Tip 1: Set up your ink bed to the hand you roll your ink with. So if you’re left handed, set up all your inks to the left hand side of the table.
Tip 2: When rolling ink onto your lino cut, keep rolling until the ink develops a sheen. That means you’re ready to print.
Tip 3: With a reduction print (where you print multiple layers of the same print) there is a risk of  making poor colour choices that don’t give enough contrast. Use a clear sheet of acetate, mylar or duralar and put test ink on it – lay the clear sheet on different prints to observe results before printing it. This removes guesswork and the possible loss of a limited edition print.
Tip 4: When layering your print, always use the same corner for matching the new layer.
Tip 5: Once the plate is in contact with the paper, press firmly on the plate with your hands. Then flip the paper AND the print and use a rolling pin or press to rub the ink onto the paper. Always check the corners to ensure even pressure across the whole print.

Want to learn more? Why not sign up to take a course with Lauren at the Art Gallery of Ontario this winter:

Experimenting with Mixed Media and Printmaking

Tuesdays, January 10 – February 28, 7 – 10 pm (8 weeks) 
OR Wednesdays, January 11 – February 29, 7 – 10 pm (8 weeks) 
Instructor: Lauren Renzetti 
Members $344 | Public $407

Combining elements of traditional drawing techniques, collage, and printmaking, students will push the boundaries of their own image-making by exploring new methods of production. While working in a variety of media, and using the AGO prints and drawing collections as inspiration, expect to play with image transfers, screen printing, and block printing.

Most materials are included in the course price but additional fees may apply.

How to Register

Online – Click Here

By telephone

Call 416 979 6608
Monday to Tuesday 9 am – 5 pm
Wednesday 9 am – 8 pm
Thursday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday 10 am – 3 pm
Sunday Closed

By fax

Send a signed written request with the name of the student, address, phone number, credit card information (card name, card number, your name, expiry date) and course and date selection(s) to 416 204 2717.

Please note: Registration is not confirmed until you have received written notification from the AGO Program Registration office. Members must provide their membership number in order to process requests.

In person

Visit the Program Registration Office at 317 Dundas Street:
Monday to Tuesday 9 am – 5 pm
Wednesday 9 am – 8 pm
Thursday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday 10 am – 3 pm
Sunday Closed

Please read the Gallery School Policies.

Matthew Teitelbaum

• Matthew Teitelbaum joined the AGO in 1993 as chief curator before becoming director in 1998.
• His official title is the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Michael and Sonja Koerner director and CEO. The practice of ‘named titles’ is more common in the USA than in Canada – it means that the Koerner’s made a donation to the Gallery to cover the cost of the director’s salary.
• Since he joined the AGO the Gallery has added almost 60,000 new works to its permanent collection.
• Before joining the AGO, Matthew held curatorial positions with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon and the London Regional Art Gallery. He has taught at Harvard, York University and the University of Western Ontario, and has lectured across North America.
• He received the honour of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his ongoing commitment and contributions to the arts.
• He’s from an arty family. His father, Mashel, was a painter and prominent figure in the Toronto art scene.

“(Chagall)’s surrounded by people who started painting and creating abstractly — they were trying to simplify, simplify, simplify and make something pure and beautiful. Chagall never gives up the image. He’s always telling a story.” – Matthew Teitelbaum on Chagall

Matthew Teitelbaum, Christopher Hume and the ROM’s Janet Harding ask, ‘what are museums for?’

Read

Christopher Hume on Matthew Teitelbaum: Art in his Blood and Steel in his Bones
Matthew Teitelbaum’s Abstract Expressionism 101
Matthew Teitelbaum on Paterson Ewen
The Director’s Cut: An AGO event
The Google Art Project

Yum. Mini buckwheat pancakes with caramelised apple and maple syrup.

I love this logo - so colourful!

09.55 Members of the press are arriving in Baillie Court, the Gallery’s event space. (Also available for weddings by the way!)

10.20 MT is on the stage. ‘There are 118 works by more than 20 artists. The exhibition is divided into five themes – In Search Of Roots, Artistic Advances in Paris and Russia, Return to Russia, Art and Revolution and Chagall’s World of Theatre and the Circus.’

10.20 MT thanking sponsors for coming together and helping us to achieve something we otherwise couldn’t have done and talking about our three shows that examine ‘great moments in 20th Century art.’ First Abstract Expressionist: New York, now Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde followed by Picasso in 2012.’

View from the back - Elizabeth Smith, Matthew Teitelbaum, Angela Lampe

10.23 ‘This exhibition says alot about roots, homes and artistic influence.’

10.25 ES ‘One of the most impressive things about this show is not only the iconic Chagall paintings, but works by figures like Kandinksy and others.’ (The show also features works by Deluaunay, Gontcharova, Malevitch and Rodtchenko – HK)

10.27 AL is talking about Chagall’s sources of inspiration, ‘Chagall was not an artist living in complete isolation from his peers… New abstract forms inspired his own art.’

10.30 ‘All the Chagall works you see in the show are from his own personal collection.’

10.32 MT ‘What was it about Paris that was so appealing for artists?’

10.33 AL Before World War One Paris was really the capital of art. In Paris there lots of possibilities to have studios, lots of social and cultural life.’

10.37 ES is talking about how the exhibition was set up, the ‘choreography of the display’. ‘We had to acknowledge that our space is very different, and a big emphasis at the AGO is on audience. We try and provide as much interpretive material as possible.’ Also talking about Constructing Utopia: Books and Posters from Revolutionary Russia (1910-1940), a show built from our own prints and drawings collection as a complement to Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde.

Amazing image from Constructing Utopia

10.41 Question from the audience – When did Chagall start doing stained glass windows?

AL ‘HE started in the 1960s, in France. He was already an acclaimed international artists.

10:42 MT ‘Picasso said that after Matisse died Chagall would be the great colourist.’

10.44 That’s it for the remarks – Everyone is heading down to the exhibition to see the artworks. Thanks for tuning in to the liveblog!

Chagall and the Russian Avant Garde opens on October 18. For more information please visit our Chagall microsite.

Alex Dault

What would you do in an art gallery if you couldn’t see? We each see art in our own way. This could not be truer for our visually impaired visitors, for whom ‘seeing’ is a multi-sensory experience.

For the past few months I have been one of the participating gallery guides in the development of multi-sensory tours for the visually impaired. In these tours we are aided by a briefcase of tools (e.g. raised paintings and musical clips) that make use of our sense of smell, hearing and touch to explore our collection. Drama and Desire is its own briefcase! My fellow guide, Myra, and I were able to lead a multi-sensory tour for a group of visually-impaired teenagers using many of the exhibition’s special features to help them see the art by way of their sense of hearing and touch.

Having our visitors feel with their hands the structure of the arches and columns at the entrance of the exhibition, we explained the idea of ‘trompe l’oeil’ and discussed the methods by which artists create perspective in their paintings. We stood in front of The Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David., and reflected over the hard choice these three young men had to make. Our next stop was Antigonus in the Storm by Joseph Wright of Derby, where each visitor took a turn at creating a fantastic storm by spinning the wind and rain machines.

Our tour culminated in the unique experience of meeting our Drama and Desire actor, Alex Dault. He met us in front of Joseph Wright of Derby’s Romeo and Juliet where he transported us into the story through the emotion in his voice, as well as his dramatic interpretation of the prologue of the play. Alex also let our visitors feel the texture of his silk blue costume, the white lace of his shirt, the rich velvet of his hat, and the ticklish softness of his hat’s long white feather. In doing so they gained a better appreciation for the textures of the time period of the exhibition and the characters that come alive in it.

Alex finished with a beautiful vivid description of Paolo and Francesca by Gaetano Previati. After listening to the story all of our visitors agreed that Francesca had not made use of all her senses on her wedding night, or else she would have definitely figured out that it was Giovanni, and not Paolo that she was with. And this is one of the great lessons that our visitors and Drama and Desire taught me: we cannot limit our experience of art to our sense of sight.

In the words of one of our young visitors, for whom this was the third time at the AGO, “Drama and Desire is full-on awesome!” The next time you walk through our exhibit, take note of the rich textures of the theatre props that hang in each room; feel the emotion of King Lear as he banishes his daughter Cordelia; close your eyes and listen to the music in the Degas room as you imagine yourself sitting in the orchestra pit of the Paris Opera; watch a performance by Opera Atelier or Canadian Stage; and most importantly, use all of your senses!

Written by Jessica Duarte

Designer Gerard Gauci, together with a team of set painters, has created a seductive entry into Drama and Desire: Artists and the Theatre. It’s based on 18th trompe l’oeil painting techniques used in the theatre. The arches behind the lush draperies were inspired by the most famous painting in the exhibition‚ Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii.

If you look carefully, you can see the way these recreations of 18th century stage flats were constructed and how they would have appeared to performers. In-house painters have aged the new plywood to give visitors a real sense of what it was like to be on stage over 250 years ago.

The AGO is borrowing stage props from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Canadian Opera Company, Canadian Theatre Museum and Opera Atelier to enliven the lobby as well as the exhibition itself. Alec Guinness’s sword from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 1953 production of Richard III and the head of John the Baptist from a COC production of Salome are just a few of the surprises in store for visitors.

The AGO has negotiated the loan of archival books and a toy theatre from the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The Toronto Public Library is lending personal memorabilia of the most famous actress of the late 19th century, Ellen Terry, to complement the startling portrait of her as Lady Macbeth by American painter John Singer Sargent. We’ve also borrowed jewel beetles (dead ones that is) from the Royal Ontario Museum to replicate the ones sewn into her very controversial costume.

In the 18th century several different machines were used to create sounds effects in the theatre. This is an authentic recreation of a wind machine. Visitors can turn the crank and create a really believable simulation of howling winds.

Lighting and sound technicians are busy concocting a storm with waves crashing, thunder, and lightning bolts to bring an English landscape painting to life. 18th century style stage machines that make the sound of rain and wind have already been constructed and only await visitors to activate them. The sound of rain  is made from putting beads in a drum and rotating it, while the sound of wind is created from canvas passing over wood.

French painter Edgar Degas loved to hang out at the Paris Opera House observing ballet dancers both on and off stage. Elaborate red velvet drapes and crystal chandeliers will evoke the atmosphere of a reception room at the Opera and create an appropriate setting for seven wonderful Degas paintings of dancers. (We intend to move the sky-jack before the show opens!)

Drama and Desire starts with a recreation of an 18th century stage set and concludes with one from the early 20th century. Englishman Edward Gordon Craig designed this set for Hamlet in 1911. At the time, its stark white forms made it the most revolutionary of the day. It still looks remarkably contemporary today. Hamlet’s voice performing the famous “To be or not to be‚” soliloquy will be heard as visitors approach the columns. A strong light from behind visitors will cast their shadows onto the set and make them feel they are part of the drama.

Drama & Desire: Artists and the Theatre opens this Saturday, June 19, with an exclusive Members’ Preview on now!

Actors Geraint Wyn Davies, James Blendick, Sara Topham and Yanna McIntosh

Four celebrated actors from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival –- Geraint Wyn Davies, James Blendick, Sara Topham and Yanna McIntosh — have made their mark on Drama and Desire. To bring the paintings to life they’ve recorded speeches which will be featured in the show: Titania and Bottom (Midsummer’s Night Dream), King Lear and Cordelia (King Lear), and Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)in her infamous mad scene.

On select weekends throughout the summer Canadian Stage will perform excerpts from High Park’s version of Romeo and Juliet. Opera Atelier will feature ballet demonstrations in their production ‘Degas and his Dancers’.  Single Thread Theatre Company will highlight key moments in Shakespeare’s dramas.

All performances will take place in the exhibition.

Alex Dault

Summer student Alex Dault, from George Brown Theatre School, has been hired to perform short excerpts from famous plays featured in paintings in the exhibition. Visitors to Drama and Desire are certain to encounter Alex in full costume as he performs in various locations throughout the exhibition and across the AGO.

Drama & Desire: Artists and the Theatre opens on June 19, with an exclusive Members’ Preview June 16 and 17.

Watch expert AGO installlers Craig, Ben, Ruth, and Jacques install Jacques-Louis David’s The Oath of the Horatii, part of Drama & Desire: Artists and the Theatre, opening June 19 and running through September 26 at the AGO.

Gerard Gauci in his studio

In less than two weeks the AGO’s major summer show, Drama & Desire: Artists and the Theatre, opens to the public.

Gerard Gauci, guest designer for the exhibition, has created a theatrical environment that brings the artworks to life with recreations of eighteenth and early twentieth century stage sets, sound　and light effects, theatrical props and on-site performances.

“Visitors to Drama and Desire will experience the exhibition as audience members, actors and even stage hands,” says Gauci. “Designing this exhibition has been like designing an opera with an overture, a series of distinct acts, special effects and a grand finale.”

Gauci is not new to the AGO. He began his theatre career in 1986 designing and painting the sets for Opera Atelier’s first fully staged production in the Gallery’s Walker Court as part of the exhibition Vatican Splendours. Resident set designer for Toronto’s “Opera Atelier” – a period performance opera company that is respected around the world for its lavish productions of operas from Monteverdi to Mozart – he uses his extensive knowledge of early stage techniques and modern stage craft.

Gauci is known in Toronto as an illustrator, painter and theatre designer. After graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design, he created familiar poster images for local cultural institutions such as the Canadian Opera Company, The National Ballet of Canada and The Toronto International Film Festival.

As a fine artist he has for many years exhibited his paintings at the Leo Kamen Gallery in Toronto and the Galerie de Bellefeuille in Montréal.

Stay tuned for more!

Set painters preparing galleries for the Drama and Desire exhibition.

It’s a busy time at the AGO! Staff are putting the finishing touches to plans for our summer exhibition, Drama and Desire: Artists and the Theatre. The planning team has conceived a whole range of new and exciting ways of bringing the show to life.

The AGO has hired Opera Atelier’s acclaimed set designer Gerard Gauci to design the exhibition. Visitors will feel themselves transported back to the 18th century as they enter the exhibition through elaborately painted trompe l’oeil draperies and arches. Gerard has also recreated an intimate corner of the Paris Opera to house a dazzling selection of Degas’s ballet paintings. The room will feature red velvet drapes, crystal chandeliers and a plush Victorian banquette. You’ll want to relax, settle in and enjoy French ballet music, typical of the period, piped into the space.

Designs are overlaid with a grid, which is then replicated at full-size. The artwork is first drawn-in with chalk, then painted.

Installation plans for the ten Drama and Desire galleries have been finalized. New walls are being built; colours have been chosen for the walls; shipping arrangements for the works of art (mostly coming from Europe) are being negotiated; and posters are going up.

Over the next three weeks visit the Gelber Gallery on the AGO’s main floor and check out progress on Gerard Gauci’s stage flats for the show. Four painters – Richard Mongiat, Benjamin Oakley, Elizabeth Bailey and Karol Antkowiak are applying their talents to transforming particleboard into elaborate red velvet drapes and stone columns. It’s a magical moment.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come!

Jordan MacInnis

Jordan MacInnis graduated with a first class honours degree from McGill University. She has worked in commercial and editorial photography in Toronto and New York.

Suzanne Morrissette

Suzanne Morrissette is a student of the Ontario College of Art & Design’s Graduate Masters of Fine Art in Criticism and Curatorial Practice. She has an Undergraduate degree in Fine Art from the Emily Carr University of Art + Design with a focus in ceramics, painting, and contemporary art history.

Sara Munroe

Sara Munroe is a graduating student from the University of Toronto’s Masters of Museum Studies program. She completed her honours bachelor of arts degree at the University of Guelph in 2008 with a double major in studio art (printmaking) and history. Sara has worked as an intern for the Textile Museum of Canada, a gallery assistant for Cambridge Galleries, a student archivist and an exhibit development intern for the Region of Waterloo. Her current interests include exhibit development and collections care and management.

Lisa Myers

Lisa completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design. In her art practice, Lisa uses photography, video and audio in the assemblage of materials to explore food, identity and how food experiences are conveyed through memory. Currently, as she works towards an MFA in criticism and curatorial studies at OCAD, Lisa can be found hanging around the snack tables at art openings pondering ideas around the intersection of food and art. She takes this time to imagine ways to convey cooking, eating and culinary form in an exhibition setting; all the while considering the dichotomy between the politics of food and the nurturing side of feeding.

Ebony Haynes

Ebony Haynes graduated with honours from the University of Toronto. As an MFA candidate at OCAD her research looks at issues of race and representation in the gallery, and in contemporary art criticism.