 BEAUTIFUL GLASS SCULPTURES are just a few of the objets d'art on display at the Petroff Gallery, one of four galleries located in the Upper Village on Eglinton Ave. West.
Actually Eglinton appeared to be a street of art. The alluring smell of coffee drifting from Timothy’s on Eglinton Ave. West makes one feel like taking a coffee break. Owner Anil Chopra bought the business and moved to the location five years ago. Over the years lots of friendly visitors come in every day from six in the morning until 11 at night. This is a great place to be — people are coming in from schools, stores and other restaurants. But not only coffee warms their hearts and keeps them here. Every year Timothy’s hosts a small art exhibit for six to eight weeks, and customers can purchase the art pieces.
Thanks to the residents of the Forest Hill neighbourhood, Timothy’s gets all kinds of customers who are really interested in photographic art and paintings. Artists just drop by and bring their works to be displayed. Because space is at a premium, only the artist’s best work can be put on the display. The coffee shop also holds live entertainment weekly.
Just a few doors down from Timothy’s is the Petroff Gallery, which welcome its visitors to the world of glass, ceramics, sculptures and paintings. This 21-year-old retail gallery owned by Steven Petroff has been at 1016 Eglinton Ave. West for 11 years now.
“It’s a lot more traffic here on Eglinton than on Avenue Rd. where we were located before,” said Petroff, adding that the subway and the neighbourhood had a major impact on the number of people visiting his gallery.
The Petroff Gallery holds two major exhibitions every month. The Window of Opportunity is an ongoing exhibit, and the gallery’s January sale is always a favourite where art lovers can usually purchase works of art at a reduced price.
The gallery’s frequent and diverse exhibits are arranged according to various themes, such as “Black and White” or “Meant to Be.” It has the largest collection of kaleidoscopes in Canada, which is one more reason to go there and check it out. Petroff said kaleidoscopes are very popular.
“This is a great gift for people of all ages — the whole gallery is a big gift. It’s possible to find a gift for everybody here — glass collections, vases, the Judaica section and the large jewellery collection from Israel.
Petroff said a lot of his customers are women who like to buy beautiful things for their homes. The Petroff Gallery was formerly called A Show Of Hands and a visit to www.ashowofhands.com will show the works of more than 200 artists.
A few doors down the street is the Liss Gallery, which presents a diverse collection of many different paintings. This 23-year-old retail gallery has been at its current location for nine years now, said owner Brian Liss, adding its central location and good parking lot bring in plenty of customers.
The painting range in price from $500 to $5,000 and the friendly and qualified employees are experienced in all aspects of the art industry, including consultations, framing services and artists’ portfolios. The gallery delivers and installs all orders.
The Liss Gallery, which works with artist from Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Dallas and Cuba, holds three major exhibitions a year. Liss also curated numerous art shows in United States.
The last stop for this artistic voyage is the Animation Connection Gallery at 365 Eglinton Ave. West on the opposite side of the street. Owned by Steve Watts, this gallery is very different from the other galleries — and is unique in Canada — and presents art works from Disney, the Cartoon Network and other animation companies. Watts said after the old Eglinton Theatre closed down a couple of years ago business became much slower. However, Animation Connection still has a lot of new and devoted customers, and its prices range from $99-$4,000. It also provides all Internet services that customers can use at home.
Clients range in age from 30 to 40. Kids can’t afford the artwork and figurines, so their parents have a good option as a present for any holiday. Animation Connection provides gifts, home décor, and décor for recreation rooms and the office of many professionals. Two major exhibits per year always are freshened by some new artwork at least every two weeks.
All these great galleries create a special atmosphere on Eglinton, and make you feel like you want to come back again and again. Area residents and gallery owners hope to ensure that art is here to stay.
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