Contrasting Worlds November 20, 2010

North Toronto painter, designer and mentor Lena Shugar celebrates her new solo exhibition (born out of the past two years of travel to Alaska and Israel) entitled “Contrasting Worlds” with a reception on Thursday, November 25 (6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) at Leonardo Galleries in Yorkville; the showcase runs November 20 to December 4, 2010.

Lena Shugar explains the two subjects of her revolutionary new collection, “Capturing the immortal spirit of Israel's landscape was challenging. The interpretation of this subject was a journey of exploration of thought and realization of the reassurance of its permanence. Alaska has enriched the world with its dramatic diversity. The icebergs appear to possess the prehistoric mystery of splendour, while standing guard over this beautiful pristine world. It has been my privilege to witness the glorious sights and to attempt to paint it in my own humble way.”

Shugar’s artwork (expressed abstractly and impressionistically) fuels the viewer’s imagination. Her still life and landscape art impresses with its beauty, originality and clarity, and as with “Contrasting Worlds”, what the viewer sees in each of her series is its uniqueness. Yet, ever-present is the consistency of boldness, vibrancy of colour, and her use of texture, form and subject as well as emanating energy.

As a child Lena Shugar fled with her family from Poland to Russia, then to West Berlin and finally settling in Norway. Then in adolescence, with a passion for colour and fantasy and not speaking English, she sought solace in art. She came to Canada (Halifax) in the spring of 1951 and in 1952 she enrolled in the best art department in Toronto at Central Technical School, under the tutelage of honoured Canadian artist and teacher Doris McCarthy. These studies no doubt contributed to her success as the head of the Canadian Industries Colour Studio and later, her independent design consultancy.

Shugar’s works are featured in many private and corporate collections and during the past decade her exhibits in Sweden, Israel, USA and Canada have met with critical acclaim. In 2001, the Lindsay Art Gallery honoured her by bestowing their Award of Excellence for a portrait.

For more exhibit information visit; http://www.leonardogalleries.com/index.php?p=artist&s=lenashugar4&from=Lena Shugar

Leonardo Galleries, Toronto is devoted to the promotion of contemporary art. The gallery represents local and international artists from established and emerging categories and has a significant collection of works of art in painting, print-media, sculpture and photography. Leonardo Galleries also specializes in conservation framing and expert art restoration.

As a member of the Yorkville Art Galleries Collective, Leonardo Galleries participates in the free monthly Yorkville Art Gallery Walk, which is held the first Thursday of each month and coincides with exhibition openings.

Official Website: http://www.leonardogalleries.com