I have prepared the background for 2 new mandalas, each of which will depict the areas in the title above.
I have been out and about sketching here and there and am really excited about working on them.
These 2 will be numbers 32 and 33....and I hope to have them done by the end of July.
Please check every now and then for my comments as I go along, and see if you can guess what the centres of each will be.
Toronto was a place buzzing with building activity 200 years ago and it seems that it hasn' t stopped even up until this day !
Over 50 years has passed since my Girl Guide Troop # 151 spent a day along the Humber River near
Etienne Brule park. There were no cement embankments then, as hurricane Hazel hadn' t yet passed through.
We would bring a frying pan, a pork chop and a can of pork and beans in our packs.
Then our captain taught us how to build a campfire on rocks ( to be safe, of course ) and cook our food. We would tie a string to a rock and around the neck of our pop bottle and put it into the cool gurgling waters of the Humber until we were ready to drink it.
Oh, what fun we had looking for clues as we followed a path to our destination !
So, the Humber River will remain forever in my heart and memory for those wonderful perfect days
and I shall salute it deservedly in my mandala.
( By the way, The Humber is already well represented in the Weston and Etobicoke mandalas. )
For further info, please contact me at :
torontomandalas@gmail.com
Dave LeBlanc, The Globe and Mail 's Architourist wrote about my mandalas in this article on
October 1, 2010 :
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/real-estate/signposts-of-a-new-toronto-cool/article1734637/email/
Welcome to Toronto Neighbourhood Mandalas, a collection of unique mandalas featuring many of Toronto's neighbourhoods.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
CNE Mandala Completed Today !
At 5:30 pm today, I completed the CNE Mandala. After over 100 hours of research, painting ( watercolors, gouache and acrylic ) and editing, I am happy to say that I have accomplished what I set out to do.
I began working on this mandala at the beginning of January of this year and it has been a trip back down memory lane. I have included many historical and nostalgic bits of information, and also recent happenings.
Upon asking many people ( varied according to age ) what was their favourite thing at The Ex, I was so happy to note that everyone had something to say. And so I incorporated some of them.
In a world so hectic with work and technology, it is enlightening for me to learn that most people seem to find their own little corner sanctuary. And for some, it is a spot in The Ex.
For example, one person loves to spend the whole day in the Horse Palace to
escape daily life and just be.
For further information, please contact me at :
torontomandalas@gmail.com
I began working on this mandala at the beginning of January of this year and it has been a trip back down memory lane. I have included many historical and nostalgic bits of information, and also recent happenings.
Upon asking many people ( varied according to age ) what was their favourite thing at The Ex, I was so happy to note that everyone had something to say. And so I incorporated some of them.
In a world so hectic with work and technology, it is enlightening for me to learn that most people seem to find their own little corner sanctuary. And for some, it is a spot in The Ex.
For example, one person loves to spend the whole day in the Horse Palace to
escape daily life and just be.
For further information, please contact me at :
torontomandalas@gmail.com
Monday, April 16, 2012
CNE Mandala : Details, Details, Details !
I have had to attend to so many little details on this mandala because it is a record of over 100 years of history. Of course, not all is contained in this little ball of energy. So I have had to pick and choose carefully and finally have almost completed this piece of work.
There are the greeters at the Princes' Gates, and the usual suspects at the Coliseum and Horse Palace entrance.
Can you guess who these might be at each location ? I don' t want to spoil the surprise before I present this mandala on April 22, 2012.
And oh, yes, there is an RN from St. Joseph's Hospital/Health Care Centre on duty at the First Aid tent if anyone needs a band aid or other minor medical assistance during his/her trip to the Ex.
Please do not forget where to meet your friends at the centre of the mandala.
You will be reminded where this is by the song written in hearts all around.
What a place, where we can look at everything through rose-colored glasses, just like the lady with the quilted hairdo who surmises the whole scene from atop, right near Marilyn Bell Park !
There are the greeters at the Princes' Gates, and the usual suspects at the Coliseum and Horse Palace entrance.
Can you guess who these might be at each location ? I don' t want to spoil the surprise before I present this mandala on April 22, 2012.
And oh, yes, there is an RN from St. Joseph's Hospital/Health Care Centre on duty at the First Aid tent if anyone needs a band aid or other minor medical assistance during his/her trip to the Ex.
Please do not forget where to meet your friends at the centre of the mandala.
You will be reminded where this is by the song written in hearts all around.
What a place, where we can look at everything through rose-colored glasses, just like the lady with the quilted hairdo who surmises the whole scene from atop, right near Marilyn Bell Park !
Friday, March 23, 2012
The CNE Mandala Miniature Memories
Many sample items were given out at the Ex in miniature form and I , and some people I have spoken with , remember them specifically. I have composed a list of what I have found thus far. Do you recall them or any others ?
For me, there is something intriguing about seeing and holding a miniature replica.
I believe it is an innate human trait wherein , in order to learn and internalize a concept, we have to actually
hold it as a toy, so to speak.
Board gamers use miniatures. Throughout art history, one sees miniatures used in charms and toggles, etc. We always see architects, theatre stage designers, jewellers, clothing designers and those in many in other creative fields create a prototype and work with it until the final product is on paper and then eventually completed in life-size reality.
My mandalas are visual miniatures enclosed in a circle, a kind of microscopic overview with abstract and realistic features.
I wonder if the distribution of these miniatures at the Ex had any influence on any child' s future. Especially a child who never had any toys back then.
For further info, please contact me at :
torontomandalas@gmail.com
- Fry's Cocoa cans
- Coca Cola bottles in a case
- Coca Cola bottles
- hot dogs for eating
- Tiny Tom Donuts ( yes, once we got a free sample )
- packages of cereal
For me, there is something intriguing about seeing and holding a miniature replica.
I believe it is an innate human trait wherein , in order to learn and internalize a concept, we have to actually
hold it as a toy, so to speak.
Board gamers use miniatures. Throughout art history, one sees miniatures used in charms and toggles, etc. We always see architects, theatre stage designers, jewellers, clothing designers and those in many in other creative fields create a prototype and work with it until the final product is on paper and then eventually completed in life-size reality.
My mandalas are visual miniatures enclosed in a circle, a kind of microscopic overview with abstract and realistic features.
I wonder if the distribution of these miniatures at the Ex had any influence on any child' s future. Especially a child who never had any toys back then.
For further info, please contact me at :
torontomandalas@gmail.com
Friday, March 16, 2012
The CNE Mandala : A MicroCity in Itself
Looking at my CNE Mandala as it becomes more full day by day, I see the makings of a microcity within the GTA : fountains, a firehall and ambulance, entertainment, floral displays, Childrens' Lost and Found, history galore, and so on and so on.
People of all walks of life come to the fair mostly in their garb of choice. Cowboy hats and boots adorn the stable hands and farmers in the Coliseum.
Young couples sometimes are in their Sunday best, no doubt to impress on an evening date. Cameras in hand, people are posing everywhere for that momentous perfect shot.
The difference between the GTA and this Microcity are the smiles on everyone' s face ( unless it is the first sunny day for a while in the GTA ). It is a specimen city viewed under the microscope for all of us to examine, to take stock and remember how all the cogs are turning to make it work....for us. This city is a gift created by our ancestors. Try to remember all the ones who worked so hard to get it going in 1879.
I have added in all the shapes and sounds and scents and how they melt together in harmony - the ferris wheel, the bandshell, the water spraying in the fountains, the symmetrical Princes' Gates, the prestigious older buildings, the corn-on-the-cob, the candy floss, the candy apples, the carillion bells.....so many circles, which all in all are mandalas and they sweetly capture our hearts as we stroll along.
Can you guess what I have chosen as the centre of the CNE Mandala ?
People of all walks of life come to the fair mostly in their garb of choice. Cowboy hats and boots adorn the stable hands and farmers in the Coliseum.
Young couples sometimes are in their Sunday best, no doubt to impress on an evening date. Cameras in hand, people are posing everywhere for that momentous perfect shot.
The difference between the GTA and this Microcity are the smiles on everyone' s face ( unless it is the first sunny day for a while in the GTA ). It is a specimen city viewed under the microscope for all of us to examine, to take stock and remember how all the cogs are turning to make it work....for us. This city is a gift created by our ancestors. Try to remember all the ones who worked so hard to get it going in 1879.
I have added in all the shapes and sounds and scents and how they melt together in harmony - the ferris wheel, the bandshell, the water spraying in the fountains, the symmetrical Princes' Gates, the prestigious older buildings, the corn-on-the-cob, the candy floss, the candy apples, the carillion bells.....so many circles, which all in all are mandalas and they sweetly capture our hearts as we stroll along.
Can you guess what I have chosen as the centre of the CNE Mandala ?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Ex is the Centre of the Universe !
No matter where you are coming from, it seems that all roads ( and sidewalks, for that matter ) lead to the
Ex ; for example : GO Trains, TTC streetcars and buses, taxis, boats, bicycles, skateboards and motorbikes.
When the Ex is on , people come ( came ) in droves by foot and on every form of transportation.
In its 2 week or so duration, to many, the Ex is the Centre of the Universe.
It is a nostalgic trip for those like myself. Even when some sites don' t exist anymore, we walk around recalling " how it used to be ". Pretty sad, eh ?
Pretty sad how so many things aren' t there anymore. I propose that the CNE bring back some of the old days.
( And please, Mr. Tory, please don' t agree to demolish the Cinesphere. I know it' s not exactly in the Ex, but it's very near to it. We have lost so many town halls, and other important buildings around the city to developers. For example, in Yorkville sits a parkette with a picture story map and legend where The Yorkville Town Hall used to be. Thank goodness the original facade of the original Mount Sinai Hospital was saved at 100 Yorkville where an historical plaque also stands. At least we are not standing there staring at a parkette where it used to be. Couldn' t they at least have built a mini version of it ? These and other lost buildings could be displayed in model form and created by students of architecture as an assignment. I would love to see the opera house that once existed on the south east corner of Bay and Adelaide, where Opera Lane scarcely peeks out at you as you walk by. Please don't blink or you might miss it. )
Torontonians love that jewel-by-the lake, that landmark filled ( pun unintended ) with so many memories of of lining up for movies seen on the huge screen. It is an architectural delight and should come with a blueprint for each child who visits it, so that a mini-geodesic dome could be built with his/her parents at home.
It' s very simple : dowels, plastic tubing, screws. Buckminster Fuller would be so proud and I' m sure many a tear would be shed by him watching it being torn down, triangle by triangle.
The mini-version could be be easily dismanteled, used as a tent, decorated, etc., and be part of the child' s daily routine, re: the responsibility of taking care of a home. I saw one version in a school yard recently at Dundas and Denison Avenues in Toronto. I'm sure the children enjoy it immensely, and at the same time they are so close to functional architecture.)
Pretty sad how so many sites and events aren' t there anymore. I propose that the CNE bring some of the old days back.
How about :
a miniature walk- through garden of buildings which are extinct ; it could be a competition for florists and landscapers of Toronto, or students of the former and latter ?
a Marilyn Bell Theatre where we can watch footage of her swimming the lake and a short swimming safety film can be shown after with safety rule pamphlets distributed on the way out ; ( as a kid we followed the swim on the radio with a corn syrup company as the sponsor and my mom made it so exciting for us as it went onto the finish....we were so proud of Marilyn ! ) It would be wonderful if we had a Marilyn Bell Day to honor her and maybe she could be invited to drop by ?
Elsie the Cow and her son Beauregard in their boudoir ?
a History Lesson Tent with volunteer teachers, professors, instructors, or just plain folks presenting archival slides of historical memorable moments at the Ex since 1879 ? asking Torontonians to send in photos of past visits to the Ex ?
Honeydew drinks?
a dress-up day.....creating a costume that someone would wear in certain decades at the Ex with prizes?
more $1 and $ 2 samples of food?
the water-ski show on the lake with the clowns and the champions skiing off the ramp ? ( Oh, how it made us laugh our heads off !!!! )
and the Bathtub and Pooch Races ?
Let' s put " exhibit " back in Exhibition.
Just brainstorming here. Please add any of your ideas.
Remember, eople together bring endless possibilities !
My mandala has about a third of the way to go. I have recently added a kewpie doll on a stick; a reminder of the Baby Contest that used to be; a carny at the ferris wheel and a hockey puck, stick and skate to represent the Hockey Hall of Fame ( now relocated to Front and Yonge Streets, Toronto ). A part of this building was saved as the entrance to the Blizzard soccer stadium across from the Food Building.
Going to the Hockey Hall of Fame at the Ex and seeing the Stanley Cup and famous players' photos and equipment was a super duper amazing experience for my family and I , as we lined up ( for I can' t remember how long ), to get inside !
But we forgot how long we waited , as we faithfully all looked up in awe at " The Cup " !
Ex ; for example : GO Trains, TTC streetcars and buses, taxis, boats, bicycles, skateboards and motorbikes.
When the Ex is on , people come ( came ) in droves by foot and on every form of transportation.
In its 2 week or so duration, to many, the Ex is the Centre of the Universe.
It is a nostalgic trip for those like myself. Even when some sites don' t exist anymore, we walk around recalling " how it used to be ". Pretty sad, eh ?
Pretty sad how so many things aren' t there anymore. I propose that the CNE bring back some of the old days.
( And please, Mr. Tory, please don' t agree to demolish the Cinesphere. I know it' s not exactly in the Ex, but it's very near to it. We have lost so many town halls, and other important buildings around the city to developers. For example, in Yorkville sits a parkette with a picture story map and legend where The Yorkville Town Hall used to be. Thank goodness the original facade of the original Mount Sinai Hospital was saved at 100 Yorkville where an historical plaque also stands. At least we are not standing there staring at a parkette where it used to be. Couldn' t they at least have built a mini version of it ? These and other lost buildings could be displayed in model form and created by students of architecture as an assignment. I would love to see the opera house that once existed on the south east corner of Bay and Adelaide, where Opera Lane scarcely peeks out at you as you walk by. Please don't blink or you might miss it. )
Torontonians love that jewel-by-the lake, that landmark filled ( pun unintended ) with so many memories of of lining up for movies seen on the huge screen. It is an architectural delight and should come with a blueprint for each child who visits it, so that a mini-geodesic dome could be built with his/her parents at home.
It' s very simple : dowels, plastic tubing, screws. Buckminster Fuller would be so proud and I' m sure many a tear would be shed by him watching it being torn down, triangle by triangle.
The mini-version could be be easily dismanteled, used as a tent, decorated, etc., and be part of the child' s daily routine, re: the responsibility of taking care of a home. I saw one version in a school yard recently at Dundas and Denison Avenues in Toronto. I'm sure the children enjoy it immensely, and at the same time they are so close to functional architecture.)
Pretty sad how so many sites and events aren' t there anymore. I propose that the CNE bring some of the old days back.
How about :
a miniature walk- through garden of buildings which are extinct ; it could be a competition for florists and landscapers of Toronto, or students of the former and latter ?
a Marilyn Bell Theatre where we can watch footage of her swimming the lake and a short swimming safety film can be shown after with safety rule pamphlets distributed on the way out ; ( as a kid we followed the swim on the radio with a corn syrup company as the sponsor and my mom made it so exciting for us as it went onto the finish....we were so proud of Marilyn ! ) It would be wonderful if we had a Marilyn Bell Day to honor her and maybe she could be invited to drop by ?
Elsie the Cow and her son Beauregard in their boudoir ?
a History Lesson Tent with volunteer teachers, professors, instructors, or just plain folks presenting archival slides of historical memorable moments at the Ex since 1879 ? asking Torontonians to send in photos of past visits to the Ex ?
Honeydew drinks?
a dress-up day.....creating a costume that someone would wear in certain decades at the Ex with prizes?
more $1 and $ 2 samples of food?
the water-ski show on the lake with the clowns and the champions skiing off the ramp ? ( Oh, how it made us laugh our heads off !!!! )
and the Bathtub and Pooch Races ?
Let' s put " exhibit " back in Exhibition.
Just brainstorming here. Please add any of your ideas.
Remember, eople together bring endless possibilities !
My mandala has about a third of the way to go. I have recently added a kewpie doll on a stick; a reminder of the Baby Contest that used to be; a carny at the ferris wheel and a hockey puck, stick and skate to represent the Hockey Hall of Fame ( now relocated to Front and Yonge Streets, Toronto ). A part of this building was saved as the entrance to the Blizzard soccer stadium across from the Food Building.
Going to the Hockey Hall of Fame at the Ex and seeing the Stanley Cup and famous players' photos and equipment was a super duper amazing experience for my family and I , as we lined up ( for I can' t remember how long ), to get inside !
But we forgot how long we waited , as we faithfully all looked up in awe at " The Cup " !
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Bathtub and so many other Races at the Ex over the years, do dah, do dah !
The Bathtub Races at the Ex began in 1969 and continued until 1986. Why ? I have no idea. : (
There was a Mayor' s Bathtub Race in1983 and it was a sporting event with Mayors Denison, Lastman and others. It would be fun to have one this year with mayors from all over Canada participating , don' t you think.
There was also the Dog Swim and many marathon swimming races.
I' ve included symbolic representation of these three in my CNE Mandala which is progressing very well.
I' ll be adding an update presently.
There was a Mayor' s Bathtub Race in1983 and it was a sporting event with Mayors Denison, Lastman and others. It would be fun to have one this year with mayors from all over Canada participating , don' t you think.
There was also the Dog Swim and many marathon swimming races.
I' ve included symbolic representation of these three in my CNE Mandala which is progressing very well.
I' ll be adding an update presently.
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