The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

So I just came back from my second trip to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Last year I was only able to go for an hour, which is definitely not enough time to see even a small fraction of the work. There are over 500 artists who exhibit every year, there is something for everyone. I love love love this show. The work is constantly inspiring, breathtaking, and surprising.

some highlights:

Noelle Hamlyn Snell's work. It is beautiful, delicate, and intricate. She was also in the Awards 2009 show with me at the Ontario Craft Council that just finished up today, and they only showed one piece of hers. That one piece did not even hint at what her body of work is really like. She won Best of Fibre, and she totally deserved it.

Stephen Hayes has some amazing collaged, sculpture like, shadowboxed pieces. They are dark, and eerie, and minimalistic at times, but very very evocative. I saw his work last year, and I was looking out for him again this year. He did not disappoint.

Floyd Elzinga is a reason to learn how to weld. He does gigantic metal sculptures with nature as his theme. Giant acorns, tree trunks, roots. He even does wall pieces like a painter, but with metal.

Margot Jenner is the artist behind bibelot forest. her handmade animals were ridiculously cute and stylized. i kept longingly looking at her lamb that was sitting in front of a tiny picnic basket...sigh.

fabricawakuwaku's recycled and vintage stuffed dolls and animals were also adorable. my friend bought one of her dolls for his niece, and i'm sure she'll love it to death.

i really like Patrycja Zwierzynska's work. She won Best of Jewellery two years ago, and has won numerous awards since. Before I knew who she was, I saw her work everywhere. Now that I know her, I love her work even more. Her pieces are very fluid and delicate, they puzzled me for some time about how she constructed them, but i am now appeased since she told me her secret :)