A few weeks ago, I discovered the work of Vanessa McKernan. There was something about the dreamlike quality of her paintings that immediately stayed with me.
Originally from Toronto and now based in the Ottawa Valley, Vanessa creates intuitive works that weave together themes of memory, motherhood, and the complexities of the feminine psyche.
I was able to visit Abbozzo Gallery to see the exhibition in person and had the chance to ask Vanessa a few questions about her process and the recurring themes that appear throughout her work.
A few weeks ago, I discovered the work of Vanessa McKernan. There was something about the dreamlike quality of her paintings that immediately stayed with me.
Originally from Toronto and now based in the Ottawa Valley, Vanessa creates intuitive works that weave together themes of memory, motherhood, and the complexities of the feminine psyche.
I was able to visit Abbozzo Gallery to see the exhibition in person and had the chance to ask Vanessa a few questions about her process and the recurring themes that appear throughout her work.
Photo courtesy of Hayley Axelrad c/o Manolo Blahnik
If I were a character in a painting looking to have fun, I'd like to hang out in a piece by Hayley Axelrad.
Axelrad's world is as colourful as glamorous, with a pinch of humour, which is why I was thrilled to find out of Hayley's recent collaboration with legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik.
In fact, I was so happy about this I had to hop on a call with Hayley to know more about how this collaboration came to be. It's always great to see Toronto artists making waves internationally.
Watch our conversation on YouTube. Transcript available below. ___
Photo courtesy of Hayley Axelrad c/o Manolo Blahnik
If I were a character in a painting looking to have fun, I'd like to hang out in a piece by Hayley Axelrad.
Axelrad's world is as colourful as glamorous, with a pinch of humour, which is why I was thrilled to find out of Hayley's recent collaboration with legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik.
In fact, I was so happy about this I had to hop on a call with Hayley to know more about how this collaboration came to be. It's always great to see Toronto artists making waves internationally.
Watch our conversation on YouTube. Transcript available below. ___
From wearing fabulous outfits to beach parties to having high-fashion photo shoots next to oversized produce, this group of senior women is living an unconventional life. But they only exist thanks to AI.
Scrolling through the @niceaunties Instagram feed is as puzzling as familiar. The account serves as a sort of photo album in which we follow their intergalactic adventures as well as some mundane moments like cooking with mysterious foods that only exist in their alternate universe or morning meditations in sequined outfits. (Are there mornings in the Hyperspace?)
From wearing fabulous outfits to beach parties to having high-fashion photo shoots next to oversized produce, this group of senior women is living an unconventional life. But they only exist thanks to AI.
Scrolling through the @niceaunties Instagram feed is as puzzling as familiar. The account serves as a sort of photo album in which we follow their intergalactic adventures as well as some mundane moments like cooking with mysterious foods that only exist in their alternate universe or morning meditations in sequined outfits. (Are there mornings in the Hyperspace?)
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world shut down for the first time, we asked some artists in our community about their practice and the impact of living in isolation.
Without planning it, this series of 13 conversations became a sort of a time capsule of that time. This series was produced by Artifier in partnership with Partial and was highlighted as one of the best art talks in Canada by CBC Arts.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world shut down for the first time, we asked some artists in our community about their practice and the impact of living in isolation.
Without planning it, this series of 13 conversations became a sort of a time capsule of that time. This series was produced by Artifier in partnership with Partial and was highlighted as one of the best art talks in Canada by CBC Arts.
Me emociona mucho presentarles el trabajo de Toko Hosoya.
La primera vez que escuché de Toko fue al final del año pasado cuando tuvo una exposición en Toronto llamada "Salt Cure". Me enamoré de sus ilustraciones de mundos mágicos de gente pequeña con sombreros de hongos, bosques mágicos y criaturas mitológicas. Cada imagen me parecía como que era parte de una historia que no podía recordar muy bien. Un poco familiar e inusual al mismo tiempo. Me quedé completamente hipnotizada.
I'm very excited to introduce you to the work of Toko Hosoya.
The first time I heard about Toko was at the end of last year when she had a solo exhibition in Toronto called “Salt Cure“. I fell in love with her Illustrations of whimsical worlds with tiny people in mushroom hats, magic forests and mythological creatures. Every image to me looked like it belonged to a tale I couldn't remember very well. Both familiar and unusual. I was completely hypnotized!
Pomegranate Eater, Toko Hosoya
Desde hacía mucho tiempo había estado buscando una pieza de arte para mi casa y después de ver sus ilustraciones supe que ya la había encontrado. :)
Hace un par de meses finalmente nos encontramos y además pudimos sentarnos a platicar de su trabajo, cómo crea éstos mundos, y por supuesto... cuál es la historia detrás de la ilustración que me llevé a casa.
For the longest time I had been looking for a piece of art to have at home and after seeing her illustrations I knew I had found the one! ;)
A couple of months ago we finally met and she was also kind enough to tell me about her work, how she creates these worlds, and of course... what was the story behind the Illustration I was taking home with me that day.
Me emociona mucho presentarles el trabajo de Toko Hosoya.
La primera vez que escuché de Toko fue al final del año pasado cuando tuvo una exposición en Toronto llamada "Salt Cure". Me enamoré de sus ilustraciones de mundos mágicos de gente pequeña con sombreros de hongos, bosques mágicos y criaturas mitológicas. Cada imagen me parecía como que era parte de una historia que no podía recordar muy bien. Un poco familiar e inusual al mismo tiempo. Me quedé completamente hipnotizada.
I'm very excited to introduce you to the work of Toko Hosoya.
The first time I heard about Toko was at the end of last year when she had a solo exhibition in Toronto called “Salt Cure“. I fell in love with her Illustrations of whimsical worlds with tiny people in mushroom hats, magic forests and mythological creatures. Every image to me looked like it belonged to a tale I couldn't remember very well. Both familiar and unusual. I was completely hypnotized!
Pomegranate Eater, Toko Hosoya
Desde hacía mucho tiempo había estado buscando una pieza de arte para mi casa y después de ver sus ilustraciones supe que ya la había encontrado. :)
Hace un par de meses finalmente nos encontramos y además pudimos sentarnos a platicar de su trabajo, cómo crea éstos mundos, y por supuesto... cuál es la historia detrás de la ilustración que me llevé a casa.
For the longest time I had been looking for a piece of art to have at home and after seeing her illustrations I knew I had found the one! ;)
A couple of months ago we finally met and she was also kind enough to tell me about her work, how she creates these worlds, and of course... what was the story behind the Illustration I was taking home with me that day.
Hi there! I'm Carla Rojas 👋 Welcome to Artifier (pronounced arty * fire).
Artifier is a Toronto-based blog and digital garden where I explore and document ideas at the intersection of contemporary art, design, and lifestyle —from a curious art lover's pov.
