August 26th at 1p.m.

Thank you for those who have visited the gallery this past few weeks to catch the show.  PASSAGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS is currently at the Aurora Cultural Centre until September 12^th.  I am getting FB messages and emails that you have visited and I am glad to hear your feedback!

On August 26^th, Wednesday at 1p.m. Erika and I will be at the gallery for our Art Talk/Performance.  So please save this date!

We will have the opportunity to talk about our journey through 2 years of preparing for this show, our individual pieces, its inspiration and vision.  It will be a great day to learn about our process, the struggles and realizations of achieving what we wanted to express.

Our Art Performance will be an interactive performance inviting everyone present to participate.  It will be a fun way to explore our irrational fears and a good way to face it and find a way to overcome!

As landed immigrants in a new country, both Erika and I shared a lot of experiences where we had to overcome our fears.  Leaving our birth home to move to a strange land and learn a new culture could be scary at times, but we took a leap of faith and succeeded.  

We will be inviting everyone present to add their irrational fears to our poster, which is currently displayed on the blue wall at the gallery.  This poster contains collected fears from the public from the start of the exhibition. It will be fun to see how the poster has grown!

Hope to see you on August 26^th at 1p.m.

 Hugs

Marissa

Facing Fears Board

A BIG THANK YOU!

I cannot believe that it is now the last week of July and the month is almost over!  I have a lot of thanks and gratitude to all who made it to the show opening and reception for my show with Erika Takacs, PASSAGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS. 

It was a whirlwind of events and the day seemed to pass by too quickly.  A lot of friends and family came to support us and it was nice to meet new acquaintances along the way.  It was exciting to share short stories and chats with a variety of guests some of whom are my students, art colleagues and good friends.  

Talented musician Danielle Beaudin gave the guests a teaser on her band’s first CD which is to be released end of summer and if you were there until the end of the show, you would have heard me jam with Danielle, who is also my lovely niece!

I acknowledge those who came from London, Hamilton, Toronto, Cannington, Barrie, Oshawa & Durham Area and Bolton!!!  I know it was worth the drive to Aurora!  Your visit was a pleasure to Aurora Cultural Centre and we are delighted that you took the time off your very busy summer weekend to join us.

Lastly, I would like to personally thank everyone at the Aurora Cultural Centre management and staff for all the support, encouragement and belief in our show.

Hugs to all of you and see you soon! Thank you all once more!

Marissa

Meridian Gallery

Curator Stephanie Nicolo, Erika Takacs, Curator Clare Bolton, Marissa Sweet, Don Chretien

Installation Day

Today was a good day!! A long day which started three days ago with getting organized with last minute prepping, installing hardware,  bubble wrap, to taping and packing, to organizing and labelling and then the big load on to 4 vehicles today and the trek to Aurora!  Rain was predicted so we brought ponchos, you just never know what to expect, but aside from a strong but quick downpour on Lakeridge,  it was not as bad as we expected.

The install took us the whole day more or less, lots involved with logistics, but once things were in place it seemed to go quickly.  I sure needed a beer though when we got home because rush hour traffic got bad once we got to around Whitby.  Tomorrow, we go back to the gallery to continue our installation piece and bring some of Erika’s sculptures which could not fit in the car today.  There is also an interview to the local paper.  Very exciting!

BIG Thank you to curator Stephanie, who with her wonderful staff facilitated the install.  Thank you to our spouses who drove  respectively with their car full of art work.  For my hubby Glenn, who stayed all day giving any help we needed.  So blessed.

 

Marissa

 

A week today

This is it!  A week before our show opening on July 18^th.  Geez….. now not only does production of the work get a bit more time conscious but the technicalities of getting the show on the road become apparent!

I have finished 20 pieces, the majority painted for this show has opened new doors in my creative journey, not only in the painting process, but also in the preparatory steps prior to dipping my brush into colour.  A lot of research went into each piece, ideas drawn from sketches, some came instantly, yet others took months to visualise.

Getting comfortable with plans abandoned to a different path was daunting. Erika has truly inspired me to be more that I could be as a painter, from this I believe I have grown in many ways as a visual artist. The vision we had towards this show inspired me to push forward. 

I am thankful for my family who understood my everyday work mode and gave me the space to create! 

Detail for "Rhapsody in Blue" 80" x 120" Mixed Media

As I finalise details, varnish each piece, wrap then deliver them to the gallery, I am filled with pleasure that each painting has a special story to share.  A journey that I hope you can experience shortly.

 

Hugs,

Marissa

www.marissasweet.com

Passage Between Two Worlds

Our poster is out and we are excited!!  We just can't hide it.  I know, I know,

 I know.... Our Show is almost here!!

The Aurora Cultural Centre is an 1886 heritage building that began its life as the Aurora Public School, also known as the Church Street School.It has been transformed into a centre for the arts, culture and heritage. Aurora is recognized as a premiere heritage community. In 2008, the Town won the prestigious Prince of Wales Prize for its commitment to the preservation of its built heritage.

Our show will be on the main level occupying both Meridian and Blue Gallery spaces.  It will be a great venue to showcase pieces for this show.   Last May 2013, I approached Erika mentioning my interest in  possibly working together for a show.   Little did I know, that with our continued friendship and conversations our art work would evolved into a common vision.  Our conversations started with our discussions on our heritage, the commonalities between two continents; Asian and European,  our roots, traditions, folklore, myths and culture which made us realise that there are significant similarities and we enjoyed talking about the differences.  We looked at each other's body of work and thought some pieces related to both our experiences in life.  We compared stories particularly on our lives in our birth country and our journey to Canada.  Canada is now HOME where we have sprouted new roots, yet never forgetting our birth country where our roots began.

The back and forth dialogues resulted in a very unique show,  2-dimensional work side by side with Erika's sculptures, each piece significant to our lives.  One can sense a bit of autobiographical component as you go through each piece, providing a clear view of who we are and an impression of what an immigrant goes through in their plight to a new world.

We hope you join us at our opening.  It will be a meaningful journey between two worlds.


Marissa

My Nemesis!

For the past two weeks, I have been painting a 36" x 36" canvas for my Passages Between Two Worlds exhibition and as soon as I thought it was finished, I had a spark of madness!!

This piece is called " My Nemesis" inspired by a sculpture of my artist friend Erika Takacs. It took about 3 months to come up with the concept and how to assemble my ideas.  I decided on a mixed media piece and started collecting materials to help tell my story.

Paint, assembly, collage... work work work...then two days ago, I decided to add another layer of mixed media which took the painting into a place I did not want it to go.  It went too far!!! Crap! I lost my initial layers and lost some of the technical work I wanted to convey.  I was mad! Frustrated with myself.

But giving up is not an option... I kept on working on it, until today, 2 days later, it has morphed into a combination of the past work mixed with new.  It looked and felt it is now finished.  It has been reborn!!

Come to think of the title of the piece, "My Nemesis",.  led me to think that I am my worst enemy, and that if I focussed on the negative, I am unsure how things would have gone?  I focussed on the positive and saw the opportunity to turn the painting around....


Till the next time...
Marissa

My palette for "Nemesis"

 

 

Paintings here - there - everywhere!

This month has been a month of painting meander! Last May 6th,  I took 8 paintings to display at the Body and Wellness Family Chiropractic Clinic in Ajax, which will run for two months through the Art in Public Places project of the PineRidge Arts Council.   On May 10th, I picked up 9 paintings from Stax Gallery, Hamilton which will unfortunately close down their doors in the next few months.  May 12th, I picked up 10 paintings at the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, which was on display since last February.

All these movements with  paintings do take time.  From planning pieces to display, labelling, packaging and transporting... everything takes time.  Then once in the location, set-up and hanging could take a few hours.  Then once the display is over, gathering the pieces, packing them properly and bringing them back to my studio to organize and store.

For the most part, most establishments have great people to help you get everything set up and hanged.  Most of those helping the artist get set up is voluntary.  In my case, at the Chiropractic Clinic, Dr. Robbie Berman personally worked with me to hang my pieces!  Now how cool is that?! Thanks Dr. Robbie!

However, there are risks in displaying your art here - there  and everywhere!  Last February, 14 paintings of mine on display at Rawlicious Restaurant in Whitby was at risk!  The pub beside Rawlicious caught fire and was burnt down.  My paintings on display rested on the wall where the fire was located. My pieces are now with restorers, apparently with smoke and water damage.  Up to this writing, I have not seen my paintings and it is worrying me.  The only saving grace is that the restaurant owner told me that everything in their restaurant is covered by their insurance.

 

I do hope to hear from them soon!!

Marissa

May Flowers

Looks like spring is really here.  Today, I went for a walk at 10 a.m. and the sun was warm, cool fresh air and enjoyed a delightful sight of budding plants and tree buds!  Later on in the afternoon though it rained which is expected and will certainly get the green grass coming!  Today was technically a 'day-off'.  I wasn't working at Curry's and I wasn't teaching!  So this was a full day to paint.  The walk just got me going to a good start!

I made a schedule for myself particularly because I want to make sure I am on track with my getting all my work done for the Passage Between Two Worlds exhibition coming up on July 18th at the Aurora Cultural Centre.   I am starting to feel the pressure of getting things done.

When this project started 2 years ago, it was but a dream.  Last year, I started work on my paintings but was more in a relaxed state!  I even had time to go to the Philippines for a vacation.... but now, it is coming close. 

Two weeks ago, Erika and I went to the Aurora Centre to re measure the gallery height for our big installation piece.  The drive and afternoon we took to get there was productive as we got to talk to the head curator and the gallery installer, even without an appointment.  They are all so nice!!!

Can't wait....11 weeks to be exact! 

Time to get my whip cracking! 
Marissa

Working at the studio

Save-the-Date

Yesterday, both Erika and I went to The Aurora Cultural Centre to take more measurements required for our installation piece.  This collaboration will be the focal point of our 2-artist exhibition and sale, which will open on July 18th and runs until September 12th.

We are both so excited for this show and are working hard to get everything ready!

Our show called " Passages between two Worlds " is a collaboration project that explores our artistic journey, which encompasses personal backgrounds with social-cultural values.  I am a Filipino-Canadian, while Erika is Hungarian-Canadian.  Although Asian and European cultures by birth, it was striking to see a lot of similarities between both backgrounds.

Of course, there are also dissimilarities, but this was not a hindrance, but rather a rich conversation that continue to inspire our work most of which is reflected in this show.

We envision the show to strike a conversation between two and three dimensional work.

Our show opens on July 18th from 1-4p.m. at Aurora Cultural Centre, 22 Church Street, Aurora, Ontario L4G1G4. www.auroraculturalcentre.ca

Painting - by Marissa Sweet SCA " The Door"
Sculpture - by Erika Takacs, "The Arrival"

Art for Change

This month has been a great month to show that Art can make a significant contribution to society.  The first fundraiser, Art for Change is in cooperation with Cultural Expressions Art Gallery, in Ajax.  This fundraiser is geared towards helping Luke's Place, www.lukesplace.ca a family law support centre that provides family law services for abused women and children.  Today was the opening at the gallery and I am honoured to participate as one of the artists that would give % of sales of original art work towards this centre.

 

 

The second fundraiser is with The Station Gallery, Whitby.  "Drawing for Art" is an annual fundraiser that helps support the gallery's outreach program. www.whitbystationgallery.com  I am honoured and proud to be able to support and assist in any way to help make this world a better place with my paintings.

Sunny Side of the Street

Spring is almost here.  It's March 13th, a Friday and I just finished a painting on this bright sunny day.  What could be more wrong, blue skies, cool air, -6 C, sunny skies, spring like weather???

I started this painting on Monday and worked at it diligently when time permits.  Here it is!

Sunny Side of the Street
Acrylic
18 x 24
$275.00

Been Busy Bee

Its been a while since I posted last and my apologies to all that have come here with nothing new to read.  Bah... been a busy bee....

Buzz buzz... teaching a lot.  New teaching spots opened up for me last fall and continued on to Winter 2015.  Beginner's Acrylic classes are full and with a waitlist at both Northview Centre and Whitby Seniors!  My Open studio at my home still have a full load of 10 artists coming in to paint with me on Tuesday and Thursday nights!  Plus back in Visual Arts Centre in Clarington with my Abstraction classes every Thursdays have kept me away from trouble!!

My entry to the 47th National Open Juried show for the Society of Canadian Artists' was accepted!!!  This is "Category 5" which is part of my Hope Series. 

This July, I am gearing up for a 2-man show at the Aurora Cultural Centre with sculptor/visual artist, Erika Tacaks!  More news to follow in a few weeks .. so stay tuned...

I won't be gone for long!

Marissa