art toronto
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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreA wife and a mother of four kids, our “Colour Me Bold” artist Megan Tracy is also a full time photographer.
What inspires your art?
I think that I am most inspired by nature. The ocean, flowers, the sky would be my main, but color combinations could also come from music, fashion, interiors and other areas of design that I love.
Isleys (1 of 2), 12” by 12”, $280 for both
What medium and technique do you use?
I use resin with acrylic and alcohol inks.
Faith, 8” by 10”, $140
Walk us through your process of creating a piece.
When I start a piece, believe it or not it begins with music. Whatever vibe I’m feeling that day, I pick a playlist. Lay out my materials and off we go. I create. Sometimes there’s a plan in my head, sometimes it just goes wherever it goes.
Supreme,16” by 20”, $250
How did you start out as an artist?
I’m a photographer full time, so creating this type of art was really just exchanging people for acrylic and resin.
Green, 5” by 7”, $100
Do you use bold colours for a specific reason?
I love color. I do have my “go to“ colors, although most of them are usually bold color selections.
Our third Colour Me Bold artist Natasha Dichpan is also a live painter and illustrator. She finds joy in colours and mediums that are diverse and distinctive. Painting for her is a meditation which she practices to calm, to heal and to tell stories. Born in Russia, she spent her early years in Israel and is currently based in Toronto. Her art reflects the transformations she underwent while being in entirely different parts of the world. Her art speaks not one, but several languages. In a short interview with us, Natasha talked to us about her inspiration, experience and her most beloved artwork pieces.
What inspires your art?
My artwork is informed through a combination of raw feeling and formal training. I draw inspiration from my present as much as my past and childhood I spent in Russia and Israel. I hope for my work to echo my passion and to become a call to the vulnerable, optimistic and romantic inner-chords that many of us have in common.
Is there a specific piece that stands out to you? Why?
The two pieces that stand out to me at the moment are “Spirit” and “The Nightingale & The Rose”. They are the two most honest and autobiographical works I’ve created so far. They are pretty much self-portraits.
“The Nightingale & The Rose” by Natasha Dichpan
$1500
“Spirit” by Natasha Dichpan
$1500
Do you use bold colours for a specific reason?
I use either intense colours or no colour at all. I know this about myself - I am very much “all or nothing” kind of person, especially when it comes to things that matter most to me. I enjoy using odd colours for natural subjects like portraits or animals, picking colours that are not easily found in nature. It gives my subjects a touch of surrealism, a touch of mystery that I enjoy weaving.
Born and raised in Toronto and an OCAD grad, her main focus as an artist is to make people feel like they want to touch the work.
What inspires your art?
Inspiration can be something hidden in anything for me. It could be a dream, or a moment. Driving behind a slow truck or going for a walk. It doesn’t discriminate when it will show up or go away. Mainly, it’s that moment when the light bulb goes on.
Jet Stream, 48” by 24”, $520
What medium and technique do you use?
The medium I use mostly is acrylic paints. I have mixed paints with oil, water, sand. Experimenting with different techniques is important for me. I don’t want to stay in a box and my style is constantly changing.
Eva’s Kaleidoscope, 48” by 24”, $520
Walk us through a process of creating your art?
Usually it comes with an idea. A colour or colours I want to use. Starting off with a base of what colours to use, the piece usually evolves from there. Commission work used to feel daunting, but I enjoy getting the customers vision. I enjoy working off a commissions energy.
The Creation of Simone, 48” by 24”, $420
Is there a specific piece that stands out to you?
I love ‘The Creation of Simone.’ it’s colours, vibrancy, structure.
Appropriate Thoughts, 36” by 24”, $300
How did you start out as an artist?
Really young I decided I wanted to be really good at drawing. I wasn’t. So I practiced a lot to get better. My only goal for a long time being young was to be an artist. Be good at making people feel something from something I made. I moved through so many mediums before I found abstract art.
Florida Fish, 40” by 30”, $500
Do you use bold colours for a specific reason?
Go big. Use big colours. Colours that will make the viewer feel something. A memory. A taste. It’s important for some work to even make people feel uncomfortable. It may not work in a bedroom or living space, but why not? Sometimes what’s in the background should be bigger than what’s in front of your face. Colour is magical.
Elena Dinissuk is a painter who works out of her home studio in Mississauga, ON. Elena has always felt like an artistic soul; she took to painting later in life, and is constantly working on perfecting her technique. Elena’s main medium is acrylic. She likes acrylic due to its vibrancy and versatility. She started by painting landscapes inspired by Ontario’s outdoors, and has since branched out to abstract works. This has taken her to a new direction.
“Sunlight Through a Foggy Forest” acrylic on wood, (12”x 16”) $220
Elena uses acrylic gels and modeling paste to add opaque and transparent layers, as well as texture, to her work. Her style is distinct and memorable, with paintings containing movement, flow and positive energy. Elena enjoys painting by palette knife (pictured below), and teaches her technique to art schools when invited.
A palette knife (source: Pexels)
Elena is proud to say that she’s been participating in art shows and exhibits since 2017. Both her landscapes and abstract works have been featured in juried exhibitions. Elena has twice participated in the prestigious Paint Ontario, at the Lambton Heritage Museum. She later went on to be included in the Impact 2018 Juried Show and Overzealous 2018, both at Neilson Park Creative Centre in Etobicoke. Elena has also been included in group gallery shows in Propeller Gallery, and Artusiasm Gallery. She has also participated in art shows in Mississauga, and in Riverdale Artwalk 2019.
Elena with her work. You can follow her @lenadv_art and #lenadv_art
Elena strives to promote joy and peace through her work, while making people think and feel.
Dinissuk’s latest collection at Twist!
It highlights air, water, and earth elemental energy! The earth energy is warm and grounding, the water energy is rejuvenating, and the air energy is clean and fresh.
“My paintings are inspired by landscapes. Sometimes I incorporate all three of these elements, sometimes I concentrate on only one.”
-Elena Dinissuk
Energy at Twist
Don’t miss this fantastic exhibition! Be sure to visit us at 1100 Queen Street West and check out our newest artists featured. Our doors are open every Tuesday to Saturday from 11am till 6pm.
You can call us at (416) 588 - 2222 or email your questions and inquiries to info@twistgallery.ca.
And since you’re here, why not browse the Twist Artist Showcase? CLICK HERE.
To see what’s Upcoming at Twist Gallery CLICK HERE.
Follow us @Twistgalleryand @TwistGallery!
