Gallery 888

the most interesting thing about this gallery is not its art, in my opinion, but its space. the main room in which you enter from queen street east has old hardwood floors and white walls like most galleries in the vicinity. in the centre of this space rest two archie bunker chairs that face slightly askew from each other for a cozy gander at the artwork.
it is these chairs that seem to be the archetypal objects in this place. they give you a rural feel; as though the need to make the surroundings pretty were paramount (versus making it chic or cool lets say). home is where the heart is. and indeed this feels very much like someones home.
once youve perused the work, all paintings or drawings this time around, you can slip through the kitchen, out to the backyard where there is a patio with a bench or two that feels quite, well, mexican. that sounds weird, i suppose, but i think it has something to do with the colours and finish on the outside of the buildings. i think this is probably the perfect place to lounge on an opening night of an exhibition, especially in good weather.
now the reason for going out back, is that there is a converted garage that houses other artwork. there was, for example, a one man handmade canoe made of birch bark that was pretty lovely.
a look at the current and previous exhibitions seems to offer that elizabeth russ, the owner of the gallery, favours landscapes and other subject matter of nature, as well as mixed media. now of course, it would be foolish to narrow it down any further, as the exhibits are always changing, but it seems like she provides a warm venue within which artists of many different style and mediums can show their work.
so though this time around the artwork i saw didnt hit me in a strong way, i wouldnt hesitate to keep peeking inside for something that just might do so.