Gallery in the Garden: Colour Shift May 1, 2012

Colour Shift, Sherway Gardens’ current Gallery in the Garden exhibit is a collective of abstract paintings and photographs that features Toronto based artists Lisa Hickey, Sann Sann Lam, Salomon Khammi, Karen Taylor, Kate Taylor, Joe Calleja and Scott Garant. The exhibit is on display until Saturday, June 9 in the corridor at door 3. For more information call 416-621-1070 or visit www.sherwaygardens.ca.

The Colourshift Collective joined efforts at the end of 2010 with a shared goal of improving the opportunities to exhibit abstract art. Members of the collective engage in a variety of media and styles, working in acrylic, oil, mixed media, encaustic and photography. Recent exhibitions of the group include: "Abstraction" at Ben Navaee Gallery, 2011; "New Growth" at Gallery 1313, 2011; "Bright Lights, Big City" Gladstone Hotel Art Bar, 2011; UpArt Contemporary Art Fair, 2011; "Stolen Moments" at the Propeller Gallery, Mar 28 - Apr 8, 2012 and "Flux" at the Gladstone Hotel Art Bar, Apr 12 – 23, 2012. More of their work can be seen at www.colourshiftcollective.ca

Toronto painter Lisa Hickey uses vibrant monochromatic and analogous hues, tempered with luscious traces of complimentary colours to create both depth and luminosity. Using these dualities of colour and texture she entices the viewer to pause and look closer. Lisa has a B.A. in Fine Art from McMaster University in Hamilton, and an M.A. from the University of British Columbia. She is a recent graduate of the Cultural Careers Council of Ontario’s “Business of Art” course, and belongs to the Artist Network of Riverdale. Her paintings can be viewed at lisadhickey.ca/

Sann Sann Lam is a Toronto mixed media artist who works intuitively, layering colour and texture in a dynamic rhythm of conscious expression to create her vision of who we are. Incorporating caulking with acrylic paint gives the portrait the physical element needed to convey aspects of age and maturity, reversing how we form our impressions of each other. Sann Sann’s art works are in private and commercial collections across Canada, New York and the Bahamas. Some of her pieces can be seen at sannsannlam.com

Toronto encaustic artist Salomon Khammi is originally from Colombia and draws on his childhood experiences in Colombia to form the initial inspiration of his artistic direction. The colours of the region, the Kametza and Inga people and pre-Colombian artifacts are still very present in his memory and are continually being fused into whimsical yet elaborate images. Repeated linear forms and circles are integrated from his structured architectural training to complete the contemporary rendition of these images. View his work at salomonkhammi.com

Karen Taylor, a Scottish artist now working in Toronto, is heavily influenced by the English Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau, especially Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose works are an integral part of her native Glasgow. Acrylics give Karen the freedom to express these organic, sinuous forms whilst also allowing her to build up depth using translucent layers reflecting many years working with pastels. See her work at karentaylorart.com

Toronto painter, Kate Taylor, specializes in abstract landscapes. She has a BFA from the University of Western Ontario. Committed to capturing colour and energy in her mixed media acrylic paintings, Kate often works with an epoxy coating to increase the play of light and reflection. View her pieces at katetaylorstudio.com

Joe Calleja was born and raised in the west end of Toronto. Joe has always had a creative bent. He studied theatre and stage design, writes poetry, and is a graphic designer and fine art photographer. More of his photography can be seen at callejaphotography.com

Toronto photographer, Scott Garant has a background in photojournalism and has studied photography at various colleges in Ontario. His creative energy is fuelled by a background that includes painting. Scott’s work can be seen at garillaarts.com

Official Website: http://www.sherwaygardens.ca