Octopus Project #7

The Octopus Project #7 was held this weekend in the Distillery District. This is my second time exhibiting with them. This shows theme was "Ladder". You can view all the openings pictures at www.octopusproject.ca/octopusproject7 All photographs are taken by Melanie Gordon, one of the co-creators of Octopus Project. My favorite piece of the show was the bean ladder which you can see below.

The next theme is "Free" in which all the artwork is actually free! The person who "purchases" the free work is supposed to send a letter to the artist either thanking them, telling them a story, writing a poem...etc. In lieu of paying a participating artist fee of $20 (which usually covers printing postcards, food and drink for the opening, and labor) the artist will donate either food, drink, or services. This should be an interesting social experiment. Both my husband and I will be creating a piece for the show.

The Octopus Project - Art Opening this Saturday

This Saturday's art opening hosted by The Octopus Project is the second time that I will be exhibiting with this artist-run organization.

"The OCTOPUS PROJECT provides an outlet for artists to continue making art by offering a challenge to create. The challenge is issued as a spark —an idea or image— sent out every eight weeks for interpretation by the artists." (Quoted from their site www.octopusproject.ca)

When I asked Catherine, one of the founders of The Octopus Project, how she and her co-creator Melanie came up with the name and concept of this organization this is how she replied.
"We were having a dinner party with some good friends and I told Melanie about a dream I had in which she was the main character. I dreamed she was swimming in a black ocean, with a single light on her as she swam to the top. A giant fuscia octopus came from the depths and started pulling her down in a serene way, like she was meant to go under with it. It was such a striking image we starting talking about what it might look like if I created something with it. That turned to the idea of how interesting it would be to have artists of various disciplines or styles create something based on that image, and so the Octopus Project was born! We always also say that the amount of double chocolate cake we ate that evening may have sparked us quite a bit more than usual to follow through on our idea :)"

This cycle's spark was "ladder". My piece that I created for the show is entitled "Nature's Ladders" and can be seen below. I've found that having a "spark" when approaching a project really gets me focused.

The show will be held this Saturday 12-4pm at:
55 Mill St. Bldg. 74
(Case Goods Warehouse)
Studio 410 - 4th Floor

Artwork hanging at Savoury Grounds

You can see my artwork that is up now at Savoury Grounds new location, at Queen and Parliment in Downtown Toronto.

Live Feed Tonight from The Sketchbook Project

I'm taking part in a group show that was organized by ArtHouseCoop in Atlanta, GA. They do great collaborative projects that connect artists from all around the world. You can read more about them on their website at http://www.arthousecoop.com/

Tonight they are broadcasting the opening of "The Sketchbook Project 4" from their gallery in Atlanta at 7pm at http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject/broadcast
Which is the first stop on this traveling show.

Below are some drawings that are in my sketchbook that I submitted for the show!

New Documentary "Herb & Dorothy"

Yesterday I listened to a story on CBC about "Herb & Dorothy". Instantly I was hooked and have to see the documentary. The story of an older couple, Herb a postal clerk and Dorothy a librarian, both under 5 foot, living in a 1-bedroom apartment in New York. Sounds ordinary enough, right? But, this couple is one of the most influential art collectors in Manhattan.

You have to check out their website www.herbanddorothy.com Where you can see pictures of the couple, their apartment, and their incredible art collection that they've amassed. On the website there is also the trailer for the documentary which is screening Sunday March 1st in Toronto at 4:00pm at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue.

When I grow up I want to be just like Herb and Dorothy.

Halo Halo ScreenPrinting

The new website of Toronto printmaker extraodinaire, Jeff Garcia, just recently hit the web. It promotes his up and coming show, Halo Halo Exhibition and Fundraiser, as well as his classes, printmaking co-horts, and his love of screenprinting. http://www.halohalo.ca/

I took his "Screenprinting for Illustrators" course and would highly recommend it. Jeff is a great instructor that encourages experimentation and pushing the limits of a medium. Fun Fun!

I was lucky enough to have my little screenprinted dolls featured on his website under the "Screenprinting for Illustrators 4" link.

New Drawings

Here are some new drawings and collages that I did about 2 weeks ago. I love the delicate line and gentle palette. I feel like the little characters, that my friend called corndog people, but their just bundled up in winter coats. The series is heavily influenced by Camilla Engman, my favorite Swedish Illustrator.

Prints Selling at Function 13

Great News.
Some of my silkscreens and etchings are now for sale at Function 13. Function 13 is a one stop shop for design, art and technology and it was just voted #1 Design Store in Toronto by NOW Magazine.
They've been open for a year and already are making waves in the Design scene. Check them out at 156 Augusta Ave. Their hours are Mon-Fri : 12-7pm and Sat/Sun : 11-6pm.
For more information about Function 13 visit them online at www.function13.ca

New Women's & Men's Shirts for Sale

New Screenprinted shirts for both sexes now available for sale.
Prices range from 17-27 dollars.
Go to www.bretschger.com and click on the heart to see the full selection.
Also for the holiday season I have blank greeting cards for sale.

Artwork now up at Insomnia Cafe

Just installed my artwork for a group show at Insomnia Cafe. The artwork will be up until the beginning of November and I will be holding an opening sometime in Mid or Late October. For more information about the cafe go to http://www.insomniacafe.com/

It is located at 563 Bloor Street West in Toronto. They are open all day for lunch, coffees and dinner. Stop by and check it out. I have reasonable original artworks ranging from low 100's to high 500's.

OCAD WhoDunIt? Mystery Art Show

This will be my second year contributing to Toronto's OCAD Mystery Art Show. If your in Toronto November 19-22 go out and try and find me at the show. To learn more about it go to http://www.ocad.ca/about_ocad/support_ocad/whodunit.htm

From the press release:

". . . one of the city's most ingenious visual-art fundraisers"
- Sarah Milroy, Globe and Mail

The Whodunit? OCAD Mystery Art Sale is OCAD's signature fundraising event. It’s an exhibition and sale of pieces of original art by well-known and celebrity artists, OCAD faculty, alumni and students.
Gaining in popularity year after year, the Whodunit? OCAD Mystery Art Sale offers hundreds of original pieces of art donated by artists who are famous and not-yet-famous. Every piece measures 5½ x 7½ inches and each piece is $75. Like it - buy it - turn it over and see Whodunit!

How it works…
View hundreds of pieces of art during the Public Preview and write down the numbers of the pieces you would like to buy. Then be first in line on the day of the sale to make sure you get the pieces you want. Buy the art at the Public Art Sale. All art is sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early with the list of the pieces you like so that you can get your top choices.
Public Preview: November 19 to 21, 2008
Public Art Sale: November 22, 2008

All events take place at 100 McCaul Street, Toronto. Whodunit?

Come celebrate art, artists and friends at a fabulous party unlike any other. Preview the hundreds of pieces of mystery art for sale in the Whodunit? Public Art Sale on November 22. Bid on framed 5½" x 7½" mystery art chosen exclusively for sale in the Silent Auction or bid on large-scale art by a select group of artists in the Live Auction. Join mystery artists and friends at our exclusive party!

Gala Preview: Thursday November 20, 2008

Call me Mrs. Johansson

Well actually I'm going by Crystal Bretschger Johansson, quite a mouthful. I guess I will be changing my website from www.bretschger.com to something else. I was thinking www.mepaintyoubuy.com

Closing Ceremonies Beijing

Kevin and Oskar ended the Olympic Regatta in 4th. They performed extremely well in the second half of the regatta and scored 4 second places in a row. They just missed the bronze and made Canada, friends, and family extremely proud of them. China put on an incredible show and this olympic experience will be a great memory for the rest of my life.

Day 1 of racing in Qingdao

Oskar and Kevin were delayed after shifty and light winds. With one race into the 10 race regatta they are in 8th place. For full results go to www.sailing.org or www.tornado.org
I caught him on tv yesterday on the local network QTV, channel 11, but the Tornado race weren't televised. Instead the Stars were.
See below for pics.

Last night after racing and a debrief Oskar and I caught a taxi to go out to Italian. The taxi drivers are crazy here, but do tone it down for westerns, even so as we were pulling in front of the restaurant the driver slams on his brakes and we hear a huge crash.

Very scary considering their are no seatbelts in the back seats of the cabs. Anyway, it turns out the authorities were using what looked like an over sized bike rack to warn drivers of an uncovered manhole (no lights, cones, or lane merging devices being used). So Oskar and I ran out of the taxi, threw our 10 rambos at our driver, and headed to our table for a much needed glass of wine.

Apparently, I did a little research this morning. The first american death during the olympics, which was swept under the red rug, was of a female volunteer on her way home to her hotel at night and fell into an uncovered man hole. It turns out that the covers are a hot commodity and were being stolen for scrap metal to use in the construction going on in beijing and qingdao.

Around the Village...

Below are some pictures from around the athlete's village.




This is one of the many abstract sculptures on the outskirts of the athlete's village.




The red wall is where athletes can sign their name and leave a message.







The Tornado is the most popular boat to be showcased on the building sized posters around Qingdao.



This is the view of the harbor from Oskar's room on the 10th floor.