Art Discovery in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Greetings! Last week when I was in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, I stumbled upon Gregor Pratneker's V Naravo art exhibit. His art works were displayed in an intimate courtyard at Ljubljana's beautiful City Hall which was open to the public.

I learned later that Pratneker (1973) was born in Maribor, Slovenia, where he currently lives and works. In 2012, he received an MA at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. He participates in numerous group and solo exhibitions at home and abroad.

Pratneker won several Slovenian awards, among them the Maribor Fine Artists Association Award for Best Painting in 2013 and in the same year the May Salon Award of the Union of Slovene Fine Artists Associations.

I was so impressed with his paintings, most of them are oil on canvas, with a nature or landscape theme. I took a number of photos, some close-ups, and some at a short distance to capture how the paintings are displayed on two levels of Ljubljana's City Hall. I grouped my photos by the main colours that I saw in the paintings as I didn't see the painting titles.

1. THE BLUE-THEMED PAINTINGS:

2. THE GREEN-THEMED PAINTINGS:

River in the Summer by Gregor Pratneker

3. THE GOLDEN and WINTER-THEMED PAINTINGS:

 
4. THE YELLOW-THEMED PAINTINGS:

What a pleasant surprise to discover Pratneker's beautiful art work! His exhibit was originally scheduled to end on March 13, however, it was extended to March 28, when I coincidentally was there in time to see it. This talented Slovenian artist's exhibit made my visit to Slovenia even more enjoyable and memorable.

I'd love to hear your comments.

Discovering Gallery Arcturus

Greetings! I've got a question for you. When was the last time you explored something new and found it to be a total delight? I mean something that made your mouth and your mind smile. I experienced this recently.

I mentioned in my post last week that I visited a new-to-me art gallery called Gallery Arcturus. It is located at 80 Gerrard Street East, by Ryerson University, in downtown Toronto. Admission is free.

Gallery Arcturus is actually a public art museum with five galleries in a multi-storey house. When I arrived at the front door, I needed to buzz to be let in. The staff on duty gave me a quick overview of the Gallery and let me wander on my own to view the art works on exhibit.

I was there at mid-day, mid-week and had the five galleries to myself. Think "a kid in a candy store". From the ground floor to the top floor, everything seemed to be well-curated and tastefully displayed without making the visitor feel overwhelmed.

Although there were many art items on display, for this blog post, I included just a sample of what was on exhibit that I thought was interesting. We all have different tastes for arts and our mood also affects what we see so I'll let the photos "speak" to you and perhaps you see something you like.

THE GENESIS GALLERY: This gallery displays installations and new sculpture titled A Serious Matter and overturned by debbie harris. The artist displays her name all in lowercase.

A Serious Matter by debbie harris

overturned by debbie harris

overturned by debbie harris

blown away by debbie harris

THE COLLAGE GALLERY: "from the street" sculpture and cards by Joseph Lammirato are displayed on all the walls in this gallery. There is a paper handout that lists the titles of what's on display on each wall. His sculpture will be on the telephone poles of the city in the next month or so.

Art creations by Joseph Lammirato

THE UP NORTH GALLERY: This gallery displays art work by Claustro, McConnachie, and Kimura. Claustro is the husband and wife team (Carol Currie and Stuart Leggett). Eric McConnachie is a northern Ontario artist who has adopted the medium and tools of one of his mentors, Tom Thomson. Most of McConnachie's works are done on small wood panels showing nature and how it changes through all the seasons and light.

Silver Peak by Carol Currie & Stuart Leggett

Paintings by Eric McConnachie

THE ASCENDING GALLERY: This gallery displays art work by Kimura, Kuptana, and harris. I like the bright colours in Kuptana's paintings.

Painting by Floyd Kuptana

Sculpture by Floyd Kuptana

FLOYD KUPTANA GALLERY: This gallery displays sculpture and 2-D work by Kuptana. There is also a library and seating area here, perfect for admiring Kuptana's art works and browsing books.

Sculpture by Floyd Kuptana

Seating area in Floyd Kuptana Gallery

I'm glad I decided to give it a whirl and visit a place that I have not been to before. This is my new whirl 2018.10 edition! It's a total delight to discover Gallery Arcturus. In addition, upon leaving, I received the staff recommendations and a list of nearby museums and galleries with free admission. I look forward to eventually visiting them all.

Have you explored something new recently and found it to be a total delight? I'd love to hear about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

Postcard from Auvers-sur-Oise, France

Just over half an hour's drive from Paris and the Orsay Museum, lies the artists' village of Auvers-sur-Oise. Admirers of Vincent van Gogh and other 19th century landscape painters come here from all over the world to be in the very spots depicted in so many well loved paintings. The village is 7 kilometers long (about 4.4 miles). The best way to discover it is on foot.

We made our first stop at the Auvers-sur-Oise Tourist Office to pick up a map and asked a few questions. The weather was cloudy with good chance of rain so we decided to walk the short pedestrian circuit of two hours, as opposed to the longer circuit that would take up to 4.5 hours.

On this walk, we started from Van Gogh Park, discovered places painted by Vincent van Gogh, and ended at the cemetery where the graves of the two van Gogh brothers are located. Below are my photos from Auvers-sur-Oise:

#1) Van Gogh's statue designed by the sculptor Ossip Zadkine in 1961. It is located in Van Gogh Park just outside of the tourist office.

#1) Vincent van Gogh statue

#2 and #3) Auvers-sur-Oise Town Hall which was depicted in van Gogh's La Mairie d'Auvers painting. The town hall is across the street from the inn, Auberge Ravoux, where van Gogh spent his last seventy days.

#2) Auvers-sur-Oise Town Hall

#3) La Mairie d'Auvers copy

#4) Van Gogh's residence at Auberge Ravoux, 52 Général De Gaulle Street, where Van Gogh's room has been left untouched, giving visitors a good idea of the artist's living conditions at the time. There is nothing to see in his room other than a small skylight and an old bistro chair. During his stay at Auberge Ravoux, Vincent van Gogh painted seventy eight paintings. Among these were a dozen or so portraits, two of which depict Adeline Ravoux, the thirteen-year old eldest daughter of the innkeepers Ravoux.

#4) Auberge Ravoux

#5 and #6) Walking towards the church Église d'Auvers, we passed by the Daubigny Museum and the steps where Vincent van Gogh painted L'escalier d'Auvers.

#5) The Daubigny museum

#6) L'escalier d'Auvers copy

#7 to #9) The church, Église d'Auvers, in the Romano-Gothic style surrounded by a bell tower, is characteristic of the region. Vincent van Gogh painted it on June 3 and 4, 1890. It is now a master piece of the Orsay Museum. We were able to go inside the church and took photos. The church exterior was under restoration and had some scaffolding behind the bell tower.

#7) Auvers church tower

#8) Auvers church door

#9) Église d'Auvers painting copy

#10 to #12) The houses in Auvers-sur-Oise looked pretty with their painted windows and doors, or greenery and flowers along the walls. Part of the walk is uphill, providing a good view of the village.

#10) Red doors and windows in Auvers-sur-Oise

#11) Flowers in Auvers-sur-Oise

 #12) Blue doors and windows in Auvers-sur-Oise

#13) The graves of Vincent van Gogh and his brother Théodore in the Auvers Cemetery: Vincent van Gogh arrived in Auvers on May 20, 1890 and died on July 29. He was 37. His younger brother, confidant, and primary supporter, Théodore, died of syphilis six months later at age 33.

Vincent and Théodore van Gogh's graves

The weather forecast was right. As we approached the cemetery, it started raining, first lightly then it became heavier. We were pleased to complete the short pedestrian circuit and saw several key landmarks in Auvers-sur-Oise on this visit.

Are you a fan of Vincent van Gogh's art? Which of his paintings do you like most? Please share.

A new whirl 2018.08 edition

Greetings! I just returned from my fabulous trip to France and am catching up with life at home. Today's brief post is about two new experiences that I had in August: Visiting the village of Auvers-Sur-Oise in France, and eating the Cambodian beef lok lak dish.

Auvers-Sur-Oise:

The lovely village of Auvers-Sur-Oise is located about 30 km from Paris. This village is where the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) spent his last seventy days while boarding at the Auberge Ravoux. He painted seventy eight pictures here. The village is 7 km (about 4.5 miles) long, and is a real open air museum, with immortalized sites of the main pre-impressionists, impressionists, and post impressionists painters spread out through the whole village. I'm enclosing one photo below. A separate post to come with more details.

Cambodian beef lok lak:

This is a popular Cambodian dish served with cubed beef, rice, with or without egg, sliced tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and lime. We stopped for a late meal at an Asian restaurant on our way back from Auvers-Sur-Oise to Paris. My aunt's husband had lived in Cambodia and suggested that I tried this dish. The cubed beef was well marinated and sauteed. It was a very tasty meal that I'd certainly have again if I had the opportunity.

I've documented my previous adventures in March, April, May, June, and July below. What new thing did you try in August? I'd love to hear your comments.

RELATED POSTS:

• Riding public transit in Santiago, Chile in March
• Learning French online starting in April
• Taking a trip to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in May 
• Featuring my first guest blogger and exploring Warsaw, Poland in June
• Experiencing new art and sushi in July

An InLinkz Link-up

A new whirl 2018.07 edition

Greetings! Today I'm sharing some of my new experiences in July. They fall into two main categories: Art and Food! You can tell that I have my priorities straight, art for the mind, and food for the body :)

ART FOR THE MIND:

In July I saw a lot of interesting art work, both while I was in Quebec City, and after I returned home. Quebec City's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, steeped in history so no matter where you look, there is art and historic architecture to explore. The city itself is situated in a picturesque setting with hills, the St. Lawrence river, and the surrounding mountain range. I shared some of my photos from Quebec City here.

In July I also led a 'virtual' discovery walk in Toronto to explore the twelve (12) outdoor art installations on King Street as posted here. Since my last visit to King Street, four new winners were added. They're designed by Ryerson University students. Resonance and Imprint are installed in the Entertainment District at King Street West and Simcoe Street. Parcade and Caravanserais are installed near St. James Park, at King Street East and Church Street. Here's a closer look at the four winners:

Resonance: A colourful grid with drums made from straps and buckets from local stores. When you smack the hand prints, the drums light up with green and blue lights.

Imprint: This life-sized interactive installation encourages passers-by to create 3D art or impressions by pressing into the pins. You can press your whole body into it.

Parcade: An interactive video arcade made from plywood and acrylic. The 'Countman' game uses little beads to tally your count of things like birds, bikes, or dogs in St. James park. The 'Tree-Thousand and One' game helps you identify the different types of leaves you can find in the park, and the 'Squirrel Racer' provides a fun way to map out the park.

Caravanserais: A wooden seating in the shape of a car parked along the street where tired urbanites can take a rest. Back in the days of horse and carriage, a caravanserai is the term for a roadside inn where weary travellers could park their caravans and steeds after a long journey.

FOOD FOR THE BODY:

While in Quebec City, we tried a new-to-us restaurant called La Piazzetta on rue St-Jean and liked it so we returned with our friends. We had thin crust pizzas, regular crust pizzas, salad, and pasta. Everyone was satisfied with their food order which is a good sign.

In Toronto, I tried Japanese sushi and maki rolls at Gonoe Sushi. I enjoyed my food order which came with a bowl of miso soup and a small salad. I've been looking for a Japanese restaurant to substitute for those that I used to go to but have been closed after the owners retired. I now have Gonoe Sushi as an option.

There you go...Exploring new art and food is my new whirl in July. I've documented my previous adventures in March, April, May, and June below.

RELATED POSTS:

• Riding public transit in Santiago, Chile in March
• Learning French online starting in April
• Taking a trip to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in May 
• Featuring my first guest blogger and exploring Warsaw, Poland in June

Your turn...What's new for you in July? Which of the four art installations do you like the most? Do you have a favourite pizza place or sushi bar to share? I'd love to hear your comments.

An InLinkz Link-up

Art on King Street

Greetings and welcome to my virtual discovery walk! Today I'll take you on a 2.5 km (1.6 miles) walk, and introduce you to the new public art installations on King Street, between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street.

King Street is one of the main streets running east-west in downtown Toronto. It cuts through the Financial District, the Entertainment District, and the Fashion District of the city. The King streetcar route is the busiest surface transit route in the city, with about 65,000+ riders per day.

Earlier this year, Toronto launched a competition called Everyone is King to seek out design ideas to create attractive public spaces on King Street for everyone to enjoy. Twelve winners were announced and the winning art projects were installed in the spring. They are all available in time for the nice summer weather.

Here's a closer look at the 12 art creations that visitors can explore along King Street:

1. #WouldYouRatherTO invites physical and digital interactions that bring people together through friendly banter. Answer a "would you rather" question by spinning one of the two-coloured buoys to the colour of your choice. Snap a photo and share your own question with the hashtag #WouldYouRatherTO for a chance to be featured.

2. The Spark invites users to pedal together to light the Spark. Only when all four bikes are in use will the full effect be revealed.

3. The Present Moment includes an eye-catching road mural and country chairs. It invites passers-by to stop and relax in the midst of a bustling city, to observe the lively street and to reflect on the beauty and tranquillity that can be found wherever we seek them.

4. King Street Causeway is comprised of interlocking hexagonal modules at varying heights. During the day, it's a place for pedestrians to sit and relax, By sundown, the illuminated crystals reflect and transmit an infinite colour spectrum catering to Toronto's vibrant nightlife.

5. Ziggy - This painted zigzag tubular steel frame is simple and playful. It hopes to connect and bring people together as the structure allows people to lean on and hang out.

6. Woggle Jungle - Colourful foam noodles are clustered together to create a cheerful environment for rest and play, for adults and children alike.

7. Everyone is (A) Kid aims to engage the child in all of us to rediscover King Street. The bright yellow milk crates create a cheery moment in the daytime, and are softly filtered by the street lights in the evenings.

8. Watch Your Step! is an abstract geometric road mural composed of brightly coloured triangles. The use of colour creates a sense of movement and visual depth.

9. The King \ St exhibits the city's first modular urban green park. It showcases a unique material made from recycled automotive textile waste and enables real grass to grow. When viewed from above, the design spells out "KING ST". At ground level, the letters act as 'rooms' with seating and benches of various heights. Users can also charge their phones while enjoy using Canada's first smart bench.

10. King's Buried Treasure is a road mural that depicts a stream, edged with rocks, pebbles, mud, and brush, resurrecting the lost creeks of King Street. Animal footprints are painted onto the road using a super hydrophobic solution. This animated feature is invisible in dry weather and visible when it rains.

11. Face To Face or Tête à Tête is shaped like boomerangs, in striking blue and orange, one table angles toward the street, and one toward the side walk. It invites users to watch the passers-by or to gather for conversations.

12. Asphalt Poetry is a ground mural. The poem The City by Ronna Bloom is presented on the ground. To see the entire poem and how it looks on King Street, please click here as I didn't get a good photo with my camera. If I'm able to take a good picture later on, I'll update this post to include it.

We've just finished our 2.5 km walk. Do a return trip and we'd get 5K done, no problem! If you don't feel like walking back, hop on the streetcar and rest your feet. This type of discovery walk gets high scores from me for fitness, entertainment, art, social, and travel if you haven't visited King Street recently. I hope you enjoy it.

Which of the above art installation(s) do you like? I'd love to hear your thoughts.