Split Mask paper-mâché almost done! and done!

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First, I had an image of a mask. Then I went in search of a base and found something perfect at the art store. I began to make it. Took a small series of photos. Wrote a poem inspired by the mask. The painting, Split Mask, was inspired by imagery in the poem. I have spent the last few days paper-mâché-ing, sanding and painting the mask white. The mask is nearly finished. I will be performing in it on Wed Jan 29th at Urban Gallery from 7-9pm, 400 Queen St E (bet Parliament and River), John Oughton is going to accompany me on guitar; Luciano Iacobelli, the big name on the bill, is having actors perform his poetry too.

And... it's done! So glad! It fits perfectly, and is very comfortable to wear - spent hours glueing soft white cotton flannel on the inside and carefully razor blading it at the edges. Now I have to work on memorizing the poem since I will be performing in it at the Performance Poetry Salon next week!

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Brenda Clews

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We were rather a small bunch: Dance Jam Photos

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Ah well, I tried, I did. Blog, website, Facebook event page -it was a free dance event- and only a few friends came, John Oughton and Jennifer Hosein, along with two musicians, Nik Beat and John Charles Daly. Josef Hochleitner came for a short while and kindly took photographs and then said he was going to Downtown Camera to burn a disc for me, which was extraordinarily generous. I thank all those who came out - despite our intimate numbers, it was a fun afternoon of dance and jokes, photographs and giggles.

Jenn and I at the dance jam 18 Jan 2014 at Urban Gallery. Thanks Nik for taking the photo! — Brenda Clews and Jennifer Hosein at Urban Gallery.

Allan Clews, my dear brother, wrote: "The man who saw meaning in the movement of a cup in the wind; the one who attended the opening of the show and claimed he was led there by the Dali Lama and the Queen just to see that picture because doing so would set in motion certain energies... would love this picture.

He said the little figure in the upper right was the Goblin King (referencing the movie The Labyrinth) and said Obama WAS the Goblin King and he was under orders from the Archangel Michael and is acting as the lawful chief policeman of the world.

However, when the man saw the painting he told me it said that the energy of the Mother was now going to make itself known as a direct balance and counterweight.
...

Here it looks like the Mother's energy forms a chalice that constrains the Goblin King in a balanced embrace."

Which kind of threw me. Many people have commented on this painting. I have a lot to say about it, but am very busy at the moment. The other photos, and they are quite silly, in the spirit of the afternoon, too.

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Brenda Clews

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DANCE JAM @ Urban Gallery (Artist-in-Attendance day and this artist likes to dance!)

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DANCE JAM this Sat afternoon, from 2-4pm, at Urban Gallery, where my POEMPAINTINGS show is currently!

Calvin Hambrook, the Manager at Urban Gallery, when we were working out the details of my show, said that in the warm months, May-Oct, a lot of people who are browsing in the area come into the gallery on Saturdays, but that it's very dead in the Winter months. So I immediately offered to do an Artist-in-Attendance/Artist-at-Work Saturday, which became an offer to do three - one every two weeks for the duration of my show. Only, when I considered them, I thought I really didn't want to sit around for two hours with no visitors, and so decided to offer something interesting on each of the Saturdays (Jan 18th, Feb 1st, and Feb 15th). I like to dance, so let's dance! I like to draw, so let's do a life drawing session! I am a poet, so let's do a poetry workshop (an hour writing, an hour sharing what you wrote or something you brought to get feedback on)!

So, this Saturday, if you are in Toronto, come for an afternoon of art and creative movement: let the poetry in your body dance you to live and CD movement meditation music!

The schedule is:

2-2:30pm - live music with John Charles Daly and Nik Beat (and maybe Willie Anicic and whoever else comes), then a break of an hour

2:30-3:30pm - a dance CD that I've made of tracks adhering to the 5Rhythms^TM practice -flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, stillness- taken from different CDs of Gabrielle Roth and The Mirrors (it was her work, and it's a healing moving meditation practice, don't worry, any kind of movement is good, a series of yoga poses, moving slowly and gently caring for your body, or dancing like a crazy coyote, all is permissible, no rules, you’ll love it)

3:30-5pm - live music (the Gallery is open to 5pm, and I doubt we’ll stop at 4pm)

No admission charge (maybe pass the hat for the musicians is all). Enjoy some hot apple cider gratis of Urban Gallery too!

Artist-in-Attendance: Brenda Clews
Sat Jan 18: 2-4pm

The paintings are for sale

Urban Gallery
400 Queen Street East
(between Parliament and River St on the north side)

www.urbangallery.ca
rsvp: urbangalleryart1@gmail.com
647-460-1278

I thought I'd make the Artist-in-Attendance afternoons fun! Here are the dates:

Sat Jan 18: 2-4pm - DANCE JAM
Sat Feb 1: 2-4pm - LIFE DRAWING
Sat Feb 15: 2-4pm - POETRY WORKSHOP

Brenda Clews

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Split Mask: Preparing the mask for performance, papier-mache 1

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While I made the mask last Summer, and we have used it in a few photo shoots, it has only been held together with masking tape. Two days ago I began the process of papier-mache. It's been sanded in these photos, and needs, I think, one more layer, more sanding, and then it will be painted white with a matte finish. I always glue soft white flannel on the inside of my masks to make them more comfortable to wear for poetry performances, so that has to be done too. I took these photos late last night with my iPhone 5S. Pretty spooky, huh.

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Brenda Clews

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Split Mask painting

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Not the very best photo - taken indoors at night under lights at Urban Gallery during the Opening of my show, but it is my latest work. With serious non-stop crises since mid-November, an unbelievable run, I finally had some free time and did it in a frenetic 3 days, starting New Year's Day. Lol! It's quite large at 5 feet x 5 feet.

Split Mask, 2014, Brenda Clews, 60" x 60", graphite, charcoal, India ink, acrylic, metal leaf on canvas. ___

Brenda Clews

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Review of my Poempaintings show at Urban Gallery

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Many thanks to KJ Mullins for this beautiful review of my show and of the gorgeous Urban Gallery itself. This article appeared in her on-line Toronto newspaper, newz4u.net. Her paper focuses on social issues and the arts - without the corporate and political agendas of the larger papers, she is able to write and publish articles on life as it is in this city.

Currently she is fundraising for her newspaper: "NEWZ4U.NET is ready to take the next step to become a valuable source of information for Toronto focusing on the arts and social issues like homelessness, the aging population, front line responders, mental illness and poverty. The goal is to give a voice to those who may not have access to media resources and to promote local initiatives that help residents of Toronto." So do make a donation if you can.

Urban Gallery features brilliant Brenda Clews exhibit

By KJ Mullins on January 10, 2014

KJ Mullins-Toronto: One of Toronto’s newest galleries Urban Gallery is opening 2014 strong with its current showing of Brenda Clews’ recent painting collection. Clews vibrant work features paintings from 2011-2014. The latest painting, Spilt Mask, a haunting golden charcoal of the artist, masks and humanity was just completed on January 5.

Clews has been on the Toronto art scene for over two decades combining her talents of poetry, spoken expression and painting. Several of the paintings at Urban Gallery have her haunting prose etched into the canvases making it impossible not to return to the work over and over for a new view. Her Mezzotints is particularly alluring. Each piece of Clews current collection is a vivid display of colour and technique, with no two pieces alike.

Calvin Hambrook opened Urban Gallery in November 2012 and is already booked for the year, an impressive feat. His love of the arts and local new artists is behind Urban Gallery’s appearance on the scene. Featuring artists that are on the rise Urban Gallery has the exciting feel of expression, creative talent and true appreciation of the artists behind the work on the walls. The crisp, light filled space is the perfect setting for Toronto’s artists to have their work displayed.

For three decades Hambrook has been the go to caterer of Toronto with UrbanSource Catering. He is excited for the future with both the catering company and his first art gallery.

Prices range from $300 to$2,600.

artist Brenda Clews

Urban Gallery

400 Queen Street East, Toronto

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday 10 AM to 5 PM
Saturday 1 PM to 6 PM
Closed Sundays & Holidays

Brenda Clews

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Poempaintings Opening Reception @ Urban Gallery 9th JAN (49 photos)

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Some photographs of my beautiful friends at the Opening Reception of my Poempaintings show at Urban Gallery in Toronto last night. Many thanks to all who came out - you made it a great evening and I am hugely appreciative!

I am very grateful to Calvin Hambrook, Gallery Manager, and Allen Shugar, the Curator, and Kaspara Albertsen for hosting a meticulously prepared and warm and friendly Opening at their Gallery.

I've added some names to the photos that you can see in the Picasa album.

Wow, there's already a review of the show in a local, on-line Toronto newspaper: Newz4u!

Brenda Clews

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Split Mask, face close-up

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Split Mask, 5'x5', mixed media on canvas. It is almost impossible to photograph either in daylight or with lights at night (the latter here) - the lines of the hair are dark like the shadows in the upper right, which are a charcoal grey-black, for instance. The photo is not too bad, but the painting is better weighted in reality. Yes, I've left a lot of canvas bare. It works.

Up top, a close-up.

Unfortunately, I had to spray the painting with a fine art fixative in my small apartment. It's too big to take outside easily, and there is snow, slush and salt everywhere. I opened the two small windows and had a fan. My chest hurt for quite awhile, but it's ok now. My pets hung out right by the open windows, wisely. The metal leaf is 85% copper and 15% zinc and will eventually oxidize unless sealed properly, which I have done since taking the photo. The sealant has evened out the lustre of the metal leaf to a flatter, brighter hue that, frankly, I'm not as in love with as the richer tones of the unsealed metal leaf. But, sealing it is very important, so that's that.

A coat of Gamvar tomorrow is the final stage. Oh, and two sides, which I am simply painting with gesso - I had picked up some 'Goldfinger' - a metallic substance in a tube that you can rub on frames to 'antique' them - to perhaps do the sides with, but decided that the hunk of gold with a little silver in the middle is like the luminist sun shining on a snowbank and ought to be the only gold in the painting.

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Brenda Clews

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Split Mask, 3rd session, work-in-progress

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Split Mask, 3rd session, work-in-progress, 2014, mixed media.

Since it's largely charcoal, I need to go out to try to find a fixative you can spray indoors. It's almost finished, though I'm not quite sure where I'm taking it (what I'm going to do next).

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Brenda Clews

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Split Mask painting in-process

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No idea if I'll get it finished by 9am Monday morning, in time for the pick-up of my paintings and the installation of my show at Urban Gallery, but I am working on a painting I've been thinking of doing for 4 months or so. There have been so many intervening crises that I was not able to get to it before New Year's Day. Floods, and family upheavals, and the power failure resulting from the ice storm (I had power and was refuge for family members along with an extra cat and a bunny) kept me busy and only staring at the empty canvas. I'm rushing through it now, no idea if I'll make it.

This is an iPhone pic, shot at night, not good quality, but posting gives it a reality I'm not feeling working away listening to a piano music channel (can't get into the wireless external hard drive with Glen Gould, which is who I would like to be listening to nonstop tonight). Never mind. Back to work.

I had begun a loose prosepoem called Split Mask last Summer, but it hasn't quite come together either. Still, the poem and the painting are part of the same creative process, the same concepts, just different vantages or mediums.

Later in the evening:

Here's the Opening Invitation, too, which I will no doubt be posting at least one more time. The show opens one week from now!

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Brenda Clews

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