On Hurricane Irma, and art of the Florida Highwaymen
Glued to CNN this weekend, following the progress of Hurricane Irma through the Caribbean and Florida, I was startled to realize that images on the news were mirrored by certain images in the book I’m reading: The Journey of the Highwaymen, by Catherine M. Enns. The Florida Highwaymen were a legendary group of mid-century African-American artists who […]
Georgia O’Keeffe at the AGO
“I found I could say things with color and shape that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe Lucky Toronto! The city is the only North American stop for the blockbuster exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe, on now at the Art Gallery of Ontario until July 30, 2017. The retrospective covers […]
The fourth best beach in the world
Six of us got off the plane at the tiny airport in Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba. It had taken two days to get there. Cubana Airlines scheduling problems delayed us overnight in Cayo Coco—hauling luggage and fighting for a place in the buffet line at a massive busy resort. Thirty minutes in the air […]
Villa Palagonia, Sicily’s Baroque garden of monsters
Monsters, mirrors and 18th century excess all meet at Villa Palagonia, one of Sicily’s strangest attractions. Villa Palagonia is one of the earliest examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture, begun in 1705 by architect Tommaso Napoli as a summer residence for Don Francesco Ferdinando Gravina, fifth prince of Palagonia. Located in the seaside town of […]
CHIHULY: spectacular glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly at the ROM
“I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in a way that they’ve never experienced.” – Dale Chihuly Opening this weekend at the Royal Ontario Museum, the first major exhibition in Toronto of spectacular glass sculpture by American master Dale Chihuly. CHIHULY at the ROM features new and early works in eleven installations designed […]
Island-hopping in the Atlantic with Azores Airlines
Black volcanic cliffs shrouded in mist, fantastical ferns and flowers that look like props from an episode of Star Trek. I’ve just returned from a big adventure, island-hopping in the Atlantic Ocean with Azores Airlines (SATA). The two-island 12-day package took us on a voyage of discovery to a part of the planet we’d never […]
J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free at AGO
Romantic, innovator, traveler, genius. J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was Britain’s greatest artist and the pilgrimage to see the collection of his work at Tate Britain is one I’ve made each time I’ve visited London. His luminous, vaporous paintings are mesmerizing, and surprisingly modern. I’m incredibly excited that many of these masterworks have come to Toronto in […]
Gone swimming! Best places in the world to swim
Swimmingly \ adv (1622): very well; SPLENDIDLY Several recent Guardian articles on wild swimming (Kenwood Ladies Pond, Hampstead Heath, and Wild Swimming in Italy) have me dreaming of water again. One thing my husband Pat and I can agree on when planning a trip to take together is the opportunity to swim in natural water. We’ll never […]
Picturing the Americas: Landscape Painting from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic at the AGO
On now at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the exquisite exhibition Picturing the Americas: Landscape Painting from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic. Five years in the planning and scheduled to run concurrently with the Pan Am Games and Parapan Am Games 2015, the show takes visitors on a spectacular visual journey through the Americas. […]
Visions of Mughal India and Howard Hodgkin paintings at Aga Khan Museum, Toronto
Two brilliant exhibitions on now at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, reveal British painter Howard Hodgkin’s lifelong fascination with India. Inspired by India: Paintings by Howard Hodgkin features the artist’s own work inspired by the energy, light and colours of India. Visions of Mughal India: The Collection of Howard Hodgkin displays extraordinary historical pieces from Hodgkin’s private collection. […]