abstract art mean to you?

I seek to express intangible thoughts and emotions that I do not quite have the words for. Abstract is a language of its own. It is a means to communicate on levels often not yet understood and to expand one’s perceptions beyond the five senses. Abstraction has allowed me to distill and better communicate my emotions and ideas about life, nature and our respective place within it. Abstract does not always have to make sense or dictate a clear narrative. In abstract, you can be anyone you want to be and express anything you want to. Abstract itself is the solution and a remedy; it’s therapeutic. It is a means of exploring subjective experiences as a gateway to broader human concerns. We see art in everything around us every day; but, how we see it is different based on our own personal experiences. To be able to capture that art and interpret it in my own way is what fascinates me. Abstract art requires you to have an open, inquiring mind; you must enter the painting and see where it takes you.

“The Other Side” by Maureen Doody

Is there something that you want to convey through your artwork?

I believe that art can forge the path to one’s true self-expression and nurture a mind-body-spirit connection. I hope to engage, inspire and help others find and nurture their true purpose in life through art. I too, believe in the power of art to heal. From our first lifeline the umbilical cord, as the root that grows in the ground, we are all interconnected to each other and the world around us. The release of love through one’s lifelines and its transformation into energy and mind-body-spirit are one with the earth. Life, bound with love turns into energy in nature, light, music and eventually other people; and, how fluid the boundaries really are. I hope my work is appreciated in emotional terms, serving as a key to within, and letting the beauty be in both the painting and the viewer’s mind.

Walk us through your journey of creating an art piece.

My artistic journey is one of the intrinsic personal explorations. Employing unconventional colours, compositions and tonal schema, my paintings are an authentic expression of ‘revelations of self’; and by virtue, seek to capture the transient nature of life and the essence of the human condition. As an anthropologist, my paintings reflect my connection to the world around me, where one can discern recurring themes of truth, unity of nature, healing, reinvention, resilience, and the power of “I am”.

My process is very intuitive and emotionally driven; with other art forms such as film, music, movement and photography lending inspiration. References in my work to the appreciation of lines, light, and expression reflect a synthesis of these style influences. For me the canvas is a mouthpiece; it comes from its intention. It allows me to speak with vibrant colours, bold strokes, and fine lines. It is a means to whisper my secrets, share my passion, express my anguish, and taunt your sensibilities. Entering the studio is a time of letting go: of expectations, of structure, of rules, and of my own ideas about what’s possible and what’s not...in life and art.

“Hold On” by Maureen Doody

Is there a particular artist who inspired you to become one? Whose techniques do you study, admire or aspire to follow?

My earliest and probably most significant influence in painting stems from my late father, renowned Newfoundland ceramicist William Doody. Under his guidance and mentorship, I developed and honed my skills as a painter in both oil and acrylic mediums. He bestowed in me the work ethic required to be an artist and the importance of precision and detail in my work. 

I find beauty and inspiration in a variety of artists, artwork and art forms. For me, it is about the art in whichever form in relation to the people and the universe around us. Art is often examined through the interaction of the principles and elements of art. The principles of art include movement, unity, harmony, variety, balance, contrast, proportion and pattern. The elements include texture, form, space, shape, colour, value and line. The various interactions between the elements and principles of art help artists to organize sensorially their personal stories while also giving viewers a framework

within which to receive and interpret those stories internally. The dynamic between how these formal qualities are used to create a visual and visceral experience inspires my process and understanding.

Helma af Klint is an artist that defies and challenges the boundaries of these artistic parameters, via her use of colour, form, texture, pattern, and composition, to evoke an emotional experience in the viewer.

Meet Anna Medvedeva!

“I truly have a passion for creating art in whatever form. There’s beauty everywhere. I can interpret that and bring what I feel to the viewer and that is the most important thing for me. The amazing world of colors is my day-long joy and obsession.”

— Anna Medvedeva

“Extracting the Abstract” artist Anna Medevedeva

What is your collection about?

 My search for new forms of expression led to my Color Field painting series. My paintings are all about nature, feelings and elements of landscapes.

How did you start out as an artist?

I began painting in my early childhood. I studied in Kustodiev Art School and Academy of Fine Arts in St-Petersburg, Russia. In early 2000’s I moved from traditional realism to my current abstraction.

“Green and Blue” by Anna Medvedeva

What inspires your art?

My inspiration comes from everyday experience and extensive travels. I try to convey the mood and feelings of places and perceptions of those memories. I transform my vision into poetic abstraction, diffused with spiritual resonance and discover the hidden beauty harmony of colour.

Can you walk us through your process of creating an art piece?

My current passion is monotype printmaking. Its unique and original painting made on smooth surfaces such as silicone pad, plexiglass or gelli-plate and transferred on paper. Thanks to this technique, I create unique paintings that cannot be copied or repeated.

The medium of monotype is a form of painting favored since the 17th century by artists such as Rembrandt, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Gauguin, Sam Francis, and many others. I spend a lot of time coloring and re-coloring shapes and lines until the dynamics between elements come together and a definite composition arises. I had many lovely and calming feelings working with this series.