quiet spaces

I took this photo at the cottage last month.



One of my favourite places in Toronto these days is the Art Gallery of Ontario. I signed up as a member earlier this year (using birthday gift money from my mom-in-law) when my arms weren't doing so great; I love wandering around the galleries, losing myself in history and art.

I tend to go near the end of the day after visiting schoolkids are gone. Sometimes I'll spend the entire visit in one room, other times I'll wander through several exhibits. In a weird way, I find a similar sort of quiet space there as I do sometimes at the cottage; it's a great way to relax as well as find creative inspiration.

I don't claim to be any kind of expert, but I still enjoy looking at the paintings, sculptures, other types of art exhibits. Or at least most of them...I'm still not crazy about canvases painted all black, or the roped off piece of broken ladder that turns out to be part of the exhibit. I recall going to the AGO many years ago with Mary Ellen Wessels, Ed LeBel, and Clif Flynt. MEW and Ed wandered ahead in a room of modern art while Clif and I pretended to have an intense discussion about the artistic merits of a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall. :-)

One of the reasons I wanted a membership is because I find I get far more enjoyment when I have as much time as I'd like to look at a particular piece, rather than feel I have to rush through everything to get my money's worth.

I love finding stories in the art, or a glimpse into the emotions that went into it, learning more about the artist's technique or the history behind the subject. Yesterday I went to the Turner-Whistler-Monet exhibit and very much enjoyed it; I'll be going back at least a few more times, I'm sure.

Had a fine evening as well: after seeing "The Terminal" with Parki, we had dinner at The Keg, and I didn't get home until nearly midnight. He's lending me his "Firefly" DVDs! So many friends have told me good things about this series, so I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.

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