Allan O'Marra's
The Joy of Falling
plus
Postcards From The Sky
a tribute to 3 musical compositions by Marjan Mozetich
and
Other Recent Drawings and Paintings

Welcome to the online presentation of a show of my work that was
on view at the Neilson Park Creative Centre, Toronto, Ontario,
from February 18th to March 10th, 2003.

Please click on the painting icons below to go to the Gallery pages. You may
also navigate from one gallery wall to another by clicking on the links at
the bottom of each page. My "Artist's Statement" for the show is posted at the bottom
of this page, along with contact information. Please feel free to leave
comments or a request to receive notification of future shows in my guest book
located on the main page of this site.



~GALLERY WALL ONE~



~GALLERY WALL TWO~



~GALLERY WALL THREE~



~GALLERY WALL FOUR~



~OPENING RECEPTION~


Artist's Statement
After a period of intense emotional turmoil, following marriage breakdown, separation from my wife and loss of daily contact with my children in the early months of year 2000, I emerged with a measure of equanimity, extra time on my hands and a renewed interest in art-making. I involved myself in several online art forums and posted some of my older works for discussion. One of my drawings from the early 1970’s -- a boy falling in empty space -- elicited such strong and positive comments from other forum participants that I decided to make the image into a large oil on canvas painting. And then proceeded to work on a number of drawings of related falling, leaping child figures. This coincided with some important emotional work I was doing as a student in my first year of a 3-year, part-time course in psychotherapy skills training at the Transpersonal Therapy Centre of Toronto. As a result of some intensive gestalt therapy and training, augmented by my ongoing practice of meditation and contemplation as a practicing Buddhist, I turned an important emotional and spiritual corner. The drawing titled Falling Child became the painting The Joy of Falling.

In May of 2002, I was asked by Josephine Accardo of the Neilson Park Creative Centre to consider showing in the Centre gallery. I submitted a portfolio, was accepted, and booked the exhibition of this present group of works.

The Joy of Falling became the main theme of the exhibition, however, I include a number of works created since 1999 that I feel complement the theme. The “Postcards From The Sky” series of three paintings was inspired by a group of three compositions by that title on the CD, ‘Affairs of the Heart’, by my good friend, classical music composer, Marjan Mozetich. As well, I include a pair of portraits of me painted by two artists I met via the Internet who I now count as friends: Gavin Spielman of New York City and Jerry Waese of Toronto; plus my responding portraits of each of them. And the show is rounded out with a painting and several self-portraits that acknowledge my interest in, and practice of, the Path Buddha.

My sense is that this show is about space and openness and calm and focus. I hope you, the viewer of this collection of works, enjoy them and are edified by them as much as I enjoyed conceiving and creating them.

Allan O’Marra
February 2003

Contact Information
Allan O'Marra can be reached by telephone at 905-683-1860 or by e-mail at aomarra@sympatico.ca