Galerie d' Este profile

I sat down with Suzanne Rackover, an art consultant for Galerie D'Este, an upscale art gallery situated on Greene avenue in Westmount, specializing in contemporary Quebec, Canadian and international art. I asked her to tell me a little about what the gallery is about and what it has to offer.

The gallery was opened in June 2006 by Mark Leibner. A business person with a special interest in art who has been a collector for 25 years, he was inspired to take his passion to a new level by becoming a gallery owner and representing young and established artists.

" 3/4 of the artwork we represent is Canadian, while 1 / 4 is mostly European," says Rackover. "The pieces on the walls rotate every month and during the month . We make changes depending on what's coming in and out of the gallery."

The big show in the fall is Jean-Paul Jérôme. "He was a member of Les Plasticiens - a movement which began in 1955 and was a founding father of Quebec geometric abstraction which is a strong current in Quebec art. He's in the National gallery and in major museums," says Rackover. "It is our big show for the fall season."

They also represent Angela Grossman who has a Masters in Fine Arts from Concordia and is a professor at the Emily Carr Institute.

"She is also in the National gallery and has been around for 30 years. She is a strong artist and we are very happy to have her in the gallery. Her pieces are special, " she says.

I asked Suzanne if there was a lot of interest in art and she replied that yes there is a collector's market. "People want to own and collect art. There is a lot of interest in artists with singular voices," says Rackover.

Este also represents Susan Szenes, a Toronto artist who I was told won an honourable mention at the outdoor art exhibition in Toronto and won a prize last year.

It is the owner, Mark Leibner and the director, Charlotte Racine, who decide which artists they will showcase. They look for artists who they can build upon and grow with. They look at portfolios and attend art fairs and shows in search of artists appropriate for Este. They will take on young artists, recent graduates, established- anyone with potential. Is the work good, does it inspire: these are the things they look for.

I myself was drawn into the Gallery D'este by a aluminum wire mannequin sculpture in the window. There is a fanciful, yet very strong comment that is made by the piece. There are several of them around the room and one of them is called Miss Nice and Easy and is wire mesh mannequin with a black tutu. I asked Rackover about the artist.

"The artist is Sophie de Francesca and she is a sculptor based in Ontario who studied at the Ontario College of Art. She did large scale sculptures during her student days. She saw the intrinsic beauty of the properties of aluminum and wire. Her work, and this is my interpretation, is about the role of women and the push and pull," she says.

Another piece that drew me in was a painting by Angel Mateo Charris, an artist based in Spain, and one of their international artists.

"He is a member of the contemporary figurative movement in Spain and is housed in 2 major museums in Spain, "she says. " He is inspired by American mid century figurative and by artists such as Edward Hopper." Los Estoicos II translates as the Stoics and depicts a man with a camera standing in front of a huge wave that is about to sweep him away.

Their website is a tool that offers artists' pages, the walls and reserves. No prices are listed but you are invited to call or come in, look and ask questions. Everyone in the gallery has an excellent knowledge of the art they represent.

From a press release: Galerie d'Este is named in honour of Isabella D'este (1474-1539), the Renaissance art patron who supported the most gifted artists of her time. The gallery's mission is to promote the work of the best Quebecois, Canadian and international contemporary artists.

Galerie d'Este located at 1329 Greene avenue, Westmount, Quebec.
T: 514- 846-1515
www.galeriedeste.com

Polemiclerk - DIY is back - sort of

A customer service agent or clerk who when asked a question about a product gives a fiery and passionate speech about the evils and or political virtues of said product.

Lola Rosa's - bite sized review

I went back to Lola Rosa's to take advantage of their taste testing and tried their pleasure pie. It was a pleasure. Their portions were not bite sized however this review will be. Their portions were generous and hearty. The pleasure pie consisted of mushrooms, leeks, potatoes and leeks in a flaky pie shell. It was flavourful and filling. I also tried their spinach pie which consisted of well you guessed it, spinach, feta, pine nuts, curry, leeks, and pastry shell; their name for it is boarek. For dessert, i had the key lime pie which tasted like lemon pie however it was still tasty. Maybe if I was a chef I would understand how lime juice and condensed milk could taste like lemon but I am not and therefore can not explain this to you. But as I said it was still tasty.

the end.

David Sedaris- we have the same vision!

I was at Chapters the other day listening to David Sedaris speak when i thought to myself, damn david you stole my ideas. Have you sent spys out on me to well spy on my whereabouts and riff on them. Like for example, he went on about a guy who, whereever he is, people always think he works there because of the clothes he is wearing- when in fact he does not. And I thought wow, that's so funny, just the othe night I was walking down St laurent blvd when i saw a guy dressed all in black standing outside a restaurant and i thought, do you work there? As it turned out he did not. well actually i wasn't sure. but i did think: does he or doesn't he? you never know. I wanted to know. it was important because i wanted to go back and ask him out. So i stood out there like a crazy person trying to see if he was sitting like a customer of serving like a waiter. He dissapeared. I think it was a trick. Anyways David went on about what a weird life that would be. and he's right , it would be a weird life. It's even weirder wondering whether a famous writer you really admire may be somehow telepathecally honing in on your experiences and writing about them in ways funnier than you ever possibly could. Now that's really weird.

Or like his riff on how he met a couple whose last names are Stork and Crane and what a great love story that is. Well funny but i know a former couple ( it might be me) whose last names are Friezen and Nhutty,; now there's an anxious love story. I'm anxious - I'll never be a David Sedaris, but at least I got to hear him speak.

It is really a weird life.

100% funscientious1

Banada revisited

I am being literrally hounded by anonymous readers who when in my presence say at cafes or libraries are jeering and hissing that i am too skinky and that they are unpleased with my blog postings. I will take in their comments although anonymously hissing almost threatening insults is not realy my style. You could email your opinions . I believe in freedom of expression. Fine you did not like banada because you say are not zealots. Did i name you or point the finger at anyone. No i did not.

I can understand that banada might infuriate those who have worked hard to ban things that have harmed humans such as DDT, certain kinds of chemical pesticides, etc.

But i believe in freedom of expression and a little bit of satire is never harmful. Verbally and physically harassing someone is. I hope you might think about that before you hiss. Please feel free to share your opinions with me. I am very open to listening to them.

100 % funscientious !

Lola Rosa's grand opening Westmount

If you live in or near Westmount and love vegetarian, you will be happy to know that the famed Milton ave. eatery Lola Rosa's has opened a new location as of yesterday 11 am on Sherbrooke near the Bureau en Gros. I spoke to Eric, one of the co-owners about the lack of seating (there are only 3 tables and a counter) and he said for now they will catering to mostly take out clientele. There may be more tables eventually. Their menu will be similar to the one on Milton and if you are not familiar with it, here are a few dishes they will be offering: Vegetarian chili, Indian curry and tunisian ragout; sandwiches and paninis, quiche, boerek. Their desserts have always been a big hit, especially their brownie, which is not presently on the menu, but he said should be soon. Right now, they only have about 30 to 40 % of their menu. Other desserts include key lime pie, chocolate banana pie and cheesecake.

Eric told me that most ingredients are fresh and local and 40 - 50 % are organic. Las Fincas is the brand of coffee they serve. It is organic and imported. Pascal, co-owner no 2, said that Las Fincas is fairly traded although not certified.

Pascal said if you bring your containers or lug a mug, you will be entitled to a 50 cent discount.So for those keen on reducing trash, Lola rosa's offers an option.

They will be doing taste tests (free) all week for people from 11-3.

You might want to speak to chefs, Shayle or Michael if you have any questions.

Lola Rosa's on Sherbrooke in Westmount. 11-3.

Hiatus interruptus

Hello again.it is good to be back on my blog.Much has happened over the course of my 7 months hiatus which i plan on sharing with you. Technical glitches have prevented me from creating new posts but i hope that in the future i will be a little quicker at resolving them. Today's entry is a short one. For today, i am happy to have finally gotten my wifi going and am now sitting outside a wifi cafe typing my entry. I am thrilled. there is a lot of hoop jumping to get this wifi thing going but i have finally done it. Now all i need is a job, and i'm good to go.

It has come to my attention that certain readers did not like my Banada entry, this could be why i have now developed allergies to ddt, pesticides, gluten, non fairly traded sugar, but i will survive in the face of adversity; i always do. to those I've threatened to send them to bordeaux ( not france), i say i am sorry i know it is not pleasant to have someone shout I'm taking you down but i can not eat wheat or sugar any more without breaking out and getting weird stomach pains. i am not happy.

To those i screamed what some might consider to be a little height insensitive, i say i am sorry but sometimes i can become a hot head and i can be a little insensitive. i am sorry.

I wil try to write a poem later about my apology. i just need to find free wifi.

that's it for now. i hope to get back on a regular basis.

Again i apologize. but i need my sugar and my wheat.

100% funscientious ! The fun never stops in my world!