The Riviera Gallery

Located in the Riviera Ward's Island Kitchen, the gallery hosts the artwork of Toronto Island artists with rotating monthly exhibitionswww.islandrivieraresort.com

Image credit: Hannah Mittelstaedt Exhibition2022.

On View - 


SMALL PAINTINGS

Barbara Klunder

November 7 - December 15, 2024

The exhibition SMALL PAINTINGS is a collection of small works, mostly in oil, created by the artist in 2024. The subject matter is inspired by nature that surrounds Barbara’s Toronto Island home. SMALL PAINTINGS includes textile work in the form of fabric purses stitched and embroidered to compliment some of the paintings.


Opening Thursday November 7, 7– 9 pm


Untitled Snail, Barbara Klunder, oil on canvas, 2024

Untitled Bird, Barbara Klunder, oil on canvas, 2024


Past Exhibitions - 


BRUTAL SCRUFFS

New sculpture by Alastair Dickson

October 3 - November 3, 2024


An exhibition of formal, abstract 3D compositions, often using the human figure or face as a reference. The artist’s approach is guided by materials he has in his studio, collected and contributed over the the years, and is exploratory and intuitive in nature. The lack of a planned outcome leads to spontaneity, and a sense of adventure, and humour, in the process.


Brutal Scruffs, Alastair Dickson

H 15.5 W 19 D 3.5”

Friar Funk, Alastair Dickson

H: 9.25 W: 7.25 D: 3

VIBRANT RESILIENCY 

by the ‘Artists of the Point’ 

September 5th - September 29


This is the first of a series of events that celebrate the 25th Anniversary of theGibraltar Point Centre for the Arts. Gibraltar Point is known internationally for hosting artists so they can take advantage of the facility’s quiet and natural setting to focus on their practices and projects through short-term residencies and long-term studio rentals.

This exhibit will feature a broad selection of artists who have been inspired by working on the Toronto Island, as well as the history of the centre’s transition from the original Island School - saved from the bulldozer by dedicated Islanders - to the cultural hub it is today. 


Exhibiting Artists Include: 

Alastair Dickson, April Hickox, Frank Meyer, Jerry Englar, Jim Belisle, Kate Shepherd, Laura Shepherd, Leida Englar, Louie Mangialardi, Mary Anderson, Maurice Vellekoop, Mitchell Fenton, Pat Jeffries and Susan Roy.


Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by the Riviera Restaurant, courtesy of the Riviera Gallery fund.

Gibraltar Point will also be hosting an 25th Anniversary Party at the centre on September 21st from 3 - 7pm. All are invited.

Jagna Kalina Zaborska

After The Dance

August 1 - September 2, 2024


After the Dance by Jagna Kalina Zaborska includes images created from carved lino blocks combined with acrylics and pastels of the Ward’s Island Association clubhouse. The clubhouse and the cafe were very important to the artist and her husband during their ten years living on Ward’s and on their boat. The artist produced the images to evoke the happy feeling of wandering home late at night after an island event. The exhibition also includes watercolour inks on paper titled Happy, Sunny that depict small corners on the Island in the days just before the pandemic. 

Jagna Kalina Zaborska

Happy, Sunny, Watercolour and Ink on Paper

The Fake Art School

"Still Fakin' It"

July 4 - July 28, 2024


“The Fake Art School started as a joke and we still are. Humour and laughter are a vital part of our making stuff. Three of our principles are support, encouragement and humour. One of our mottos is “hang with the gigglers.” The administration, faculty and students are ourselves. To say the Fake Art School is rigid is too loose! We are completely uncertain of any requirements of creativity, talent or skills. The School began as an outdoor plein air group and the number of artists involved has grown over the years.” Selected text from the Fake Art School exhibition statement by artist, Jim Belisle, 2024.

Exhibiting Artists: Jim Belisle, Cheryl de Gras, Leida Englar, Mary-Ann Haney, Brad Harley, Merle Harley, Gaye Jackson, Jamie Ly, Frank Meyer, Eliza Moore, Nancy Moore, Susan Roy, Kate Shepherd, Laura Shepherd, Claire Tallarico

Anthea Baxter-Page

Passages

June 6 - June 30, 2024


Through a selection of images from her numerous travels in India, Anthea Baxter-Page explores how the cohesion of this complex society is revealed through its impact on the architecture. Every fort, palace, archway and corridor is seeped in the history of human experience spanning thousands of years.


www.antheabaxterpage.com

@antheabaxterpageart

Pigeon Informal, Udaipur, 2012, 

Anthea Baxter-Page,

Fine Art Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle William Turner, 

30" x 20" 

Dahl, Udaipur, 2018, 

Anthea Baxter-Page, 

Fine Art Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle William Turner, 

30" x 20" 

Brad Harley + Merle Harley

Poetical Science

May 2 - June 2, 2024


Poetical Science (a term stolen from 17th Century mathematician Ada Lovelace), is a series of paintings by Brad Harley and Merle Harley. The works are created independently, but follow the same parameters – using found dictionary pages as a base, layered with watercolour, drawing and collage media, to create visual poems.

Untitled, Merle Harley, 2024, watercolour, pencil, collage on found dictionary pages, 11" x 14"

Untitled, Brad Harley, 2024, watercolour, pencil, collage on found dictionary pages, 11" x 14" 


Toronto Island Artists Group Exhibition

Island Connections

March 8 - April 28


The Toronto Island Community has nurtured generations of creative talent over the years.
This Spring, we invited artists from all levels of creative practice to exhibit their work in an open call group exhibition.


The show runs March 8 to April 28.

Alastair Dickson
Alex Chouinard
Anthea Baxter-Page
Baye Hunter
Brad Harley
Carol Bigwood
Cheryl DeGras
Chris Thompson
Claire Tallarico
Claudette Abrams
Colin Brodie
David Pitcher

Dwight Chalmers
Eliza Moore
Faye Jordan
Frank Meyer
Gail Read
Jane Hayes
Jeyda Deyna
Joanna Kidd
Kate Shepherd
Kathleen Doody
Ken de Haas
Laura Shepherd

Leida Englar
Linda Rosenbaum
Lisa Parra
Lori Dell
Luisa Milan
Lynn Purves
Mai Aru
Merle Harley
Mitch Fenton
Nancy Moore
Paige Brodie
Pat Jeffries

Peter Dewdney
Peter Freeman
Philip Chatterton
Robin Christmas
Rosemary Parson
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Susan Baker
Susan Roy
Tanya Golden
Tristan Hamburgh
Yael Freudmann

Gaye Jackson

Shoreline

November 3 - December 3, 2023


Gaye Jackson’s work is about environmental history, geology, and land use. Shoreline comprises images from three bodies of work including a project based on the artist’s archive of wire fragments found at Leslie Spit; a documentation of Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling System at Gibraltar Point, Toronto island; and shoreline observations while at a studio at Gibraltar Point Art Centre.

www.gayejackson.com

@gayejackson8

Shore #5, Gaye Jackson, Archival Digital Print, 2022

Luisa Milan

New Work

October 5 - October 29


Textile artist Luisa Milan explores the patterns of plants and water through freehand machine embroidery. The magnification of circles and curves that appear on water and the shapes of flora are interchangeable and provide an endless source of delight and wonder for the viewer.


Image #1 from New Work, 2023, Luisa Milan

Joanna Kidd

Saints of the Sandbar

September 7 - October 1


With Saints of the Sandbar, Joanna Kidd has created a miscellany of carved wooden saints to protect residents and visitors to Toronto Island. The exhibition is rooted in the rich history of the Island and includes the Patron Saints of mariners, rum runners, swimmers, paddlers and ice skaters. There are twelve saints in all, each carrying the symbols of his or her trade, and each standing in a distinctive surround. Ready to protect, preserve and please.


Saint Valiente, the Patron Saint of Ferry Captains and Ferry Passengers, 2021

Joanna Kidd

Linda Rosenbaum and Susan Roy

Colour*full

August 2 - September 6

The exhibit features beautifully hand-painted black & white photographs by Linda Rosenbaum and intricately sculpted Paper Works by Susan Roy. Colour and texture is the thread that connect the work.

Untitled, Linda Rosenbaum

California #5, Susan Roy

Nancy Moore: 

New Perspectives

July 6 - July 30


Nancy Moore’s exhibition New Perspectives is a collection of oil paintings that focus on landscape, still life and the nautical world.


Nancy Moore, Allusion, 2023

Oil on Canvas, 10" x 10"



Rosemary Parson

Retrospective Exhibition

June 1 - July 2, 2023

Rosemary Parson's exhibition is a retrospective of her paintings from the mid 1970's to present day. 

Rosemary works with various mediums including gouache and acrylics. Her paintings, characterized by bold colour and intricate detail, often elicit an emotional response. 


Rosemary Parson, Girl in Red Dress, 2023

Cold Wax and Oil Collage, 29" x 25"



Paige Brodie: Washed 

May 4 - May 28, 2023

Paige's work is a celebration of colour and the freedom of abstract through oil paint and layers of washes. Bright ombre patterns on long vertical canvas sometimes mimic a dreamy horizon viewed through a window. 



Paige Brodie, Washed Series 4, 2023 

Oil and Wash on Canvas, 20" x 8"