This morning another goddess made it into PhotoVogue. Mnemosyne Stands, Goddess of Memory is the fifth work from The Goddess Array project and my ninth publication with the PhotoVogue community. It always feels so validating to get the Vogue stamp. Here is a poem I wrote from The Goddess Array book entitled, Mnemosyne Stands:
As I sit here at my desk overlooking the vast grey waters of Rice Lake on the brink of a brand new year, I can’t help but feel deep in my bones that the best is yet to come. 2023 was a year of fighting for justice. While horrific wars raged on overseas, I battled the very personal, internal conflict of becoming whole again after becoming a mother. Healing is hard work.
When I was mentally and physically ready to go back to work, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was launched into the public sphere. Much to everyone’s surprise, AI’s first conquered frontier was something we all thought was irreplaceably human; namely, Art.
The turn of events terrified Hollywood. The writers went on strike, fighting to ensure that the scripts being produced were human-made. The actor’s followed, demanding AI restrictions and streaming profits. It was their only chance to make a stand as AI evolves exponentially. After months of halted productions, they got what they were fighting for. Kudos to their win, but much money was lost in the fight as productions came to a screaming halt.
There was little work to be had due to the strike when I was looking to get back at it. As has so often happened in the past three years, I needed a pivot. One of my angels in this life, Ms. Lisa Ericsson, agreed to mentor me on the production side of filmmaking for commercial shoots. And that opportunity saved me this year. Here is some of my AI art:
The plunge into adulting, becoming a homeowner and parent, can drown a careless one. Now don’t get me wrong, the sweet joys of raising Rhea amongst so much natural beauty in peace is worth my life. My daughter is my greatest work of art. However, the artist in me can’t help but feel a bit strangled by all this responsibility. How do we make room for art in an economy so broken our basic rights to nutritious food, housing and peace are threatened daily? I aim to carve out more time this coming year for creation and magic.
In 2023, growing my garden was my act of rebellion, resilience, healing and beauty. In this global capitalist world run by corporations with terribly short-sighted game plans, it feels radical to grow food in the earth to nourish my family. My garden is where I heal.
So, in a nutshell, 2023 was a combination of revelling in my garden and producing TV ads.
Here is a peek at what I got up to:
Quaker Oats starring The Manning Family
I cut my production teeth on these two cereal ads featuring three generations of the notorious Manning family. Father and son, Archie and Eli, are two American football quarterback legends. Greatness must run in the family because Eli’s two daughters are pretty awesome too.
When I was a teenager at music theatre school I made a promise to myself that I would never become bored with my work. That promise has only proven to stay true as I feel I am constantly starting a brand new skill from scratch. Working on this production was a crash course in every way. It was definitely stressful to take on so much responsibility without much experience, but I certainly never got bored! And now I can add another hat to the various roles I can be useful at on a film set. Here are the spots:
Non-Professional Interlude #1 – Water Droplet Flower Studies
Iris w. Morning Dew
Every morning through the warmer months Rhea and I take a tour of the garden. We give special attention to what’s blooming; the perfect way the morning dew rests upon their soft petals, like tiger tongues lapping at a bowl of milk. The peonies, roses, irises, lilies, lupines, hibiscus, mock orange, Japanese quince flower, tulips, hyacinths and hydrangeas stun. One could find God in them if one looked close enough.
Peony w. Morning DewRose w. Morning Dew
2. Big Pharma Ad – Not yet released
Soon come. Here’s a top secret BTS shot in the meantime. NDA’s are so boring…
Featuring flowers from the garden, of course. Caitlind is royalty.
3. Project Candy – Another commercial I helped produce, not yet released
Out soon. Here is a nondescript peek at the wardrobe fitting that is vague enough I think I’m allowed to post it in the meantime:
Non-Professional Interlude #3 – Exotic Tulips
In October 2022 I bought the most expensive and unheard of tulip bulbs I could find and nestled them into the earth. Come spring 2023 they were little explosions of exotic beauty!
4. Project Chocolate – Another commercial still in the edit
Due to air in the Spring. Much chocolate was enjoyed. Here is a selfie I took on set in the meantime:
Non-Professional Interlude #4 – The Port Hope Fair
The garden won a couple of ribbons at the Port Hope Fair…
2nd Place Sedum Stem Diameter 5″+3rd Place Beets!
5. Portraits of Soprano Amber Braid ft. in Opera Charm MagazineNo. 2/2023
“We can truly move people with resonance. People cry because our voices oscillate their bones.” – Ambur Braid
Non-Professional Interlude #5 – Flower Study ft. Daisy (Creative)
Grow, grow, grow, my sweet little angel! I of course have a million photos of her, but these are a couple of my favourites.
7. Willow Cove Promo
A sweet little social commission for the gorgeous Prince Edward County destination, Willow Cove.
Non-Professional Interlude #7: Grow Your Own
I’m a believer in food as medicine, and our doctor took great care of us this year.
8. The Manor Salon Christmas Photoshoot
Go ahead. Name a more glamorous team. I’ll wait…
For all things pertaining to excellent hair go visit the ladies at The Manor.
Non-Professional Interlude #8: – Manzanillo
Photo by Daddy
We got to spend the month of February with family in Manzanillo, Mexico and it was divine.
“Manzanillo is rising with the sun. Two-stroke bike motors, a menagerie of tropical birds, street dogs & roosters sound their alarms at the breaking day. A cool breeze licks like a kitten. All the local fruits, vegetables & fish are nutrient-rich and muy delicioso. We have been to the beach for every sunset, each one more glorious than the last. Life is grand here in Mexico.”
from my diary, February 14th, 2023
My husband and I toasted on New Years to all the blessings we have been so incredibly lucky to receive throughout 2023. We do not take our freedom for granted for one second. With our feet on the ground and our heads in the clouds, we enter 2024 with a blank slate, ready to manifest all that we can dream of. Don’t forget, nothing worth anything ever comes easy. Wishing you all love and laughter in the new year. Here is a pic of Rhea and I on Christmas to put a bow on this review. Thanks for reading. Love, Jen.
Caitlind came by my home studio at the end of peony season to get creative with the big, fragrant blooms before their time was up. It was my first time shooting Cait and she proved to be an absolute work of art. Reflecting on the shoot in the edit one thing really struck me about the photos. The candid moments I captured while testing the light gave way to far more honest expressions than the images I overtly directed. It’s interesting to see how the directed photos are more composed, but the honesty that emerged from the candid moments makes me feel something more, and isn’t that the measure of Art? Does it make you feel something? Take a look at the posed versus candid shots from the shoot and let me know which you prefer. The above photo was posed. Below is the candid moment.
Rhea, Goddess of Eternal FlowAergia, Goddess of LazinessChloris, Goddess of FlowersAphrodite, Goddess of LoveEirene, Goddess of Peace and SpringAlala, Goddess of War CryPeitho, Goddess of Seduction
All images created in collaboration with Human and Artificial Intelligence. I input poetic phrases from The Goddess Array book into DALL-E, an AI image generator and these are the resulting images.
We were bound to get up to some kind of collab this Summer what with all this time on our hands as we sat back and waited for the world to open up again. My fiancée is a very talented aerosol artist / graffiti king who writes ‘FATHOM’ all over the world, but especially all over Toronto. He was contacted by a woman over Instagram who was admiring his work on a walk in Roncey with her kids. She wanted a custom piece. One thing led to another and we all settled on a massive Fathom canvas with a Nike, Goddess of Victory ink transfer on top. The commission got our creative juices flowing. Soon canvas prints of Goddesses Bia and Pheme were glowing with Fathom’s touches of paint. The results delight me and I hope you too. They are all one of a kind. Should we do more? xo
Jake, my crazy smart little brother, got an amazing contract working at a wind energy company in Brussels for the year. I knew I had to visit him at some point during his stay there, and, with the film industry being in its slow season and my photography exhibit over and done with, late February seemed the perfect opportunity. My flight was booked for a February 19th departure. The day before I boarded the plane to Brussels, my mother, an avid viewer of CNN, showed up at my place with three ziplock bags full of face masks, medical grade wet wipes and rubber gloves respectively, with very stern warnings of the Corona Virus and detailed instructions of how to keep myself safe on my travels. At the time, we knew that the virus could live on surfaces for concerning lengths of time and that it could be avoided by wearing gloves, frequent handwashing and refraining from touching ones face. Armed with my Mom’s love, I masked up and flew to Europe.
Jake was awaiting my arrival at BRU. We strolled around the beautiful city in the rain as I reveled in the wonderful street art, new and old, like the tourist I am. We stopped in at the Delirium Brewery for a pint. Delirium is my favourite beer of all time. It’s perfectly balanced, delicious, and very strong. After one Jake and I had quite a buzz going and the conversation took a turn toward gender fluidity and online dating. We needed some fresh air! And food. Back out in the rain, we went to a lowkey, well-priced restaurant specializing in traditional Belgium dishes recommended by one of Jake’s friends. We shared a main course of delicious beef stew and decided to try a popular, pricey place for another course. The decor and the architecture at the second spot were impressive, but the chocolate foie gras was dry. The lesson to revisit is to always trust a local’s recommendation over internet hype. Still pouring rain, we traipsed back to Jake’s subterranean bachelor pad like two excitable fillies in Springtime. The reflection of the lamplights on the rained-upon cobblestone streets interrupted by the octogonal shadows of hurried umbrellas gave the evening a special filmic quality that can only be found in old Europe.
We discussed the virus. Jake was worried about staying in Brussels as it began to spread around Europe, but honestly, no one was really ringing the alarm yet. Life was still normal. We packed up Mum’s precautionary supplies and readied ourselves for our flight to our next stop: Budapest!
I love Toronto so much! Thank you again to everyone who came out Saturday evening to celebrate and check out the art. It was another heartwarming turn-out. I love you all! This evening there is a three hour life drawing session at Hashtag Gallery (830 Dundas St. W). It is open to the public and only $12. 6:30PM – 9:30PM. xo
What an incredible, eclectic group of Toronto’s finest came out last night to celebrate the opening of the third manifestation of The Goddess Array! All you beauties in your stilettos in the snow went above and beyond. The LOVE was palpable. Thank you! The show is up until Feb. 13th at #Hashtag Gallery(830 Dundas Street West). We are having a party at the gallery Saturday night (02/08) DJed by Young Teesh. I hope to see you there! Bring your dancing shoes. xo
On Thursday February 6th, photographer Jennifer Toole will be showing fourteen new, never-before-exhibited framed prints from her Goddess Array series at Dundas West’s Hashtag Gallery. The evening will also act as a launch event for her stunning new photography book.
The photos on display represent four years of work—shot here in Ontario, but also in California, Quebec, and Ibiza. Snapping women in the nude, against magnificent natural backdrops, is not a new idea, but the way Toole’s subjects appear is refreshing: each exude a kind of comfort and confidence that most of us long for.
Toole describes her series as a way for women to claim more space, or “a defiant act of freedom”. The project was inspired by her love and appreciation of Greek mythology. “Greek Goddesses are diverse, archetypal and mythological in proportion,” she says, and thus began an epic adventure to shoot powerful Goddesses in her own life. “The models are real life goddesses in their own realms.” Women who all exude a strength that Toole feels, and admires.
Beyond an evening to celebrate the divine in all of us, there will be a video installation of nymphs bathing in the river on display (which we’ll be treating as a mini mid-winter getaway).
Join us at the reception for The Goddess Array Exhibit + book launch on February 6th, at 6p.m. at Hashtag Gallery (830 Dundas St. W.). More on Jennifer Toole’s work here.
dailytoole 