A Bunch of Reviews

I have been fortunate enough to have received several good reviews from different online publications over the past several years.  My little brother Ash submitted my work to the international art and design website Mocoloco.com early in 2007, unbeknownst to me (he didn't want me to be upset if they didn't chose to review my work).  Thankfully, Mocoloco did chose to review my work and they really liked it!  Here's the link to the review...mocoloco review .

When googling my name one day (I often do this...do you????), I came across a random review of my work on New Jersery based website Sweet Station.  Here's that review...sweet station review .

In January 2009 I received a "special honour" in the Upstream People Gallery's online art contest.   They submitted a press release to their local media....and here it is:

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

JUSTINE FERNIE RECEIVES SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Artist JUSTINE FERNIE of TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA has received THREE Special Recognition Merit Awards for her artwork in the "6th Annual Color Juried Online International Art Exhibition” hosted by  Upstream People Gallery.

This international exhibition received approximately 400 entries from around the world and 74 artists were selected by the juror Larry Bradshaw, Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, U. S. A.

Professor Bradshaw states this about this specially recognized work:

"'JUSTINE FERNIE of Toronto, Ontario, Canada has a acrylic painting that is quite engaging in that it is very colorful and full of wonderful patterning, entitled “Bedtime Squares”. In a rather unusual treatment of colorfully patterned trees along a walkway to an elaborate cottage she presents “Carter Cottage”. And again she has a very strong and colorful work called “The Garden” in which the varied shapes and movement are delightful indeed."'

The exhibition will be featured online through February 28, 2009 at www.upstreampeoplegallery.com  and continue for 12 months, closing January 31, 2010.

Further information about the artist's work in her own words:

'"My piece "Bedtime Squares" is a large scale work created out of my love for colour.  The idea for my use of squares came from a small area created on a recent landscape painting.  I started wondering what it would be like to create entire canvases made up entirely of varying squares of all different colours. I have created several pieces with this in mind--some full of colour, some monochromatic and one even made up of all shades of black and white and whatever lies in between.

"Carter Cottage" is an architectural portrait of my parent's cottage on Lake Joseph, Muskoka, Ontario.  I painted the cottage first in colours closely matching the existing colours of the structure.  When it came time for the background and foreground I was not interested in recreating the natural vegetation of the actual landscape.  Instead, I created and doodled my way through a fantastic, vibrant and expressionistic landscape which served to ground the cottage.  My parents have since sold the cottage but the painting will serve to spark many memories of the actual experience.

Lastly, "The Garden" is a large scale acrylic on canvas work I created this past summer.  Going with a combination of the abstracted squares style of previous pieces and the foreground of the "Carter Cottage" piece, I used all of my very favourite colours at once.  The resulting organic shapes and textures within the painting are completely random.  I have been fascinated by hearing people's opinions of the work--flowers, butterflies, segments of human anatomy are a few of the comments it has received.  The piece actually brought a woman to tears at a recent show I brought it to.  As an artist, I attempt to illicit a response from the viewer, be it negative or positive.  Truly, the positive response that I have received from all three of these pieces has served to spur me on to push myself and to keep on creating.  I have always been fascinated by my own ability to emote through vibrant, revelatory colour.  It is not something that is predetermined by me when I sit down to paint--it literally just happens."'

Bedtime Squares

36" x 60"

acrylic on canvas

On September 22, 2009, I took part in the first ever "Art Beyond Walls"--an urban one night only event hosted by my gallery The Village Gallery.  The event took place at The Berkeley Field House and featured the work of Alison Hodson, Andrew King and myself.  It was a really, really amazing event!  There were over 250 people in attendance and the vibe was really exciting.  There was lots of media covering the event.  Fashion Television (FT) came with a cameraman and interviewed us.  Although they didn't actually run the footage, they did use the image of "Her Madgesty" in their commercial.  Also, industry publication BizBash came to ABW to interview Alison and here is the review...biz bash review of Art Beyond Walls .

Alison Hodson, Justine Fernie, Alison Goodwin and Andrew King

Art Beyond Walls - September 22, 2009

Alison and Megan of The Village Gallery

Website the remotestylist.com also came to Art Beyond Walls and offered the following review...the remote stylist review of Art Beyond Walls.

In January 2010, The Village Gallery took a couple of my paintings with them to take part of their booth at IDS (the Interior Design Show) in Toronto.  Alison Goodwin (the director/owner of The Village Gallery) said that sooooo many people recognized my painting "Her Madgesty" (of Madonna) in the booth, but weren't sure why they knew the piece.  I think probably the fact that the painting is FLASHED on a new commercial for Fashion Television touting me as "one of today's innovator's in art" (THANK YOU) is probably how the image has been seen by many people.

Alison Goodwin of The Village Gallery took "Her Madgesty" and "Oh Bama" with her to a television taping of "Breakfast Television" in October 2009.  Amazing exposure again...

Alison Goodwin and Dina on BT

I guess all of this amazing exposure Alison has given me over the past year has really started to pay off!!!  Internet magazine Alternavox.net came to IDS to review it and paid particular attention to my work.  Here's the review...alternavox review .

Alison and Megan of The Village Gallery at IDS 2010

On Saturday, March 27, the Village Gallery hosted a very, very special day for me entitled, "LIVE with Justine Fernie".  I spent the afternoon at the gallery surrounded by all the amazing staff and interns there and painted my little face off.  The event was covered by SNAP Mississauga and had many members of the community passing through to see how I create my work.  It was a really amazing experience for me.  The link to the SNAP Mississauga piece is...SNAP Mississauga article  .

This blog kind of acts as a live resume for my work.  An artist is always expected to list their reviews and shows at a moment's notice which is why I've chosen to list everything here on my blog.  I really don't have a swelled head about my accomplishments over the past couple of years.  Marketing myself as an artist is truly another full time job but I truly believe the best way to really sell myself, is by myself.  Of course I've had some great help along the way by my clients and believers too.

Enough about me, what do you think about me? (best line ever).  Sometimes I bore myself.

xx

J