Art is Vision
Celebrating visionary art, many hundreds came together for this historic event, one of a few rare visits of Alex and Allyson Grey to Canada and their first experience of Toronto.
It all began at the gorgeous Meta Gallery which opened late last year in the beautiful old town Distillery District of Toronto. With great character from ages past, this arts and culture mecca has survived from the late 1800′s and is home to a host of shops, restaurants, galleries and theaters.
The doors opened at 7 pm for a packed reception which would remain full of excitement and energy many hours past the time it was supposed to end. People flocked here to witness some stunning new works, live paintings, artist study’s and little seen older works. The clean, new gallery was an appropriate place for viewing this treasury of visionary paintings.
The packed room lingered as people meditated on the detailed nuances of these brilliant examples of the inspired human imagination.
Throughout the night, Alex and Allyson Grey tirelessly engaged a foray of signatures, stories and engagements by the many people who came to share in this artful glow.
Commemorating the evening was an limited edition of 100 signed and numbered pressings of the ‘Vajra Being’ peace of which a few remain and are being distributed through Meta Gallery
Kudos go to Jody, Meiko and Chris for delivering a professional production with the highest quality media support for this epic showing.
The next day many gathered again at the divine St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican church. Sitting beneath huge stained glass windows in a church architecture designed like a resonance chamber for incredible acoustics, we watched as Alex stood on the pulpit and gave a mesmerizing talk about his art and life. This included readings from his new book : Art Psalms. The collective visionary journey through his work was illustrated by slides on a large screen giving color and depth to his story. The afternoon carried on as he sat signing books and talking to those who stayed around to share.
Later in the evening the Suma crew pulled off a sold out all-night party. After saying a few words, Alex and Allyson work deep into the night pouring themselves into a fantastic live painting performance. I watched as Allyson detailed her work with spiritual accuracy, and Alex painted anatomical layer over layer over layer on a stunning picture of two people connecting together. A crowd stood watching, transfixed, some for hours, at this incredible demonstration of artistic dexterity.
The gorgeous vision and legacy of the CoSM Sanctuary project, a permanent gallery and institute being set up by the Grey’s in New York, is in the process of its first phase of development. Any financial or volunteer support is being sought to help build the foundation for this dream creation. You can find more about this project at www.cosm.org.
Anyone interested in an artful adventure, the Greys are making another appearance in Canada in late July. At the famous Hollyhock retreat center on Cortez Island you can journey to this secluded place to have an experience of a lifetime learning from these masters of the art. See more details here www.hollyhock.ca (or link direct to www.hollyhock.ca/cms/index.cfm?group_id=4370)
The visions of Alex and Allyson Grey light up the imagination of those who explore their many dimensions. Witnessing this art on the internet or in books is one thing, but to see the detailed originals directly, or to hear them talk in person is a whole Other experience.
Indeed, the Art and Vision shared this weekend will linger in my fond memories for a long time to come.
lila correspondent : delvin solkinson
top three photos : Kevin Hedley
church photo : Chris Dyer
party photo : Carlos Rey (neuromantix)