SYLVIE KANTOROVITZ - Art Days

group show at Clement

2011-11-20T08:56:00.001-08:00

It Takes a Village
collage on paper
6x7.5

getting ready for group show at Clement Gallery in troy. I will select among my latest small collages and all pieces will be under $ 300.

show: November 25 to January 26
reception: Friday November 25, 6-9 (Troy Night Out)

8 pieces at Martinez

2011-11-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

small round orange rock
collage and acrylic on board
12x12

never got around to posting about this show which is coming down any day now. oh well. the 8 pieces from this series looked very good together and displayed with Laudelina's tasteful touch.

last step of a show

2011-05-26T13:16:00.001-07:00

windy wednesday
collage & acrylic on paper
7.5x7.5

The show is over. I went to pick up the work today and what a nice surprise: this piece sold yesterday! Total of 8 pieces sold.
Jon is inviting me to show again during the winter "salon". I will look forward to that.

great opening

2011-04-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

small vases
collage and acrylic on paper
7.5x4

thank you to all of you who came last night to the opening at the Clement Art Gallery.
i enjoyed seeing all of you.

5 pieces have found new homes and that is such a good feeling too.

the show goes on till May 26.

preparing for show 7

2011-04-26T18:13:00.001-07:00

private world
collage + acrylic on board
12x12

18 pieces delivered at Clement. all that's left to do now is getting there on time on Friday.

a welcome weekly exercise

2011-04-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

Sara
black pen
8.5x11

Sara, one of the favorite models. what joy! too bad the class stops when school is on vacation.

preparing for show 6

2011-04-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

Papagena
collage and acrylic on mat board
9x6.5

next step: announcements on e-mail list and facebook. done. also got the postcard from Jon. (my piece on the right).

preparing for show 5

2011-04-15T13:43:00.001-07:00

mother and child
collage and acrylic on board
12x12

now all the pieces for the show are ready to go: signed, varnished, and all pieces on paper framed. the list went to Jon Gernon at the gallery and he is planning to post all images on the website at some point.
here is the site of the Clement Art Gallery: http://clementart.com/

preparing for show 4

2011-04-07T17:04:00.001-07:00

mona
collage+acrylic on paper
7.5x7.5

a good step done: all pieces for the show are photographed or scanned and put on records. pretty low-tech records (on paper files!) but records nonetheless.

preparing for show 3

2011-04-03T15:10:00.001-07:00

green vase
collage+acrylic on paper
7.5x3.75

step #3 in preparation of show: varnish pieces. not only do the colors really come alive but the UV protection will keep inks from fading in light. (after all, i am using torn paper from sometimes cheap sources.)

this step makes me a bit nervous. once done, i have to consider the pieces off-limit. no going back and correcting and re-working, which always seemed possible with oil.

preparing for show 2

2011-04-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Diva
collage + acrylic on paper
7.5x4

the second step in preparing for show is simple enough: making sure all pieces are signed. sometimes the whole name, sometimes only my monogram.

preparing for show

2011-04-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

alive
collage and acrylic on canvas
18x12

first step is done: i have 18 pieces ready for the show. all figures. this is the largest one.

ta-ra-ta-ta

2011-03-19T15:54:00.001-07:00

drummer
collage on paper
7.5x3.5

hear ye people! spring is coming! take heart.

mimosa sales

2011-02-23T13:27:00.001-08:00

night garden
collage on paper
7.5x3.75

nice surprise this morning: went to Saratoga to pick up art from show at Mimosa and found out 3 pieces had sold. this one is one of them.

more flowers

2011-01-25T07:13:00.001-08:00

bouquet #2
collage on paper on CD
ø 5

this collage is on show at the Mimosa gallery in Saratoga until February 19. it's part of the 10x10=100 show. (no picture larger than 10" per side. maximum price: $100.) 11 of my collages are there. some bouquets, some figures, some gardens.

flowers from warmer days

2010-12-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

bouquet #1
collage on paper on CD
ø 5"

A little collage from this summer. As with traditional quilts, it's fun to remember where each torn piece of paper comes from. The gold strip on the vase betrays chocolate consumption.

an etsy site

2010-11-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

Dancing Tree
oil on canvas
16x12

thank you Thor for your help and suggestions with my opening an Etsy site. plunged in yesterday and it is now running with 7 landscapes, including this tree. will be adding one or 2 images every so often. i'll have to figure how to have a widget on this page about it. for now, here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sylvieKstudio

sketch class

2010-10-26T05:34:00.001-07:00

In these days of doom and gloom, nothing like 3 hours of total immersion in drawing from the model. not ONE thought about money, about the future, about the economy. Just the pure joy of the pen gliding on the page, of the brush adding a bit here, taking off a bit there. The page was blank and suddenly there is a figure on it. Magic!

ha ha ha

2010-09-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

america 100
collage on board
12x12

can you spot the torn pieces of a bill? no, i didn't tear a real $ 100 bill. even a $ 1 bill, i wouldn't tear! still saving pennies actually... there are also pieces from an old postcard of a Da Vinci drawing.

this piece will also be in in the show at Martinez Gallery.

delivery

2010-09-18T17:25:00.001-07:00

Pregnant
collage on board
12x12

Delivered this piece today with 4 others to the Martinez Gallery in Troy today. They will be part of the new show: Original Sin. Show opens on Friday September 24 for Troy Night Out.
http://www.martinezgallery.net/exhibitions.html

panel # 8

2010-09-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

double arch
collage on board
12x12

last one -for now- of this series of imaginary landscapes. 2 of them will be shown at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Chatham during the Arts Walk weekend. October 8-11.

panel #7

2010-09-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Small Round Orange Rock
collage on board
12x12

so much fun to start from torn pieces of paper and see them evolve into little magical worlds.

panel #6

2010-09-10T16:06:00.001-07:00

the man in the tree
collage on board
12x12

probably my favorite of the series.

panel #1

2010-07-08T07:25:00.001-07:00

red day in the land of 2 suns
collage on board
12x12

i thought i had posted this one some time ago but i can't find it, so here it is closer to its companions.

panel #5

2010-07-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

inner growth
collage on board
12x12

panel #4

2010-07-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

black crescent
collage on board
12x12

panel#3

2010-06-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

green moon
collage on board
12x12

panel#2

2010-06-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

bosquet rose
collage on panel
12x12

i love working on these little square panels. because i am such a stickler for chronology, here is #2 in a series that counts 8 since last night. #1 was posted as RED DAY in january 2010.

The Black Forest at the Albany Institute

2010-06-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

I am quite thrilled to have a painting exposed beautifully at the Albany Institute of History and Art. It is among 50 paintings by 50 artists and will be part of the fund-raising silent auction during the upcoming gala. The show is called: Tomorrow's Masters Today. Ten artists were selected as the "Master Class". Not me but not complaining.

on working very small.

2010-05-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

étude 4
collage
7.5x3.5

after seeing the monumental size of the pieces at DIA:Beacon, it feels funny to come back to my tiny pieces. but i have such a good feeling about them. i believe i want the viewer to experience something very intimate with them, as one does with a beloved small object, a jewel, a favorite rock. i wish for each piece to become a favorite possession (not necessarily a piece to put on the wall.) a possession that one puts away carefully and takes out for a moment of pleasure or to share with selected friends.

a tiny piece

2010-05-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

village
collage
6x3.75

i think a common aspect in my pieces is the flight from reality. some art is a reflection on our times, some take a stand pro or against, some is politically involved. and it is all good. mine is a dream world where i can find solace from an anxiety producing world.

blues and yellows

2010-05-24T17:08:00.001-07:00

animated
collage
7.5x5.5

of all the collages i am doing these days, my favorites are the "portraits". i like the way the background creates itself and add an unexpected dimension.

a color study

2010-05-19T12:31:00.001-07:00

étude 3
collage
7.5x3.5

possibly one of my favorites.

Mother's day.

2010-05-09T07:37:00.001-07:00

flower stand
collage
7.5x3.75

opening tomorrow

2010-05-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

getting up
acrylic on board
12x12

i will be buying the munchies tomorrow morning. so glad Visions will take the drinks in charge. whoever is planning to come should bring a friend or 2.

studies

2010-04-28T18:25:00.001-07:00

sometimes i like to do some color and shape studies. here are étude 1 (in blues)
and étude 2 (in browns).
they are very small collages on paper.
7.75x3.5

flowers by the window

2010-04-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

collage
7.5x5.5

busy with all kinds of things and people but felt like posting and sharing this one.

a show

2010-04-18T17:39:00.001-07:00

Opening at VISIONS GALLERY
Friday, May 7
5-7pm
in conjunction with First Friday,

SYLVIE KANTOROVITZ
in VISIONS II

"Sacred Moments"
show: May 7- June 25, 2010

Dear Friends, I hope to see many of you.
Why not starting your evening with Art at Visions with us?

Visions I will present
PAUL KANT
"Playing with Dolls at 70"
(Are they pairing us alphabetically?)

Visions Gallery
Pastoral Center
40 North Main Avenue
Albany, NY 12203
518-453-6600
gallery hours: M-F 8-4

getting ready+a sale

2010-04-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

reading
oil on canvas
18x17

Yvonne came this morning to make her choice of paintings for the show starting in May at the Visions II gallery. She will be showing paintings from a few years back: all figures including many angels. The title of the show will be SACRED MOMENTS. I will post details later on as well as some pictures, of course.
The above picture will not only be part of the show but is already sold! Thank you Yvonne.

a favorite model

2010-04-15T07:47:00.001-07:00

Faith is one of my favorite models. always inventive in her poses and yet looking so natural and graceful. she gives a lot of herself; even her eyes participate in the pose. when the model gives out so much energy, it makes for a fantastic session.

portal

2010-04-08T12:36:00.001-07:00

collage on canvas
10x8

things started out rather nicely on this one. except for the "portal" area which took me about 100 different tries before i was able to enjoy the result!
the piece looks like an underwater landscape to me. it reminds me of the videos on coral reefs sam and i used to watch over and over when she was little.

sketch class

2010-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

period of no art work. not lacking the time. just not getting to it. will have to push myself. at least there is sketch class. not my favorite model last night, so played with the line. fun for a few poses and then they were all... how shall i call them? exhausted poses.

it's getting to be a small series!

2010-04-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

mint drink
collage on paper
7.5x7.5

considering that i have simplify my dressing up to its bare bones, why these elaborately dressed women? some unconscious longing? i don't think so. rather a visual expression of some interior mood.

speckeld tree

2010-03-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

collage
9x6.25

not much time to work on collages these days. this one if from at least a month ago. i see pieces from a large destroyed piece , pieces from invitations to shows, from postcards...

sketch class

2010-03-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

paul at rest and at work

sketch class is always such a joy. and such an important practice i feel, whether one wants to use the skill directly into one's art or not. i, for one, do not paint or draw realistic figures and yet, i feel my line, my sense of proportions, shapes, movement, so much keener when keeping up with the weekly practice.

first day of spring

2010-03-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

undergrowth
collage
7x6.5

in honor of a first day of spring that lived up to its name, this little favorite in earth tones.

early collage

2010-03-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

they are looking
collage
7.5x5.5

i enjoy the subject matter that came up in this one (from just shapes). but i've been favoring textured or printed papers over the plain canson type papers that i used here.

although i have only a couple of collages on that subject, i like to think of it as my "suzanne" series as in "suzanne and the elders". must be a bible theme although my knowledge of it comes from traditional paintings, the Veronese version being one of my favorite.

pain

2010-03-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

aaaargh
mixed media
7.5x5.75

saw this figure in a few colored shapes. defined it, played a bit with pen and ink, a bit with acrylic and voilà. i am fond of this color harmony.

another "portrait"

2010-03-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

so lovely
collage on canvas
7x5

just ink

2010-03-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

over water
brush and ink
5.5x7

playing with doodles. so much fun.

appealling birds

2010-03-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

benevolence
collage on paper
7.5x5.5

sepia

2010-03-06T18:16:00.001-08:00

long ago, far away
collage
7.5x5.75

most pieces of paper are from a destroyed drawing from my obsessive hatching period. hadn't used waterproof ink so ink bled with the glue but i like what happened here. the sepia gives it an old-world feel.

some magic

2010-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

it takes a village
collage
6x7.5

first came the shapes, they became birds and then, the title came. before anything happened at all though, that greenish shape sat on my table for weeks without going anywhere. and then, boom! it happened. magic!

more birds

2010-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

full moon
collage
7.5x5.5

mostly i use acrylic to paint over and around the collaged pieces. sometimes, as in this one, i use oil pastel. should do it more often, i think. no?

happy march 1st!!

2010-03-01T06:54:00.001-08:00

by the river
collage
5.75x6.25

river flowing, flowers coming out but still cold and winter-like... i thought this picture appropriate for the beginning of march.

a very recent one

2010-02-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

the red couch
collage
10.25x8.75

for this one, i started out wanting to make a "portrait" but after that initial decision, i let the shapes help me in deciding the pose, the outfit, the background...

post # 3!!

2010-02-24T09:09:00.001-08:00

a light in the night
collage + acrylic
7.75x5.25

in this one, i used some pieces from the card of the current show at the Opalka gallery. faculty show. some very interesting stuff there!

a 2 post-day!

2010-02-24T08:59:00.001-08:00

regalia
collage
7.5x5.5

or classical portraiture revisited...

antidote

2010-02-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

speckled sun
collage + acrylic
7.5x5.5

on a very snowy day, here is another view from the "land of 2 suns".

salvaged

2010-02-22T10:25:00.001-08:00

flight
collage
5.5x4

this is a piece salvaged from a larger drawing. i never mind destroying or painting over, but i liked that bird in the background of a now forgotten collage. in fact the other part also came out well and i will post it too soon. (the body of the bird is made with pieces from a card announcing Wendy Williams show at the Amrose Sable Gallery a couple of years ago. i love her work!)

the elephant and me

2010-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

paperphant
collage
5.5x5.25

many years ago sam asked me what my favorite animal was. to humor her, i came up with "elephant".
these last 2 or 3 years, elephants have been emerging over and over in my drawings. or elephant like shapes. and i do like elephants. or at least the little bit i know about them: slow, peaceful, solid, beautiful in a wrinkled way.
If sam asked me the same question again, and i had lots of thinking time, i would answer "elephants" again.

the wolf appears

2010-02-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

seduction
collage
5x5

once in a while, something comes out that reminds me of a fairy tale. strange. then again, maybe not so strange: i grew up reading lots of them and i do think of them nowadays occasionally: what they brought us as children, what was their hidden meaning, what damage they created in our minds. maybe the theme that came out here is not completely surprising.

a vision

2010-02-16T08:05:00.001-08:00

survivors
collage
7.5x11

my dread about the human damage to the earth shows here. some creatures and plants will survive. what about humans?

crow

2010-02-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

crow by fire
collage+gouache
5.25x5.5

again, this emerged from shapes arranged in a way that pleased me. and yet, the crow, the fire: elements that keep coming back. so what comes first? intent? accident?

2 figures

2010-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

what was that?
collage + acrylic
11x4.25

title came after collage was done. these 2 characters appeared to gaze in the same direction. a bit of surprise in the attitude. no?

another bird figure

2010-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

windy
acrylic
7x4

this emerged from color shapes. it has a bit of a romantic mood i like.

came off notebook

2010-02-05T19:34:00.001-08:00

fairy tale
collage and gouache
5.5 x 3.5

remembered this little one that fell out of my notebook. did it in paris last summer. used the ticket from museum of modern art aka centre pompidou aka beaubourg. my favorite museum in paris. i also recognize bits from a metro ticket.

end of notebook

2010-02-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

letting go
from tiny notebook

appropriate title for the last page of my notebook. it needs applying to many aspect of present life!
will now try to keep playful aspect of work on individual pieces. but might enjoy returning to notebook format someday.

another house

2010-01-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

house, tree, cloud.
from tiny notebook

childhood themes are coming back and i love them. i remember endlessly drawing houses surrounded by trees, a sun, some flowers... very typical but so delightful to execute.

bosquet bleu

2010-01-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

bosquet bleu
from tiny notebook

bosquet: french for a little group of trees. one of my recurring themes.

hungry for warmth

2010-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

brown sun
from tiny notebook

birds and flower

2010-01-19T07:38:00.001-08:00

very tiny birds
from tiny notebook

Red again

2010-01-16T19:06:00.001-08:00

red sky
from tiny notebook

some scraps from a very interesting print workshop i took last year at sage.

red day

2010-01-13T06:18:00.001-08:00

red day in the land of 2 suns
collage+acrylic on board
12x12

what is 'the land of 2 suns'? not sure. the phrase came to my mind a year or so ago and hasn't left. somewhere warm, i'm sure. and magical.

bon anniversaire, maman

2010-01-10T09:00:00.001-08:00

3 oiseaux roses
pour ma petite maman

happy new year

2010-01-02T06:53:00.001-08:00

nature nymph
from tiny notebook

may this new year bring beauty, art, nature, contentment and friends into your lives.

thingies

2009-12-31T11:18:00.001-08:00

thingies in blue
from tiny notebook

this grouping looks like a family to me. a favorite of mine.

is it safe?

2009-12-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

from my tiny notebook

these birds are becoming a recurring theme. i am enjoying them.

more plumes

2009-12-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

plume plants
from tiny notebook

i am happy with this one in particular. enjoyed using my own painted papers.

odd bird

2009-12-23T06:58:00.001-08:00

odd bird
from the tiny notebook

this is like playing the doodle game. so much fun.

thinking

2009-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

man and bird
collage
from the tiny notebook

when i need a break from the illustration world, my collage table is crucial to keeping me going.

adam and eve

2009-12-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

Eve and Adam
acrylic and collage and watercolor

Once in a while, I like to use one of my rejected CD as a support. These 2 little pieces also show my admiration for African art.

plume plants

2009-12-17T20:20:00.001-08:00

collage
5.25x5.5

wishing everyone a happy winter. wishing warmth and company of loved ones to all.

for Kathy

2009-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

into dark woods

2009-12-08T17:33:00.001-08:00

into dark woods
from my tiny notebook

how i feel right now except i don't have a guiding bird...

dots

2009-12-04T18:16:00.001-08:00

dots
from the tiny notebook

sometimes old art postcards beg for a new life...

4 birds

2009-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

4 birds
from the tiny notebook

dancing

2009-11-28T19:50:00.001-08:00

dancing
from the tiny notebook

garden

2009-11-25T12:56:00.001-08:00

garden
from my tiny notebook

another beast

2009-11-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

beast 2
from my tiny notebook

crossing

2009-11-18T16:59:00.001-08:00

crossing
from my tiny notebook

or the weird monster ant with neon eyes... i enjoyed using the gift wrap with the grocery bag.

silver beast

2009-11-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

silver beast
from my tiny notebook

here, i recognize bits from tickets to movie theaters in Paris. i can even make out the title of the movie: SIMON KONIANSKI. that was a very good movie. how fun to remember it!

red sun

2009-11-16T11:58:00.001-08:00

red sun
from my tiny Paris notebook

a beast

2009-11-15T08:08:00.001-08:00

beast 1
from my tiny notebook

the ink from last year was dried up. nothing like fresh black ink and a good brush!

leopard skin

2009-11-10T18:39:00.003-08:00

leopard skin
from my tiny notebook

here is now a good way to use scraps from some of my absent-minded doodling. + candy wrapper.

yellow dot

2009-11-08T15:59:00.001-08:00

a yellow dot
from my tiny notebook

using bits of different wrapping papers from presents Eva opened on her birthday this summer.

pigeon

2009-11-07T05:01:00.001-08:00

pigeon
from my tiny notebook
gouache (for a change.)

procession

2009-11-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

procession
from a tiny travel notebook

i started this notebook in Paris and enjoyed using papers from the daily explores. here i can recognize scraps from the catalog of the CAFE TURC series of events at the Tuileries.

a stroll

2009-11-04T06:29:00.001-08:00

a stroll in the park
last page of this notebook

kandinsky

2009-11-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

improvisation 7

Kandinsky identified 3 types of paintings (designated by titles associated with music):
-impressions, based on real life subjects.
-improvisations, spontaneous and unconscious images from the artist's inner life.
-compositions, formally developed formats, often preceded by a series of studies.

interesting to say the least!