The Pearl Company

SW Austin: Fresh New Work! Wednesday, March 21.  (7pm to 10pm) No Charge. Spring is in the air and with that,  FRESH NEW LIFE! SW Austin celebrates again by showcasing several NEW WORKS! -so new we wonder if the paint has even dried! Come and celebrate the NEW and enjoy LIVE JAZZ with the energetic fury of Errunriv (pron: river run)! Meet the artist, and connect in the Pearl’s wonderful historical environment.
A very exciting display of talent, SW Austin’s declared concern is the paint itself – the physicality of the paint, the traces from the movement of his brush. This is as important to the final picture as colour and shape. Steve Austin creates this new work through a layering and extracting process that results in a thick hide of paint on the canvas. The image is created when the artist scrapes paint away from the resulting strata, revealing in a picture that is neither landscape nor still life, nor pure abstraction, but a study in contrast. He now lives in Hamilton and is excited to show his new works for the first time in Hamilton at The Pearl Company. Runs through March 31st.  www.swaustinart.blogspot.com

SW Austin: Recent Work. Opening in The Pearl Gallery Thursday, March 1.  (7pm to 10pm). SW Austin’s declared concern is the paint itself – the physicality of the paint, the traces from the movement of his brush. This is as important to the final picture as colour and shape. Steve Austin creates this new work through a layering and extracting process that results in a thick hide of paint on the canvas. The image is created when the artist scrapes paint away from the resulting strata, revealing in a picture that is neither landscape nor still life, nor pure abstraction, but a study in contrast. He now lives in Hamilton and is excited to show this new work for the first time in Hamilton at The Pearl Company. Runs through March 31st.  swaustinart.blogspot.com

Jaron Freeman Fox and The Opposite of Everything: Saturday, February 11. 8:00pm. $15 / $10 students/artists.  Described as “Gogol Bordello meets The Mothers of Invention”, The Opposite of Everything somehow combine bluegrass with Indian music, African beats with sea shanties, or klezmer with the blues, and make it sound like the most natural thing in the world.  With a diverse cast of Toronto’s finest and most adventurous musicians, the band is led by maniac violin virtuoso Jaron Freeman-Fox known for his celebrated solo album Manic Almanac.
“Jaron Freeman Fox  & The Opposite of Everything electrified the Blue Skies stage. It was an instant dance party.  The music was both challenging and superb. A definite highlight of the weekend.  Jaron’s creativity and talents are simply amazing…” –Joel LeBlanc- Artistic Director, Blue Skies Music Festival
“Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything electrified the crowds wherever they went at Live From the Rock. The exuberance, talent, creativity and controlled insanity demonstrated by this exciting Toronto conglomeration was a joy to behold.” –Jennifer Ives: Artistic Director, Live From the Rock   http://theoppositeofeverything.com

The Art Bus is Sponsored by Judy Marsales Real Estate Brokerage:

First 2 Fridays of every month! (Except January when it is only the second Friday…) Check out an art scene which changes every single month and which will leave you breathless!
Seats available for upcoming buses.  Next dates: February 3 & 10.

January 13: We will start with a stroll down Ottawa Street – Earls Court Gallery, Under the Moon, Allsorts Gallery, and Sketch Gallery .  We will then head to the James North Art Crawl with its blocks and blocks of studios, galleries, eclectic shops, music  & more… Finishing up at the inimitable Tiger Group Studio Gallery; more great art and refreshments!

In the Pearl Company Gallery: The Waterfall Show. Opening November 18. 7:00 – 10:00. Our unique
geography surrounds us with waterfalls; Artists find them irresistible! Paintings, sketches and photographs: The Tiger Group, Michael Babyn, John Davies, Rob Laffier. Also showing: Private Collection Sale: Prints, lithographs, some originals, featuring such well-known names as Benjamin Chee Chee, Ken Danby, James Fraser.  No charge. Through December.

The Art Bus is Sponsored by Judy Marsales Real Estate:

Next Tours: December 2 and 9

November 11: Off first to Ottawa Street to take in the multitude of galleries, antique stores and excitement now making this street one of the “best streets in Canada”.  Then for something completely different, we will stop at the Sheraton to catch the vibrant and transcendent artwork of Hamilton-born Toller Cranston who’s presenting his art as the ‘Artcracker’ part of the upcoming Nutcracker.   Then we’ll head for the James North Art Crawl for more excitement and blocks and blocks of artists studios and galleries!

•    Starting at 6:30 from ‘The Pearl Company’, 16 Steven Street @ King William.
•    Please reserve a spot via email or phone, and purchase your trip ($15.00/$10 students/artists) when you arrive
•    We finish up at The Pearl for an après-tour wind-down which includes a tour of the building or whatever event is  happening on the theatre floor

“Loose Ends” Art Exhibit: Saturday, July 23, from 1-8pm. No charge. One day only.  Curator – Amanda McIntyre The remarkable Amanda McIntyre, a recent graduate of York University’s Visual Arts Program will be exhibiting and curating a group exhibit of 12 emerging artists here at the Pearl Company. The work plays off the phrase Loose Ends, and will be filling the walls of our two floors. The artists range in age from 22 to mid-30s and hail from Cambridge, Hamilton, Dundas, Flamborough and Binbrook. Their talents include abstract to realistic paintings, photography, woodcuts, intaglio and linoleum.  “I wanted to give emerging artists a hand up, to give them an opportunity that might not otherwise be available to them,” said McIntyre.

Artists: Kyle Hytonen, Jennifer Card, Maranda Diep, Barbara MacDonald, Betty Topblack, Elizabeth Gosse, John Steinberg, Amber Aasman and The Group of Four.  This is a free event so come by and check out these emerging, talented, local artists.

Contested Landscapes: Saturday, June 25. 6:00 to 9:00. No Charge.  Music at 8:30/9:00 with Matthew de Zoete and Earth Wind & Choir. PWYC. Josh St. Denis presents a sound installation during the Opening. On the one-year anniversary of the spectacle that was the G20 Summit in Toronto last June, Dave Heidebrecht examines and exposes the significant issues that were largely ignored by the pornographic, disaster news gaze of Canada’s mainstream media.  Contrasting urban landscapes of protest with the natural landscapes on which protests were focused; Heidebrecht’s portraits of contested landscapes give a voice to the people and issues that went unheard during Toronto’s G20 Summit.  Addressing realms of legitimacy, power, and democracy, Contested Landscapes examines the intersections between global and local issues within a Canadian context. (more…)

Gerardo Mansang:  “44 Moons” Art Closing Party: Sunday, June 5, from 6:00 to 10:00pm. This Colombian artist understands colour, warmth, and symbolism. From very large to small canvases, all in brilliant acrylics. We will celebrate this marvelous show once again with a closing party.  Music and art; a perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Gerardo Mansang:  “44 Moons” Art Opening May 1, 4:00pm. No charge.  This Colombian artist understands colour, warmth, and symbolism. Very large to small canvases, all in brilliant acrylics.

Latin Film Night; 7:00pm. $10 at the door. Presentation of the Mexican movie,  “Amores Perros” and a musical performance of the Cuban group called “ de Suerte”.  The movie, “Amores Perros”, tells three separate stories interconnected by one tragic event, a fatal car accident. In one, a young man falls in love with his brother’s pregnant wife, while in another a vagrant finds work as a hitman.  Lastly, a perfume saleswoman conducts an affair with a married man in this complex, controversial film which rewards multiple viewings.

Cottage Group Art Opening: Sunday, March 27, 2:00 to 4:00 pm. No admission fee. The Cottage Studio Artists present a show of their work in our second floor gallery. Come celebrate their success and the advent of spring!  Refreshments and conversation also free of charge.

The Cottage Studio is a non-profit group that gathers in a building beside St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church to produce art.  It is run a community of artists in order to support other artists.  Art supplies, studio space, and opportunities for showing their artwork are an integral part of the program.
The cottage was renovated and turned it into a gallery and a pleasant work environment for the artists to call their own through a grant from the Trillium Foundation.

Presenting Julia Veenstra’s “Colour Unleashed”!

At The Pearl Company Gallery.  Now on two floors! Friday, October 15, at 7:00

From One to Two Galleries and From One to Two Theatre Venues in 6 easy steps….

Come Celebrate These Newly Transformed Spaces. Opening with Julia Veenstra’s Spectacular Show! And finishing with music and dance…..

The can’t-keep-them-down owners of The Pearl don’t let anything stop them; even imminent closure. There are now two galleries (actually three if you factor in the Office Salon Gallery), and two theatre spaces at The Pearl.  We have transformed the first floor (with its super-high ceilings) into both a gallery and a theatre-in-the-round.  Because the superb acoustics on the second floor make it a perfect concert space, it will continue as such…. Ergo galleries on both floors, and, the potential of early theatre, late concert on either floor. Ah, the creativity….

What better way to celebrate this event than to have the deliciously colourful and creative, Julia Veenstra show her large works (yes, there will be small ones too…). And we plan to party. Opening at 7:00; dancing and music at 9:00 (gallery will be open throughout).  Be here!

P.S. Our first theatre piece on the former gallery floor will be an insanely inventive version of Oscar Wilde’s Salome, first two weeks of November.

The Art of Paul Richard James (Main Gallery) and Claudette Losier (Side Gallery): Opening Saturday June 5, 2pm – 5pm. No charge.

Paul Richard James is a Welsh born painter living in Hamilton.   This man has a wildly unique array of approaches. His artwork is both traditional and radical in style and content. He works mostly with oil on canvas, including representational and abstract, figurative work, portraiture, political art, installation and some environmental art.   His goal is to create images that please the eye, the soul, and the conscience.  www.paulrichardjames.com

Claudette Losier has several different bodies of work: floral, the active life, transfer art.  Her paintings lean towards capturing strong contrast between lights and darks and complimentary colours while she abandons herself to patterns in nature. This show focuses on her use of various transfer art techniques. claudettelosier.artshamilton.ca

Pearl Company Gallery hours: 1 to 4, Wednesday through Sunday; 6 to 8 Thursday and Friday evenings. (Also by chance or appointment.)

The Hungarian Visual Artists of Canada: In The Pearl Company Gallery. This is the first fine art exhibition in Hamilton for this vibrant group. Paintings, sculptures, photography, woodcarvings and enamels.  The show will be on display from Friday April 30 to Tuesday June 1, 2010.
The association consists of a group of artists who have joined together to promote their work, interest and participation in contemporary visual arts, to encourage each other and to hold exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Their members include painters, sculptors and photographers who work in various media.  They believe that art builds bridges between people, generations, and nationalities; it serves as a common denominator among economic groups. Art opens people’s minds to new possibilities, provides a foundation for shared experience.

Pearl Company Gallery hours: 1 to 4, Wednesday through Sunday; 6 to 8 Thursday and Friday evenings. (Also by chance or appointment.)

Invitation: The Hungarian Visual Artists of Canada – Opening Reception: Sunday, May 9 from 1 pm – 4 pm.  You are cordially invited to the first fine art exhibition in Hamilton Ontario for this vibrant group. Paintings, sculptures, photography, woodcarvings and enamels.  The show will be on display from Friday April 30 to Tuesday June 1, 2010.

The association consists of a group of artists who have joined together to promote their work, interest and participation in contemporary visual arts, to encourage each other and to hold exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Their members include painters, sculptors and photographers who work in various media.  They believe that art builds bridges between people, generations and nationalities; it serves as a common denominator among economic groups. Art opens people’s minds to new possibilities, provides a foundation for shared experience.