Fishing for inspiration

Nestled on Kingston Road not far from the shores of Lake Ontario stands The Bluffs Gallery.

Inside, protected from the elements behind its bright, easy-to-spot door painted to look like a butterfly, local artist Charles Weiss’ newest addition to the gallery catches the eye of many. It is an oil painting named “Northern pike chasing a perch”.

Weiss grew up fishing with his father around the Kawartha Lakes and Georgian Bay areas.

“My experiences while fishing are a great thing for me as an artist,” he said. “It allows me to make accurate observations.”

Along with painting, Weiss specializes in woodcarvings. In high school, he said, he worked on a 30-inch-long bass sculpture.

“Ever since I was a young lad, I was inspired by the world below the water,” he said.

Weiss’ “Northern pike chasing a perch” is part of this year’s edition of the annual Spring Fever exhibit at The Bluffs Gallery, at 1859 Kingston Rd. The exhibit is made up of pieces by members of Scarborough Arts.

Scarborough Arts program coordinator Ben Lopes describes the various styles of art on display in the annual Spring Fever exhibit at The Bluffs Gallery.

[audio:http://torontoobserver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CH_bluffsgallerylopes.mp3]

“We have a broad group of members and its reflected in the works that are here,” said Scarborough Arts program coordinator Ben Lopes. “It’s a really interesting, broad mix of pieces. You have traditional works like landscapes and floral pieces. But then you have psychedelic, abstract pieces.”

Weiss became a member of the Scarborough Arts committee when he moved from Etobicoke in 2006.

“When I tell people I live in Scarborough, they often say, ‘Scarberia’,” he said. “I can see why there is an exotic edge to this city just like the edge of Russia.

“There is a gathering of arts people here in Scarborough that is very different from the art groups in Etobicoke.”

Spring Fever runs until April 29. More of Weiss’ work can be seen in the upcoming book Fish of Toronto.

About this article

By: Chantelle Henriques
Posted: Apr 22 2011 3:49 pm
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2 Comments on "Fishing for inspiration"

  1. This wood carving of a Northern Pike by Charles Weiss is NOT on exhibit at the Spring Fever artshow at the Bluffs Gallery.
    The reporter Chantelle Henriques has made a mistake. The image that should be attached to this story is an ACRYLIC PAINTING titled “Northern Pike chasing a Perch”. To SEE this painting go to http://www.charlesweissart.com

  2. This is a fairly informative storyabout the Scarborough Bluffs Gallery and it’s artists.
    The ACRYLIC ON CANVAS painting “Northern pike chasing a yellow perch” will be published this summer in the City of Toronto’s book
    FISH OF TORONTO. Also, he will have a dozen more sportfish paintings published in this book. See his website http://www.charlesweissart.com

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