Beach Arts Scene

Artisans At Work, a combination art store, studio, teaching and gathering space at Woodbine and Danforth, is expanding its offerings, with several shows and events adding more life to the creative energy already surrounding the east Danforth area.

Part of the outreach of the community art space is the First Friday monthly event, which features art, music, food and community gathering at the space. The First Friday in August, on Friday, Aug. 2, will feature glass bead maker Amy Waldman Smith doing a live demonstration. The Sidewalkers will provide live music at 7:30 p.m., and there will be treats and a licensed bar. The event will also launch the first curated and juried exhibits in the space, put together by intern curators Vicky Li and Tara Akitt for the front window, the community room, the retail showroom and several work studios. The show theme is Transparency, and according to an email from owner Tara Shelton, the night “will be a major event for us.”

Shelton said she is introducing a Sunday craft show, beginning in August and running through the end of October. There will be a farmer’s market on Saturdays beginning in September, and seasonal craft shows are planned for the Christmas season. Artists are currently running classes in the community room, although more artists are welcome to inquire about teaching in the space.

One of the work studios is now also the official home of East End Arts, a new local arts service organization formed to serve the former East York and Toronto east of the Don River.

For more information on the artist and services at Artisans At Work, visit artisans-at-work.com or better yet, check the hours online and stop by in person at 2071 Danforth Ave.

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Beach painter Sharon Barr is the featured artist for the month of August at Arts On Queen.

Barr studied at York University, the University of Toronto and the Toronto School of Art in visual arts, art history and English literature. She has worked as an art instructor and painter for over 25 years.

Her abstracted work used to be based on the human figure, but after a “paradigm shift” experience with a blooming magnolia tree, she has focused her painting energies on organic plant patterns found in the Canadian landscape.

Barr’s work usually begins with unplanned layers of thin washes applied to canvas or paper. Next are drawing tools, including charcoal, pastels or oil sticks. Finally, layers of oil paint are brushed on. Some encaustic works on board will also be shown.

Arts On Queen is located at 2198 Queen St. E., at the corner of Balsam. Visit sharonbarr.ca for more on the artist, and artsonkingandqueen.com for hours of operation.

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Cobalt Gallery will feature a rotating art show titled Three’s Company, running from August until December. The former Gallery 888 is the link between the three artists featured, which include Liz Russ, Pat Leary and Lee Goldman.

Each of the three artists has a unique style. Russ works in watercolour, printmaking, collage and acrylic. She focuses mainly on landscape.

Goldman works in acrylic and mixed media, sometimes including found objects in her work. She combines realism with textural effects, and has a new series based on crayon and ink doodles done many years ago.

Leary works in many media, including watercolour, acrylic, printmaking and mixed media, exploring a personal visual world.

Cobalt is at 870a Kingston Rd., at Beech, and online at cobaltgallery.ca. Find Russ online at gallery888.com, Goldman at leegoldman.com and Leary at patleary.wordpress.com.

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Gerrard Art Space presents The 6 of One, Half a Dozen of the Other show, now until Aug. 11. Small work from Heidi Hamilton, Robert Quance, Joanne Filletti, Ilona Laney, Emily May Rose and Felicity Somerset will be featured during the show.

Gerrard Art Space is at 1390 Gerrard St. E., roughly halfway between Coxwell and Greenwood. Find the gallery online at gerrardartspace.com.

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Jennifer Cline, Mary Cserepy and Shirley Jones, founding members of the Beach Guild of Fine Arts, have extended their show at the Beacher Café until the end of August due to popular demand. Local scenes, figurative work, portraits, landscapes and floral work are on display at the Beacher, which is at 2162 Queen St. E., at the corner of MacLean.

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East End Arts is a new local arts service organization with a mandate to promote the arts in the East End of Toronto (specifically wards 29, 30, 31 and 32). After planning meetings over the past months, the organization was launched on June 25, but organizers are looking for public input into which programs and services should be priorities.

There are three consultation evenings, with one set for Wednesday, Aug. 14, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Community Centre 55, 97 Main St. To register for the consultation session, visit the group’s website at eastendarts.ca.

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