Karen Taylor

It's #nationalampersandday today!

The ampersand is my favourite character. You can find this one hanging at Black Canary coffee in Kingston Road.

Another piece from my new series: "I can fit in that packaging".

#oversizedpackaging #buycanadian #shoplocal

I don't think the box needed to be that big. #oversizedpackaging #onlineshopping

It's never too late to submit to one of our art calls.

Here's the painting of sorrel cells based on the microscope photo I showed you recently.

"Sorrel"
12" diameter
acrylic and graphite on birch panel
magnification x170
stain: orange

These sorrel cells have an ethereal look, cells floating in a golden glow.

Using a potato peeler means thicker samples, leading to interesting effects. They can curl instead of lying flat. I could only focus on a few lines of cells at a time, the others blurry from being closer or further away.

I'm proud to be taking part in the Dignam Gallery's 4th Annual Uptown Pride show.

My painting will be there alongside work by Charles Pachter, and studio mate @robcroxford.bsky.social

Unfortunately I'll miss this weekend's opening, but I'm looking forward to visiting next week.

Wow, what a weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came out to see my new work, and were just as excited about playing with microscopes as I am.

I'm humbled that so many of you chose to take one of my pieces home with you. This is my 19th time at this show, but this never gets old ❤️

#riverdaleartwalk

Who did this? 😂

Celebrating my 19th Riverdale ArtWalk this weekend! I'll be at booth 91 in Jimmie Simpson Park.

If you missed out on playing with microscopes at Doors Open, don't worry, you'll have another chance this weekend.

Riverdale ArtWalk
Jimmie Simpson Park
Saturday May 31, 11-6
Sunday June 1, 10-5

I love @robcroxford.bsky.social 's entry for our "Through the Looking Glass" challenge.

Want to join in? Make and post a photo looking through glass and tag @squirrelkiosk.bsky.social

My solo show is part of Doors Open Toronto this weekend! How cool is that?

It's in a beautiful historic building in Yorkville, home to the Dignam & the Ruth Upjohn galleries.

There's a full schedule of fun programming and tours. I'll be there 1-4pm each day with microscopes you can play with.

Now it's your turn (check out our last post)! Show us what you can do with a photograph of some glass, the theme is "Through the Looking Glass".

Tag @squirrelkiosk.bsky.social so we can see what you make.

You don't need special materials to make art, you just need imagination.

The materials for these "Through the Looking Glass" photos are:
- a pretty second-hand glass from a vintage market
- a nice bottle of red wine from Tawse
- an episode of The Graham Norton Show

K❤️

These two monotypes are based on microscope slides of leeks from my garden.

You can see them both at my current solo show:

Ruth Upjohn Gallery
Yorkville.
23 Prince Arthur Avenue
May 14 - 27

#monotypes #microscopeart

Canada, Britain, France threaten action if Israel does not stop military offensive and lift aid restrictions Israel to 'control all parts' of Gaza, Netanyahu says as aid trucks wait to enter territory

Canada, the UK, and France warned that they will take action if Israel does not stop a renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift aid restrictions. The three countries have given Israel an opportunity to stop.

"We will not hesitate to take action, including targeted sanctions."

For my Cultivated series, I had originally planned to create linocut prints. The results looked too heavy.

The microscope slides that I work from are translucent and need a lighter touch. I'd played around with monotypes before but hadn't found a use for them. Now I have!

I've been creating monotypes since last summer. For the first time, you can see them in person. They are on exhibition along with paintings from the same series at the Ruth Upjohn Gallery in Yorkville. The gallery is housed in the same historic building as the Dignam Gallery.

What’s a monotype? It’s a special, one-off print. No two are the same. Each one is hand-crafted, layer by layer, on a special surface. Then everything is lifted off onto paper.

This one of red chard cells has 5 layers.

#monotype #microscopeart #abstractartist #abstractart #contemporaryart

We both LOVE coloured lights, we each have a ton of them. In addition to the strings and strings of lights, I made gels with cellophane and glass paints to fit over white lights. -K

The lighting in our installation had to do some pretty heavy lifting.

All good Christmas windows have movement. We did that with continually changing light, which also provided all the colour; we painted with light.

Spent today in Yorkville, hanging my solo show!

When I started experimenting with my old microscope, I had no idea it would turn into a new series.

I've shown some of this new work in some exhibitions recently. This is the first time I've seen it all together in one space. I love how it looks.

Just like I promised:
Watch @karentaylorart & me set up our “12 Days of Christmas” installation—at a highly unrealistic speed!😜

In real time, this took several hours, some mild chaos, and a strong commitment to festive drama.

#12DaysOfChristmas #installation

This installation (aside from giving people something joyful during lockdown life) was to build black & white 3D line drawings and “colour” them with lighting!

Say tuned for a behind-the-scenes video of us putting the whole thing together!

#installation #12daysofchristmas

Normally cells are difficult to see at the magnification I use. Their walls are really fine and delicate. I often have to resort to using stains when I prep microscope slides to help them show up.

Not these cells. Maybe it's because leeks are so hardy, they're made of stronger stuff.

#microscope

There are still a few days left to see the Ontario Society Show. It closes Sunday. You can see my tomato cells (pictured) in person:

The Georgina Centre for Arts and Culture
The Ontario Society of Artists' Members' Exhibition of Selected Works
149 High St, Sutton West
Until April 27

Caption: What my friends think I'm doing when I say I'm gardening Picture: a woman surrounded by butterflies and flowers with a watering can sipping tea Caption: What I'm actually doing Picture: A dirt covered, feral looking woman, squatting on the ground, gripping a small spade in one hand and a tomato plant in the other

#gardensky #garden #gardening #plants #plantsky #witchsky #pagansky #cottagecore #feral

Looking back at our first installation together.

During COVID we wanted to create something fun to brighten the dark nights.

Thanks to everyone who came to see our "12 Days of Christmas" window.

@robcroxford.bsky.social #christmaswindow #installation

The first in a series of prompts using the things we often have around our homes.

This isn't just for artists. It's for anyone who likes making things. Playing is for everyone.