It’s that time of year again! I will be participating once again in our annual studio tour this weekend. Details are available at http://www.welcomebacktootterville.ca, or you can rely on what I’ve posted here and pick up a postcard when you arrive at my gallery. The postcards look like this and have a map and list […]
Welcome Back 2022 — LIANNE TODD
The above is from my other website and blog, inviting all interested parties to join us this weekend for our annual studio tour.
I am pleased to let you know we are indeed holding our Oxford Studio Tour this year, after a 2 year hiatus. It will be on April 30 and May 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Information can be found at the tour’s website, oxfordstudiotour.ca, as usual. We all have lots of art to show you, and you can have fun with your family or close friends driving around Oxford County to see it. Maybe you’ll want to have a chat with some of the artists, or even purchase an original piece for that spot in your surroundings you wish had a little something special.
Here I am with a couple of my original pieces:
I look forward to welcoming you at my home studio/gallery location, which is Location #3 on the tour, in Otterville. Red signs will direct you to tour locations. If you need a map, they are available at the website. For a brochure, you may contact me to mail you one, or just pick a location to start at – all artists will have some available.
One of my favourite things about opening my gallery for studio tours is the interaction with people who are seeing my fractal art for the first time. It’s definitely not the same as viewing it online, partly because of the image resolution and detail and size, and partly because of the metal and acrylic surfaces I usually print on. And for the paintings, the size and the detail provide even more of a difference from what you’ll see here on my website.
But the best part is introducing some to the entire concept of fractals. If you missed the fun of reading my blog from the very start, back in 2014, and you don’t have a way to come this weekend to see them, I am linking you back to that first post here.
I would love for you to come and visit my gallery this weekend so I can share with you the joy and wonder I feel about creating vivid reflections of nature with both paint and with mathematics.
Just come to Otterville and look for the yellow flags – we welcome you!
Click on the image above to be directed to more information about what you’ll find at each studio or shop.
Last week I made the drive to Clinton, Ontario to drop off some of my art, and work a shift at a new store there called ‘Mama & Me, the Canadian Artisan Gift Boutique’. The business owner, Crystal, was the Grand Prize Winner of Central Huron’s Win This Space Contest, and has worked very hard to transform her vision into a reality. As she put it, only 16 gallons of paint and 400+ hours of labour later… her shop was ready to open! It’s full of handmade items displayed in unique ways mostly on re-purposed furniture, which gives it a nice, welcoming, homey feel. The address is 17 Victoria St., Clinton, ON, and it’s not far from Bayfield, Goderich, and Blyth. Open from 11 am-5 pm Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 5? pm Saturday (not sure) and closed Sundays and Mondays.
I took two fractal watercolour paintings, two fractal metal prints, two watercolour paintings from my ‘Cats of Italy’ series, and another large watercolour painting of lotus blossoms to be hung in the store. I didn’t get to hang them while there, but we decided where they were going and she has promised to send photos when they’re up! Here are most of them, waiting patiently in the area reserved for workshops:
If you go, and make a purchase, you could win this retro-style bicycle! I had a good look, it is quite nice.
The opening for this show was on Sunday and it continues until August 18.
OCCI stands for Oxford Creative Connections Inc., and it is a not-for-profit Arts and Culture organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Oxford County through the preservation and advancement of arts and culture.
The Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre is located at
125 Centennial Lane (in Victoria Park)
P.O. Box 384, Ontario
N5C 3V3
(519) 485-4691
Its hours are:
Open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 10:30 – 2:00 p.m. & 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
I have one of my new fractal pieces in the show, Time for Tea. Check it out if you go!
Time for Tea. Digital Fractal Art. Single metal print is 24×32″. Artist Lianne Todd. $595.00
Every once in a while I discover and develop an image that is just uncannily familiar. From the similarity of “Pollinator” to an actual pollinator, to the “Ocean Floor” that isn’t actually an ocean floor, we see how nature follows the patterns dictated by the geometry we know as fractals. However, it is not strictly ‘natural’ things which follow fractal patterns. We can see fractal patterns in things like architecture, art, music, and… fancy china dishes!
I absolutely love this image which I’ve entitled ‘Time for Tea”. To me it seems vaguely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and the interior of my Mom’s china cabinet. I recently printed it on metal. Here is what the digital image I created looks like. In the metal print, the white parts are silver, so it does change the look of it a little. It would be perfect in a super modern dining room, I think.
To see the 24×32″ metal print, you’ll have to come out to my gallery, as it is just very difficult to photograph the reflective surface. Lucky for you, the perfect opportunity to do that is right around the corner, during the Oxford Studio Tour, May 4 & 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.!
Time for Tea. Digital Fractal Art. Single metal print is 24×32″. Artist Lianne Todd.
I’ve done a post about this on my other blog – so I will just link you to that here!
But I know a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are my entries in the Westland Gallery’s Square Foot Show of 2018:
Frog Pond. Digital Fractal Art HD printed on metal. Single Print. 12×12″. $300.00. Artist Lianne Todd.
I hope you enjoy the above fractal piece. It is printed in high definition on metal, with a very glossy finish. I hadn’t tried this kind of print before and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It doesn’t have the metallic sheen that changes with the light, like my other metal prints do, but that suits this image really well. As usual, I only do one print per image, so all pieces are originals in every sense of the word. I had a lot of fun creating this one, seeing all the different things in it that caused me to name it “Frog Pond”. Do you see them too? Please feel free to comment on what you see – I’m curious!
Kitchen Alcove, Il Convente dei Carmine. Watercolour on Paper. 6.25×6.25″. SOLD. Private Collection. Artist Lianne Todd.
World Views. Watercolour on Gold Absorbent Ground on Canvas. 12×12″. SOLD. Private Collection. Artist Lianne Todd.
I’ll be at the Art in the Park in Woodstock with some of my other work this Saturday. More about that tomorrow!
I cannot wait to show you this latest piece in person. Some images conjure up abundance, richness, and decadence, and this is one of those images. There is plenty here for your own imagination to work on, but you won’t be able to properly see it unless you come to my studio! Lucky for you, my studio is often open, all you need to do is contact me. But even luckier, there are a whole bunch of studios open on May 5 & 6 in Oxford County, and mine is one of them! I am at Location #4.
This image you see here is a mere fraction of the size I have printed it – 24 x 24 inches. As usual, I only have one print made of each fractal piece, on metal (or sometimes acrylic), so each is an original. Although, I think this would make a great metal album cover don’t you?
Feast. Digital Fractal Art printed on metal, single edition print. 24×24″. Artist Lianne Todd. $450.00
Before I begin to introduce this new piece, I would like to thank all of the nice people who visited my studio/gallery this past weekend for the Oxford Studio Tour, and showed such fascinated interest in my fractal art. You really do help me keep the inspiration fresh!
As you may know, clouds exhibit fractal geometry. Mandelbrot’s famous quote:
is certainly a confirmation of that if you needed it. That quote is from the very first paragraph of his book The Fractal Geometry of Nature and he discusses the topic in several places throughout it.
I took the photo of these clouds at sunset one evening here in Otterville. Living down close to the historic mill in this little town, we don’t always get the best view of sunsets, but every now and then there is a spectacular one that must be photographed. And of course since I am interested in the cloud geometry, I also like the way it is highlighted by the colours.
It seemed like a very natural place for this fractal, created in Oxidizer, to occupy. The shape immediately brought to mind something happening in the sky, perhaps a place Zeus would be. There was an obvious (to me) song title that came to mind too, and perhaps you can guess what it was, or maybe not. But it didn’t quite interpret this the way I wanted, and I was stumped for a while trying to think of a title. I liked the little spirals and the curved shapes reminded me of somersaults, and I still felt there was a musical component.
After having it printed on acrylic, and hanging it on my gallery wall, I showed it to my son, and asked him what he thought I should call it. It didn’t take him very long to say “Aerials” and although the word on its own is ideal, I immediately knew he was referring to the song by System of a Down. It is on their Toxicity album. I confess I only know it (and all the other metal that I like) because of my son, but it is truly one of my favourite songs of all, and I hope they don’t mind me naming this piece of art after their music. I agreed with him that it is the perfect title. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. My suggestion is that you first go find and read the lyrics. Then listen to the song. I think you might agree too.
Aerials. Digital fractal art printed on acrylic, single edition. 20×20″. Artist Lianne Todd. $375.00
FractaLiArt 