“Graham Todd: Imaginary Spaces” is a memorial exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art celebrating artist and McMaster Studio Art professor Graham Todd passed away in June 2013. This memorial exhibit features twenty sculptural works from 1982 to 2013, and also includes six of Todd’s sketchbooks. Each work is placed against a white backdrop and under soft spotlights. The works featured at the exhibit are from collections of Lorraine Samuel, Karen Hendrick, and Briana Palmer. In collecting sculptural works, sketchbooks, and quotes equates the role of the artists with the role of the writer. The theme of the exhibit becomes the artists as storyteller, emphasising Todd’s ability to create imaginary spaces: “I build objects. Clay is my ink, shapes
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Among these works are two of his sphere series, Sphere/Sunrise (2008) and Sphere/Sombra (2008). Both are composed of glazed ceramic. Linear designs are engraved into the ceramic to add texture to the pieces. Sunrise combines yellows, oranges and browns. Sombra mixes purples, dark reds and black glazes. Though they each share the same basic form, they are differentiated by colour and pattern. In Spanish, sombra means “shadow,” placing it in direct contrast with Sunrise. Despite their direct relationship, these pieces are not placed adjacent to one another. In separating these sculptures, the viewer is encouraged to move throughout the space. Movement is emphasized in Todd’s pieces through the use of line and gradients of colour. The sphere is used throughout the collection, appearing in one of the exhibit’s earliest works, Todd’s Recent Memories (1983), which integrates oil with glass and plastic …show more content…
Accompanying one sketchbook (c. 1995) is a DVD video, allowing the audience to view and appreciate each page. Sketchbooks are things that many begin with good intentions, but rarely ever fill. With this in mind, Todd dedicated himself to fill a sketchbook over a weekend. These sketchbooks are filled with drawings, paint and ink, and these experiments often provided Todd with inspiration for his sculptural works. On the wall behind the display of sketchbooks is a quote of Todd himself dating to 2008: “I love books; I have a deep attachment for words, an even greater admiration for writers whose imagination and mastery of their craft transport my consciousness into that delightful region of the
Among these works are two of his sphere series, Sphere/Sunrise (2008) and Sphere/Sombra (2008). Both are composed of glazed ceramic. Linear designs are engraved into the ceramic to add texture to the pieces. Sunrise combines yellows, oranges and browns. Sombra mixes purples, dark reds and black glazes. Though they each share the same basic form, they are differentiated by colour and pattern. In Spanish, sombra means “shadow,” placing it in direct contrast with Sunrise. Despite their direct relationship, these pieces are not placed adjacent to one another. In separating these sculptures, the viewer is encouraged to move throughout the space. Movement is emphasized in Todd’s pieces through the use of line and gradients of colour. The sphere is used throughout the collection, appearing in one of the exhibit’s earliest works, Todd’s Recent Memories (1983), which integrates oil with glass and plastic …show more content…
Accompanying one sketchbook (c. 1995) is a DVD video, allowing the audience to view and appreciate each page. Sketchbooks are things that many begin with good intentions, but rarely ever fill. With this in mind, Todd dedicated himself to fill a sketchbook over a weekend. These sketchbooks are filled with drawings, paint and ink, and these experiments often provided Todd with inspiration for his sculptural works. On the wall behind the display of sketchbooks is a quote of Todd himself dating to 2008: “I love books; I have a deep attachment for words, an even greater admiration for writers whose imagination and mastery of their craft transport my consciousness into that delightful region of the