Exhibition Dates: November 25 to December 5, 2021
Zoom Opening Reception: Saturday, November 27, 2021, 3:00 pm
Register here

Propeller Art Gallery, 30 Abell Street, Toronto
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sun 1 -5:30 pm (closed during Zoom Opening)
Extended gallery hours Sunday November 28 until 8:30 pm

Artists Present in Gallery
Doris Purchase:
Saturday, November 27, 1 – 5:30 pm
Sunday, November 28, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursday, December 2, 1 – 5:30 pm
Sunday, December 5, 1 – 5:30 pm

Susan Ruptash:
Weekends and by appointment

Propeller Art Gallery is pleased to present a duo of solo exhibitions of Propeller member Doris Purchase in the North Gallery and Propeller member Susan Ruptash in the South Gallery. Although their work contrasts in many ways, Susan and Doris share a desire to bring attention to overlooked objects – for Susan it is viewing the paper itself as art rather than a vehicle upon which to make art. For Doris, it is highlighting the frame and supporting parts of art. The attraction is in the opposites supporting each other in subtleness of colour or lack thereof, a love of the seemingly simple statement and presentation.

Raw Material | Susan Ruptash

Susan Ruptash, Unspun, Inshu Mitsumata 001 washi with kakishibu, 23 x 25 inches

The work in Raw Material continues my quest to reveal the hidden qualities of Japanese washi. Working primarily with heritage washi, I apply minimal interventions to form a new expression for each sheet of washi. I want to draw attention to the translucency, gorgeous fibre structure, subtle colours, surface textures, as well as the hidden qualities of strength and the subtle differences caused by the choice of fibre, drying method, even the quality of the water used in the process.

My work is process based. I research traditional Japanese techniques for treating washi, often used in the past for utilitarian purposes, then adapt parts of those processes to embed bits of history into the piece. Some of my work includes many repetitive tasks, partially as an homage to the generations of traditional washi makers who have toiled for centuries creating this amazing material.

Susan Ruptash is a paper artist who works in a variety of paper arts including explorations of handmade washi, printmaking and bookmaking, building on a lifelong fascination with the properties and possibilities of paper. Susan’s career as an architect has informed her explorations of structure, form, materiality and process. Susan is a member of Open Studio, focussing on intaglio printmaking, as well as a member of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild. Susan’s work often includes embedded efforts that may not be readily apparent on viewing, but contribute to the finished piece through a curiosity and respect for the materials. For this reason, many of her works appear minimalist at first glance.

susanruptash.com
@susanruptash
Beyond the Frame Episode 8 – A Propeller Podcast

Raw Material | Doris Purchase

Doris Purchase, Ransack and Bones, mixed media, 12 x 18 inches

Working with what I had in my studio was meant to be. Leftovers from starting my larger pieces and from finished pieces – off cuts of frames, a bric-a-brac of wires, hinges and nails. This exhibition is about the parts of what makes up a painting hung on a wall without the painting. The pandemic hit – things fell apart, and much was revealed. Things such as inequalities and what we truly need to sustain us. These pieces are about unmaking and making new.

Doris Purchase is a Toronto-based mixed media artist who has degrees from Ontario College of Art and the University of Guelph. Doris’s work is predominantly conceptual and draws on the materiality behind a painting. Through her practice, she focuses on artists’ materials to invoke conversations about western ideals and question our value system. Part sculpture, part painting, these pieces are inversions. They are about unearthing what’s obscured to bring the raw materials of a painting to the fore.

dorispurchase.com
@purchasedoris
Beyond the Frame Episode 25 – A Propeller Podcast

Propeller Art Gallery is presently located on traditional territory and present territory of the Mississaugas of The Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabe people. Miigwetch to the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for the kindness you have extended to us. As the Second Nation, now is our turn to give back and continue with the Calls to Action as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Propeller Art Gallery, 30 Abell Street, Toronto
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sun 1:00 – 5:30

www.propellerartgallery.com

Tom Taylor, Administrative Director
info@propellerartgallery.com
1 416 504 7142

Instagram: @propellerartgallery
Facebook: @propellerartgallery
Twitter: @PropellerTO