About to celebrate a milestone birthday, my friend is also on the verge of moving back to her native Germany. She likes her adopted home very much so I needed to find a gift for her that was meaningful, memorable and represented her attachment to Toronto.I thought of the work of David Crighton. I had seen Crighton’s work in windows around the city for years. I was always impressed with the accuracy and whimsy of his pen and ink streetscapes – accurate in details and architecture, but amusingly inconsistent in street numbering. He’s created a series of neighbourhood panoramas that capture the essence of Toronto’s many enclaves, so your favourite repertory theatre is found tucked right next to your favourite bar which is in turn wedged next to that florists with the great sign. You get the best of your neighbourhood without having to live with the dry cleaners or the messy dollar store.
Crighton manages this with a slight humour in his pen. He adds touches of bright paint to his pen and inks and all his skies are happy ones.
After viewing David Crighton’s well-organized website, I met with him to purchase the print I needed. I found him to be a very personable, no-nonsense kind of guy. In less than five minutes I was the temporary owner of a piece of his art. I would recommend dealing with David to anyone.
I bought my friend a lovely pen and ink of her neighbourhood on the Danforth. Crighton had a couple of versions of this east-end street. I made sure to buy the one that included a favourite Italian restaurant.
Crighton’s extensive catalogue also includes Toronto’s historic buildings and images tagged as The Local. The Local refers to a place in your neighbourhood where you like to meet - a bar, a restaurant, a place that has become part of your life.
Toronto’s theatres are a part of David Crighton’s portfolio. Concert promoters often give customized prints with the performer’s names and dates emblazoned on the theatre’s marquee. Such personalized prints have been presented to the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, The Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello.
Luckily for David he has found a career that combines his artistic skill together with his fascination with architecture. Since he graduated from Toronto’s Central Tech 30 years ago, he has been recording Toronto and Southern Ontario’s architectural diversity. Crighton’s prices run from about $90.00 CA to $225.00.Crighton will also meet with you to fill your request for commissions.
David Crighton can be contacted at
david@davidcrighton.com
or telephone : 416.656.7670
Above image © David Crighton Art Enterprises, 2008
4 comments:
Very nice! I like his print of Fenway Park.
Apropos of nothing, a couple of years back I got turned onto Paul Reddick,the Canadian blues singer-songwriter. Are you familiar with him?
I can't say I'm familiar with him but after some poking around I see that he plays a couple of venues on my street quite often. I'll have to check him out. Thanks for the tip.
If you see him, let me know how it is. I'm a big fan. I bought Villanelle when it came out just because I liked the title and the cover. Hey, it worked!
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