The Minto Arts Council’s current exhibition, Neil Ornstein’s Show, opened Sept. 3 at the Carnegie Library here featuring the Toronto artist’s unique style of computerized art.
Ornstein was born in Montreal and studied Fine Art at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. He moved to Toronto in 1977 where he obtained a law degree and where he now practices.
Ornstein doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t drawing or sketching, but recalls being “unquestionably terrible” at it. His love for it propelled him forward however, and he has not abandoned the pleasure he gets from making art.
Ornstein is more concerned about making than selling his work, the arts council states in a press release. Often, profits from pieces he does sell go toward his participation in the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers 60km walk.
Ornstein works mainly on a graphic tablet, where he layers textures and images upon one another, and then often draws on top. The beauty of his method, he says, is that even if he does go “too far”, he can go back a layer, and easily undo his last move.
This process allows Ornstein to take chances with his work – exploring text and blending techniques, as well as playing with the inclusion of random objects.
The show of Ornstein’s work runs until Sept. 30 at the Minto Arts Gallery on the Top floor of the Harriston Public Library at 88 Mill Street.
The Minto Arts Council also recently released the lineup for it’s fall Basement Café, set for Oct. 19 in the basement of the Harriston Library. The event will feature Danielle Todd and Kayla McTaggart.
Todd first came to fame in 2010, when she entered and won a contest on Breakfast Television. She ended up singing the national anthem at a Bears/Bills football game in Toronto to a sold out crowd of 51,000 people. Throughout 2010 she recorded her first album Between You and Me and released it in January 2011. Shortly after Todd embarked on a 25-date tour in Chapters and Indigo stores, selling over 1,000 copies of her debut album.
Fresh off her Canadian tour she spent 10 months touring Australia, returning home recently with plans to play venues around Ontario.
Kayla McTaggart is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Ariss. She has recently performed at a number of venues around the region, including the Arthur Fall Fair on Sept. 6. A sample of her latest music can be found at: http://www.reverbnation.com/kaylamctaggart/song/18405975-get-gone?1336410755
Tickets for the show are available for $20 at Harriston Home Hardware by calling 519-338-2497 or at the door.
