Akin Member Highlight: Suzanne Dennis and Andrea Bailey

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An image of Andrea Bailey’s artwork, Collage #2, a colourful collage of layered prints in blues, reds, whites and pinks, with a painting of a blue haired figure over top

 

We’re back with another highlight of some of Akin’s long-term members.

Andrea Bailey has been an Akin studio member since 2012, and Suzanne Dennis since 2014. We’re so proud to have provided a creative home for these fantastic artists, so, to celebrate Akin’s 15th Anniversary, we reached out to them to learn more about their work and their Akin journey.

Suzanne Dennis

Suzanne Dennis is a Toronto artist who paints abstract and nonobjective images on canvas and paper using acrylic paint and mediums.

The inspiration for much of her work has come from details found in nature and man made objects. A favourite source is ancient and modern stone surfaces and architecture. These provide not only interesting compositions, textures and colours but are silent elements present in the places where we live our lives, and where history is made.

Suzanne records images in photos and sketches using them as a roadmap to create the compositions and then lets her intuition and joy of painting take over. Suzanne invites the viewer to enjoy the interpretation she presents and to share the story of its creation. Suzanne has been painting for 25 years and exhibits and sells her work in Toronto at shows, galleries, commercial venues and clubs.

You can find more of Suzanne’s work on her website, www.suzannedennis.ca or on her instagram, @Suzannedennis01 

Suzanne Dennis3: Suzanne Dennis stands in front of an easel in her studio. On the easel, and on the wall behind her, are abstract paintings of green, blue and red. Suzanne is holding up a piece of cloth covered in multicoloured paint, she’s holding it up to her face, her eyes peeking over it.

What brought you to Akin?

I moved to a condo leaving a home where I had a basement studio space. With nowhere to paint I started the process of looking for studio space in Toronto. I was at the Apple store, learning how to organise photos, and the instructor noticed all the images of my work.

He asked me where I painted and I said I had no space any longer. It was really my lucky day. He was a member of the Akin Collective.

He gave me the contact information for Oliver Pauk. I called Oliver and met him that week and secured studio space on Wade Avenue. I always consider this one of the luckiest things that has happened in my art career!

Can you give us a timeline of your Akin Journey? Where did it start? Which studios have you been a member at?

I met Oliver in September of 2014 and secured my first studio space on the ground floor at Wade Avenue. A number of years later the ground floor studios were “Reno-evicted” by the landlord. Jen Pilles quickly secured a space for me at the Dupont Studios (room 204).

The studio turned out to be too small and after a few months I moved within the same room to a larger space which I have enjoyed for a few years. Due to some family personal issues I was unable to get to my studio very often in the last year so I have moved again to a smaller space by the window. And I absolutely love it, and think it is the perfect spot for me. A total of four moves in 10 years! 

Do you have any special memories associated with your time at Akin?

A favourite memory is my participation in “The Art of Healing” arranged by the Akin Collective in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities. I participated in 2015 and again in 2016. I was invited by Michael Vickers to participate as one of the 23 artists to craft a piece of art with a child staying at the House. The work produced with the children was exhibited and auctioned to raise funds and the joy it brought the kids and the artists, it’s one of my favourite memories.

Suzanne Dennis poses with two kids during Akin’s Art of Healing event in collaboration with Ronald McDonald House. The child to the right of Suzanne wears a red baseball cap, a striped shirt, and wears a nasogastric tube. The child on the left wears a blue shirt and a green lanyard. They stand beside a bright red abstract painting, accented with forest greens. The painting sits on an easel. 

What was your favourite Akin studio to work out of, and why?

My favourite studio was the first one on the ground floor at Wade Avenue. The space there was very large and open. The ceiling was high and I was surrounded by artists of all kinds, costume designers, book illustrators, jewellery makers, and I felt a sense of real community and creativity. I would see Oliver, Michael and Jen frequently and always enjoyed the interaction. 

Do you have a routine for art making at the studio? Any special rituals to get your creativity flowing?

I’d like to take a large piece of paper and scribble all over it and take out a brush and make marks just to get myself loose.


You've been creating art for a long time! What do you think is the key to keeping the practice going, long term? 

Not everyone has the opportunity to keep creating art throughout their life, whether that is because of the expenses associated with it, or the time that it deserves. For me, it always sits in my mind as a destination I’ve got to make my way to. It is my source of pure joy, and I won’t sacrifice that.

Andrea Bailey

Andrea is a self taught abstract artist working in acrylic and ink, and most recently, collage. She is known for her use of colour; bold and confident, but also subtle and complex. Born with challenges which never defined her, she works from a home studio and the Akin Logan studio.

You can find more of Andrea Bailey’s work at her website, www.yummyarty.com and on her instagram @yummyartyab

 

Andrea Bailey stands inside of her Akin River Studio. The white walls have prints of her world arranged in a pattern. There’s a black foldout chair against the wall and a grey table with a painting in progress on it, alongside large containers of paint brushes.

 

What Brought you to Akin, originally? 

A desire to be in a creative space with other creative people and to learn and develop along with them.


Can you give us a timeline of your Akin Journey? Where did it start? Which studios have you been a member at?

I joined in 2012. I have had studio space at Lansdowne (one upstairs and one downstairs), River Street and now at Logan Avenue.

 

Andrea Bailey painting inside her Akin Logan Studio. She is wearing a purple shirt, black pants and winter boots. She’s painting an abstract painting filled with lines which lays on a table.  Another painting sits beside it. Behind her is a shelf filled with paint tubes.

 

Do you have any special memories associated from your time at Akin?

I always thought Oliver was the greatest. At an early art sale from the Landsdowne main floor studio, I gave Oliver one of my favourite paintings. He gave me a photograph of my plastic paint table covering that turned a mess into an abstract work of art. It is framed in my home to this day

What was your favorite Akin studio to work out of?

Lansdowne, main floor

 

An image of artist Andrea Bailey in her Akin Lansdowne studio, Andrea stands in front of a white wall lines with canvases, she’s wearing black pants and a grey jacket, she has brown, shoulder length hair. In the foreground is a large abstract painting, of circles, lines and dots in reds, purples, greens, blues and pinks.

 

Do you have a routine for art making at the studio? Any special rituals to get your creativity flowing?

It is just something I have to do every day.

You've been creating art for a long time! What do you think is the key to keeping the practice going, long term? 

Don't be afraid to try new things and remember that not everything will work.

Thanks to Suzanne and Andrea for your participation, and for your beautiful work! We’re so thankful to have you both as such strong, vital members of our community.  As we continue to celebrate our 15th Anniversary, later this month  we’ll be highlighting some of Akin’s former members: where are they now? So stay tuned! 

 

Want to celebrate in-person?

Akin will be hosting a 15th Anniversary drop-in celebration at Akin’s Remote Gallery on December 5 from 4-8pm for an evening filled with Akin memorabilia and nostalgia. 

 
 

You can help Akin Projects continue to support arts in Toronto for another fifteen years! You can donate to Akin Projects here. Your contributions directly impact artists in ways that are meaningful to arts and culture in our city, as well as to the communities in which we work. We can’t thank you enough for your support.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts
#BringingTheArtsToLife @Canada.Council

Akin Member Highlight: Liliana Botero Rey

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Liliana working in her studio at Akin St Clair. She is wearing headphones, glasses, and an apron over her blue shirt. Her dog, a miniature schnauzer, sits on her lap and leans her head on an open drawer.

 

What is Akin without our fantastic artists? There’s no other way we’d rather celebrate our 15th anniversary than by showing off our amazing members.

We’ve reached out to some of our longest-serving members  to hear their Akin stories, starting with Liliana Botero Rey who has been an Akin member as well as a member of the Akin Team for ten years. 

Since 2013, Liliana has been a big part of our studios. She’s made a lasting impact on our community, and has created some beautiful work during her time at Akin!

Liliana Botero Rey

Liliana Botero is a glass artist who studied and trained in Colombia, the United States and Canada, to specialise in different techniques to expand her knowledge in glass handling such as: stained glass, fused glass, mosaic, lampwork jewellery, and and more techniques. At the same time she studied Graphic Design. She owned and operated a glass art studio in Bogota-Colombia for 12 years before she moved to Canada in 2011 where she opened a glass studio in 2013.

Liliana has been enjoying working with glass since she was a student when she wished to become a professional glass artist and work with it all her life. Glass is her passion!

She feels satisfaction when she creates, but more when the people are attracted to the pieces she makes and pays to keep them. She loves living the life of an artist,  working with her hands, creating through inspiration.  

You can find more of Lili’s work on Etsy or on her instagram, @destellosglassart and keep reading below for our interview with Liliana to learn more about her long history with Akin and her creative work.

What brought you to Akin?

At the end of 2013, almost newly arrived in Canada, I came across this fabulous idea: Akin Collective, an affordable shared and dedicated spaces, as the home of my small business. After tirelessly searching in Toronto, for where I could land my ideas as a glass artist.

Can you give us a timeline of your Akin Journey? Where did it start? Which studios have you been a member at?

My first studio in 2013 was super small. I asked for the space they offered me to be partitioned because it was out of my budget. This was in the Lansdowne location, where I shared beautiful moments and made my first friends in this beautiful country, Canada. One of the coolest things is the exchange of ideas and techniques that you can share and at the same time receive from my studio mates.

Currently, the studio where I work is Akin St.Clair, my space is larger and more comfortable, "My Happy Place" where I work with all the equipment and tools that I have acquired over these 10 years, expanding the techniques with which I work with Destellos-Glass Art, my business.

Do you have any special memories associated with your time at Akin?

The programs and events that I have participated in with Akin have helped to promote and give recognition to my brand and at the same time promote the products that I make in this wonderful place.

Also, I can bring my furry baby Lara every day, she is my partner in crime. 

 

Liliana is sitting in her studio at Akin St Clair. She is wearing a blue baseball cap, an apron, and her dog, a miniature schnauzer, is sitting on her  lap. The walls of her studio are lined with work tables filled with a wide array of tools, beads, lighting equipment, and brushes. A framed photo of another schnauzer is mounted on the wall. A dream catcher is hanging from the ceiling.

 

A couple of years ago, my husband thought about leaving our condo and moving into a house. Where I would get "The whole basement" for my studio. The truth is, I'm not interested in staying isolated at home, I change having my workplace surrounded by the artistic environment, sharing with other artists and being able to expand my network? No way!!

What was your favorite Akin studio to work out of, and why?

I miss Lansdowne studios, it was a cozy and warm place with a lot of friends I could connect with during my first years with Akin, from there I made my first friends in Canada.

I like my current studio at St. Clair West. It is more comfortable. From here I also expanded my business.

An image of Liliana’s former studio in 2014. A table with a white tablecloth holds an elaborate display of her colourful glass work: picture frames, coasters, sculptures, jewellery. Necklaces and earrings are mounted to the wall in frames. In the corner is a desk with a rolling chair. 

Do you have a routine for art making at the studio? Any special rituals to get your creativity flowing?

The earlier, the better. For me, it is so important to take advantage of the momentum that your body lets you bring. The best time is from morning till afternoon, sometimes late at night too, depending on the inspiration and/or the orders you can extend the work hours. Sometimes 8, 10, 12 or when I get crazy (in a good way) 14 work hours.


You've been creating art for a long time! What do you think is the key to keeping the practice going, long term? 

Consistency and belief in what you make with love. People get attracted by them. It is all the emotions and energy you input into your work that makes the pieces so special and people feel this and pay for it.

 

A picture of Liliana Botero, Oliver Pauk, and Michael Vickers at Akin’s 10th Anniversary party in 2018. Behind them are large golden balloons which spell “Akin”. Oliver and Michael are wearing button up shirts and shorts, Liliana wears a pink dress with a jean jacket.

 

A huge thank you to Liliana for taking the time for this interview. We also thank you for your hard work in the studios every single week for the last 10 years keeping our spaces beautiful and safe for our members - and thank you for being a part of this community for ten years! We will be highlighting more Akin members this month as we continue to celebrate our 15 year anniversary!  

Stay tuned throughout the month of November as we celebrate our anniversary on the Akin blog with more member highlights!  

Want to celebrate in-person?

Akin will be hosting a 15th Anniversary drop-in celebration at Akin’s Remote Gallery on December 5 from 4-8pm for an evening filled with Akin memorabilia and nostalgia. 

 
 

You can help Akin Projects continue to support arts in Toronto for another fifteen years! You can donate to Akin Projects here. Your contributions directly impact artists in ways that are meaningful to arts and culture in our city, as well as to the communities in which we work. We can’t thank you enough for your support.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts
#BringingTheArtsToLife @Canada.Council

Akin Vitrine Q&A Series: Chico Togni installation "Portable Moon (with physics)"

Akin Vitrine Gallery
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Akin Vitrine Q&A Series:
Chico Togni installation “Portable Moon (with physics)”

Oct 27 until Jan 7, 2024

The Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W

 

An image of Chico Togni’s sculpture, Portable Moon (with physics) in the Akin St Clair’s Vitrine Gallery. An American flag (without the white stars), sewn against a beige sheet appears to be waving. The flag is attached to a pole sunken into a sculpture of a jagged rock.

 

Be sure to swing by Akin St Clair’s Vitrine Gallery at for Chico Togni’s new exhibition, Portable Moon (with physics), which will be on until January 7th, 2024. We caught up with Chico to learn more about his art, inspirations and favorite places in the city. 

Chico Togni works with cardboard, fabric, wood, metal and other found materials to create images and large sculptures. He also creates situations and happenings within the structures he builds. Most recently he exhibited his work at Kunsthaus Dresden and the Museum der Bildenden Kunst (MdbK) Leipzig, in Germany. He was an artist in residency at Cité International des Arts in Paris and Museumquartier in Vienna amongst other institutions, including the Artist Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., EUA. Chico Togni holds a Bachelor in Sculpture from São Paulo University, Brazil. Chico is currently based in Toronto where he is experimenting with quilting and developed the Bellaroche Stories, an expanding series of quilts and collages that narrates the trajectory of rocks, power tools and visual paradoxes.

Tell us about your exhibition 

“Portable Moon with Physics” is a scientific contemplation. Crafted from paper maché, cardboard, and found material, this piece offers a fresh perspective on the moon's iconic flag. This sculpture represents the lunar flag, as if it were experiencing Earth's gravity, mirroring the calm and stillness of a terrestrial flag on a windless day. 

A fan generates a gentle breeze that delicately rustles the flag, preserving its position as if unaffected by the lunar environment. "Portable Moon with Physics" invites observers to reflect on the fascinating interplay of scientific principles and creative interpretation. It pays homage to the delicate equilibrium between the celestial and terrestrial realms, where even in the absence of a terrestrial atmosphere, the presence of gravity remains ever-present. The sculpture's title, "Portable Moon with Physics," encapsulates the humorous blend of science and art, reminding us of the unbreakable connection between fiction and science... 

This is the first attempt of the artist, to merge the clean and neat necessities of the world of quilting fabric and the dirty and chaotic sculptures with cardboard, found materials and paper maché. 


What are you curious about right now? What do you do to stimulate curiosity and inspiration? 

Collage and Sculpture.

What was your first medium and what's your favourite tool/material right now? 

Cardboard and Cardboard.


Do you have a studio routine ie: Are you a daily ritual person or are you project-focused in spurts?  

Both! Studio routine and project focused, depending on what I'm working on, the routine gets just entirely focused on the next mission!


Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

I just keep trying to do everything with found materials, “survival mode” on.

 

A detailed, close up image of Chico Togni’s piece, Portable Moon (with physics), a fragmented American flag, missing its white stars, is sewn into a beige fabric in such a way that it appears to be waving in the wind.

 

What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? What brought you to Akin?

To share a space and feel part of a group with similar needs.

What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

Bureaucracy...

Where is your favorite place in the city to buy/get art supplies, tools and materials?

Dollarama / Street / Home Depot (last option)

What is the most inspiring place in the city for you right now?

Ikea... the challenge of going there and trying to buy nothing, just try everything...

What is your favorite place in the city to view art? This could mean either in a gallery, a museum, or in a public space.

Whimbrel Point at Colonel Samuel Smith Park

 

An image of Chico Togni’s sculpture, Portable Moon (with physics), an American flag (without the white stars), sewn against a beige sheet appears to be waving. The flag is attached to a pole sunken into a small red and beige stool. The sculpture is outdoors, on gravel ground with tire tracks, behind the sculpture are dirty snow piles, reminiscent of a ploughed parking lot. 

 

Chico is an Akin studio member as well as a 2023 recipient of the Newcomer Space Award. Created by Akin, the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Neighbourhood Arts Network, the Newcomer Space Award provides newcomers credit for an Akin studio membership and to Akin’s Remote Gallery. This award not only provides funding and space essential for professional artists to grow their practice, but also supports artists in growing their network through the shared studio space model. 

Find more of Chico’s work on his Instagram @bellaroche_stories and website

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

#BringingTheArtsToLife @Canada.Council

The Akin St Clair Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W

 

Akin Vitrine Q&A Series: Tiana Robinson installation 'A Simpler Time'

Akin St Clair Vitrine Gallery
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A Simpler Time, an exhibition by Tiana Robinson 

Sep 22 until Oct 22, 2023

The Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W

A closeup of the paintings in Tiana Robinson’s exhibition, A Simpler Time, against the white walls of the vitrine gallery. Amidst poems, the vibrant, colourful paintings on paper are detailed renderings of flowers and a young girl blowing a dandelion.

Tiana Robinson is a Canadian artist, born in May Pen Jamaica, Her journey as an artist began at an early age, as she was always doodling in class, or at home. In middle school, she was nominated to participate in the Leaf Dreams scholarship program which gave her the opportunity to freely enroll in art classes at the Art Gallery of Ontario where she was constantly being exposed to instructors who were working artists themselves.

Tiana attended C.W. Jeffery’s Collegiate Institute special art program, and it was here that she was introduced to the Modern Batik Art Technique during a workshop. Batik Art involves the application of simple ink outlines, light-to-dark gradation of dyes, and using wax as a resist for separating colours. Tiana was a quick study and gained rapid recognition for her work, including her best-known image, “The Nation of Mothers”, which was purchased by the City of Toronto and now hangs in the Mayor’s office. Tiana graduated with a Bachelor of Design from the York-Sheridan Design Program and is currently working as a Graphic Designer while still exploring her love of art. 

Tell us about your exhibition 

A Simpler Time  was created using  watercolour & gouache paint. This work was based on a poem I wrote called A Simpler Time. It shows a moment we have all experienced in our childhood of blowing a dandelion and watching the seeds scatter. It’s about returning to a time in our lives when we were free to have fun and just follow what felt right, what felt fun, and what made us happy. Summer days are filled with possibility and lots of sneezes.

What are you curious about right now? What do you do to stimulate curiosity and inspiration? 

What I am curious about right now is just exploring new media. I am trying to get reacquainted with my art process, and just let loose and explore what can come out of no expectations. I am working on being a bit more free with my expression and trying to find an authentic voice that is more representative of the woman I am now.

 

Tiana Robinson, wearing blue jeans and a grey t-shirt, is pictured inside the vitrine gallery installing her exhibition, A Simpler Time, hanging bright, colourful paintings done on paper onto clear string.

 

What was your first medium and what's your favourite tool/material right now? 

That was crayons, most definitely. Currently, I do mostly digital illustration and modern batik art with wax and dyes on fabric. I like the versatility of digital illustrations and the unique patterns created from the modern batik technique. Recently, I have been revisiting watercolours and gouache mediums and have been enjoying the learning curve of remembering how to work with the medium.


Do you have a studio routine ie: Are you a daily ritual person or are you project-focused in spurts?  

My daily ritual when arriving at the studio is to first put some sage into my little humidifier to set the mood, and set up any tools I need that day. I ask a quick question of where I should start today and flow with whatever my intuition tells me to go.


Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

I look at images to gain some inspiration and when I feel that tingle of excitement I follow that thread to the next step. Sometimes I am guided by meditations or poems I have written before and recently I love to turn those poems or messages into a motivational video and utilise music and video to create inspiration for myself and others. I recommend this video to get you fired up.

 

Artist Tiana Robinson in her Akin Studio

 

Is there an artist you'd like to go back in time to meet? Or someone you'd love to invite to dinner right now? Who is it and what would you ask them about?

I would love to go back and revisit the younger version of me before I stopped doing art and tell her that only when you are creating can you be fully you, fully grounded, fully really free. I realized after starting this journey again that It’s not losing my identity as an artist that made me fall apart. It was that I lost that ritual that allowed me to discard all the pieces of me that didn’t belong to me. All the external burdens and responsibilities that were not mine to begin with. I was no longer able to shed away that skin imposed on me by external circumstances, and sadly other people’s projections, demands, and responsibilities imposed on me slowly became my identity. I became empty while others became fuller, and paradoxically my spirit became heavier while others became lighter.

What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? What brought you to Akin?

In 2020 I became paralyzed after getting sick with COVID, and spent the better part of 2021- 2022 just getting well again. I struggled a lot with my mental health, depression, and anxiety, and can say since getting and coming to the studio I am no longer depressed, my anxiety has reduced significantly and I am a lot happier and more peaceful than a year ago. More confident, even though I don’t know where I am going I just know I will be damned if I am going to stop this again. My new mantra for life now is “protect my peace”.

What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

I am not very good at asking for help, and at showing my work. I want to be better at showing every facet of me and just being present and stop overthinking life.

A view of the finished install of Tiana Robinson’s exhibition, A Simpler Time. The paintings and poems are hung on clear string fastened vertically from top to bottom of the white vitrine gallery. The paintings are colourful, intricate images of flowers. On the white floor of the vitrine are paint brushes and small palettes, and a small sign that reads the “A Simpler Time, Tiana Robinson”

See an extended video version of this interview below or click here to view it on YouTube.

Explore Tiana’s work further through her instagram and youtube.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

#BringingTheArtsToLife @Canada.Council

The Akin St Clair Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W