Tag: uncle tak

Lunch In Chinatown

January 29, 2012
Rainwater

We headed down to Chinatown this morning for lunch with Uncle Tak and Anona. He had invited Mom and Dad out for dim sum and invited us kids. The plan was to go for dim sum at the Bright Pearl, but that place has closed down. We ended up at Xam Yu, across the street, another of Uncle Tak’s favourite restaurants when he comes to Toronto. On the Shrimp Ball plates there were carrot sculptures, we think a lion and a bird.

The bird we’re pretty sure about, but Uncle Tak thought the other was a poodle, I called it a pig when it first came out.

Uncle Tak was having an engaging conversation with Claudia through lunch. He likes kids that can converse with him.

The menu.

Claudia and Uncle Tak reading their fortunes.

As Angela commented when we were driving up Spadina Avenue, there were a lot of asians around.

 Uncle Tak giving Claudia a hug good-bye.

Uncle Tak with the girls, Alex and Emi.

 The Bright Pearl across the street.

 Looking north along Spadina.

 

 

Uncle Tak’s Opening

January 28, 2012
Rainwater

Claudia, Gillian and I went down to see the opening of Uncle Tak’s show at the Mira Godard Gallery in Yorkville. It is part two of his early abstract work. Angela had a Confirmation Retreat at the Church, so her and Susan couldn’t make it.

We met Carolyn, Alex, G-ma and G-pa down there and then Claudia went for a sleepover at Carolyn’s. Gillian and I headed down to the Eaton Centre area. We had some lunch at Kenzo Japanese Noodle House, we both had the Sapporo miso Ramen. Afterwards we walked through the Eaton’s Centre down to Henry’s on Church. Next was the 501 streetcar to University along Queen Street to catch the subway back to Yorkdale. This cow and tractor was outside a gallery next to the Mira Godard Gallery.

More Uncle Tak in the news.

December 17, 2011
Rainwater

I found this article on cbc.ca about his retrospective showing at the Burnaby Art Gallery.

The article mentions that the show will be travelling to the McMaster University Art Gallery in the new year. As soon as I can find out the dates, I’ll post it. As well he will be having a show at the Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto from Jan 28-Feb 18, 2012. Here are the girls with Uncle Tak at his last show in 2010.

Six Decades of Uncle Tak

December 16, 2011
Rainwater

I received this newspaper article from Shanna today, she had it sent to her from a friend. Click on the article to open the PDF.

Did you see the Tanabe’s? Takao Tanabe: A Work of Art

January 31, 2010
Old-Rainwater

We all watched Uncle Tak’s special on Bravo TV tonight. The girls like his special location for all his awards and degrees. We were able to see them this past summer when we were at his place on Vancouver Island. They also liked seeing themselves in the show. If you watch closely at the end you’ll see us at the McMichael Art Gallery with Uncle Tak.

If you missed it there is an encore presentation Friday, February 5 at 7e/4p. Download the show by clicking on the link Takao Tanabe: A Work of Art. You can watch the show by clicking on the image below. (114 MB) If you need a Flv standalone player try the FREE Wimpy Desktop FLV Player (for both Windows and Mac).

A Quiet Month?

January 31, 2010
Old-Rainwater

There hasn’t been much activity on the blog this month. We have been busy with the usual things, work, school and more work and school. Gillian had her first set of exams last week and she is confident she did well. Angela and Claudia have been working on their speeches for speech arts. It is Claudia’s first time doing a speech, her topic is “The World’s Fastest Things” and Angela is doing “Genetically Modified Foods”.

It would be nice if we had some snow, at least the girls would be out there playing, that’s usually good for a few photos.

Blog cartoon

I have been busy at work with a hiring process, we have been trying to get everything done and offer letters out before the pro-rogued government comes back and puts on a hiring freeze as part of their deficit cutting. An indication of the job market, for an entry level technician position, we had multiple candidates with their Masters degree, one with a double Masters, a PhD, and a double Bachelor’s degree . One of the abilities we test is “the ability to assemble and disassemble equipment”. This might be the test we use next time.

Interview cartoon

A reminder that Takao Tanabe: A Work of Art is on Bravo tonight at 8:00 EST.

Bravo reminder

Uncle Tak’s Opening

January 30, 2010
Old-Rainwater

We headed downtown today to see Uncle Tak’s show at the Mira Godard gallery. We parked at Yorkdale and took the subway down. That’s still a good deal, $10.00 for the Day Pass, that would have got Grandpa 2.5 hours of parking. Here are the girls outside the gallery in Yorkville.

The Girls

It looked like all the paintings were sold. Even the one that the girls recognized from his studio this past summer. We were there before the rush, so we got a chance to visit with Uncle Tak and Anona. He’s waiting for Claudia to start growing.

The Girls and Uncle Tak

We waited around for Grandma and Grandpa to show up, but there was no sign of them so we headed out. As we walked out the door, they came walking up. It turned out Grandpa couldn’t find a parking spot, so he finally broke down and parked in the paid parking. While we were standing outside a couple walked up to Dad and it turned out to be Nori Tanaka, Bobby’s daughter.

A couple of galleries down was this sculpture, from the way the Leafs have been playing, he could probably help.

Angela

We headed down to Bloor Street in search of a Starbucks.

ROM

Found one, but couldn’t sit down, so we had to sit in the Winners entrance.

The Girls at Starbucks

On the way to the gallery we were waiting to cross Bay Street at one of the lights and this old lady started talking to no one in particular, but mainly towards Gillian, about how she should have a hat on and she shouldn’t be wearing a spring coat in the middle of winter. It was a red light, so she went on and on about it and was still going at it while we crossed the street. It was pretty funny.

winter hat cartoon

Uncle Tak Update

December 31, 2009
Old-Rainwater

Uncle Tak is having a show in Toronto next month at the Mira Godard Gallery. It runs from January 30th to February 27th, it covers “The Early Years 1951 – 1965”. This one is from 1957 called Interior Arrangement with Red Hills.

1957 painting

Takao Tanabe: A Work of Art premieres Sunday, January 31 at 8e/5p only on Bravo! There is an encore presentation Friday, February 5 at 7e/4p. You can watch a preview clip or click on the image below. (7 MB)

Uncle Tak Exhibition

November 21, 2009
Old-Rainwater

Uncle Tak Exhibition

If you’re going to be in Banff, Alberta between now and January 31, 2010 be sure to stop at The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. There is an exhibition called Whyte Winter Wonderland featuring Mountains in Winter by Takao Tanabe. From the Whyte Museum website,

The exhibition features 14 new watercolour works by Takao Tanabe. These images capture the feel of winter in the Canadian Rockies. Tanabe spent several winters teaching at The Banff Centre in the 1970s and 80s. It was a later artists’ residency there, funded by a Fleck Fellowship, that inspired these winter artworks. As a response to this selection, we have included watercolour paintings and prints by other artists from the Whyte Museum’s collection, who have also celebrated winter in their work.

Mountains in Winter, 2009

Uncle Tak on Television

November 9, 2009
Old-Rainwater

An episode of Landscape As Muse was on the Knowledge network. It was episode 49 from Season 5 called “The West Coast with Takao Tanabe” the following is the description of the show.

” A critic once remarked that if you’ve seen one Tanabe, you’ve seen them all. Revered painter Takao Tanabe doesn’t disagree with this statement, yet it hasn’t stopped him from painting landscapes for the past thirty-five years.A close examination of his canvasses reveals subtle changes in atmosphere, colour, tone and a lack of visible brush strokes.

Camera and sketchbook in hand, Tanabe travels on land and sea in the North Vancouver Island area, bringing six decades of painting history to bear on the vistas and horizon line of the sea and islands.”

This file is 61MB, it is the episode converted to flash video.