List of all SquaresActivitiesDocumentationClassificationEvaluationPsychogeographyNetwork&ResourcesWho We AreContact Us  
psychogeography portrait... 31. my studio [atelje]  
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

Not very many
old buildings are
still standing

 

STUDIO #08 • 2016-2023 ~ This is where I am creating this page and this is where in the last 5 years I was working on most of my illustrations, graphic design and other creative work. It is located in the middle of old town Toronto, in one of the first 10 blocks as drawn by Lord Simcoe in 1793. Blue dotted line on our map are marking boundary of those first blocks.

Not very many old buildings are still standing, some of them are destroyed in a great fire first one in 1849 and than even bigger one in 1904.

     
   
 

Experience
this view
in full screen

 

View is from the window facing Front Street East. Whole row of the buildings in this block accross the street are historic buildings well restored and used as offices and restaurants on the ground floors. St. James Cathedral and St. Lawrence Hall are two more important heritage structures visible from this spot. Unfortunately othervise lively street is still under influence of Covid 19 restrictions in Toronto.

Most important building in the community St. Lawrence Market and integrated old Toronto City Hall are on the same side on the street visible if you are brave enough to lean over the balcony and look to the left. Construction started for the brand new St. Lawrence Market North building in June 2019, it should be finished probably by the end of next year [2023]. Check the progres here.

 

 

 
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

OK, now is time
to get inside

 

Much more about this area on two Neighbourhood Portraits, Nicholson Lane and Taylor's Wharf Lane, and then of these two squares in our collection with much more description of the same neighbourhood: #01 - Berczy Park; #02 - St. Lawrence Market.

Unfortunately this situation with world pandemic is restricting travel and even for the walk around the city we are choosing time when there are no people around. What is left is inner world. OK, now is time to get inside.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

I am surrounded mostly with books and art materials, but most importantly, since main subject of my work is observation and data collection, with REMINDERS, consisting of directional items of all kind. Hard to describe, visual impact might be a better way to explain. Even one postcard is sometimes enough to reflect image of the whole city.

Or, as my friend Rajko Petrovic is describing: "Those are keys to open some of the memories", or him quoting Marcel Proust: "Memories lost as a tears in the rain".

  Main subject of my
work is observation
 
 
 
 

Experience
studio #08
in full screen

 

Image above is having both creative and technical importance. Over years recording urban squares and other urban space was main objective of our psychogeography explorations. We required adequate way of presentation. Since both geographical [physical] and psychological aspect are important together with great level of interactivity, where you can look around, up or down or zoom in or out, this type of Virtual Reality panoramas, that we started way back in 2001, turned out to be the best way.

   
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

Reflexivity journals created after the dérive - walk true the actual space, are essential part of the creative process. In my case and for my purpose it requires something that calls a memory or thought to the mind [ reminders] of what is important and the best way to notice, most of the time lost or neglected, urban symbols. Items surrounding my workspace are here serving that purpose.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

Some of the recent art pieces, of course, are also standing around, most of them are in the constant process of improvements, never totally finished.

Soon after my first studio, and you will find when and where it was soon, I figured out best way to be efficient and creative when working in at home studio. My method was to set separate space, somewhat separated, and "go to work" even if it was just few steps away. It is working and there is always something to "work on", even if it is just cleaning the brushes, or watering the plants.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

Workspace is gladly
shared with green
hair reindeer

 

Workspace is gladly shared with some actual, like my granddaughter, my daughter or my wife, or fictional characters, observers sharing views over the neighbourhood with green hair reindeer and other green haired animals, fairies or just famous Leonardo da Vinci man.

Just to remind you that this is my STUDIO #08, so let's go back and check when and where this whole creative adventure started, and found the path I am trying to remember and include in my work.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

STUDIO #01 • 1968-1981 ~ [or Atelje on Serbian] In downtown Beograd, capital of Yugoslavia, is where this whole creative process started back in 1968. That was a year when I started my studies at School of Architecture on University of Beograd.

As you can see on the little floor plan in the middle, beside the large drafting table, essential at the time when computers were not invented yet :), there was also fully functional dark room. I was seriously experimenting with photography back then. Slide projector and large screen on the wall together with generous sitting area on the ground are completing the picture.

  Downtown Beograd,
capital of Yugoslavia
 
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

This studio was
popular meeting
place in Beograd

 

STUDIO #01• 1968-1981 ~ Deserves its spot here for one more very important role in my creative development. This studio was popular meeting place, mainly for artists of different trades. Place where sometimes even the classes for Fine Art Academy were held. More students was here then in the academy few blocks away. There where strict rules for this small room that hosted sometimes even 20 people participating in loud discussions, slide shows and music of Van Der Graaf Generator. No alcohol or grass was aloud but best tea in the city was always served. Photographic dark room was used by lot of emerging photographers and large number of photos, some used in this websites, were developed here, among them all b&w photos on this page.

Walls and ceiling were painted dark red and whole right wall was covered in the b&w photo of the forest. View from the window, covering half of the city, was very very inspirational and this environment was opening observational paths for my future and establishing "transsit classificando" axis.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

STUDIO #02 • 1981-1986 ~ In 1981 I get married and moved to Mira's apartment. We renovated the space and even being quite small, check the trigonometric drawing above, there was enough space for little photography dark room and drafting table, still essential back then in a time before any computers. Over next few years it turned to be very creative space, I prepared here space objects, installations, drawings, paintings and photographs for my four one man shows and for more than 40 group shows.

 

Over next few years
it turned to be very
creative space

 
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

Our daughter
Una was born

 

STUDIO #02 • 1981-1986 ~ Most significant event during this period was, of course birth of our daughter Una in 1982. From that moment she was among principal participants. In 1984 we moved to another apartment but continued to use this space exclusively for studio, this time expanded with multiple collaborators, sometimes on projects like ceramic and polyester jewelry.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

STUDIO #03 • 1986-1989 ~ Studio again changed location. We aquired print press, capable of producing etchings - mezotint art prints up to 8o cm by100 cm, and started, with generous help of our dear friend Vuksa, new segment of art practise. This location lasted just four years.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
     

STUDIO #04 • 1989-1993 ~ Our daughter Una started school and it was quite inconvenient for us to run between school and work [studio - atelje] so in 1989 we joined two spaces in one, in the same "Professor's Colony" neighbourhood. New space was more than adequate. All of us, Mira Una and me had our permanent working areas and there was still enough space for our print press. Art print production was blooming but freelance graphic design work for several prominent Design Agencies like SD Partizan Marketing, Idea Plus, Borba Press Agency, Matra, Sachi & Sachi, was taking more and more time away from ART.

  In the same
Professor's Colony neighbourhood
 
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

We packed our
previous life and
arrived in Toronto

 

STUDIO #05 • 1993-1996 ~ Then in 1992 dramatic change of political environment and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, great country that existed on Balkan since 1918, forced us to move over the ocean. Canada was generous and excepted us, so we packed our previous life in two suitcases and arrived in Toronto in January 1993.

First apartment was relatively small, but there was still space for workarea [studio]. First computer was acquired, art was sometimes created out of leftover cardboxes and displayed on the living room wall [green shape in the middle above]. Our graphic dog Bane joined us here too, as you can see blending with the black & white tiles on the floor. New life, was in front of us.

     
     
 

Experience
Studio #06
in full screen

 

STUDIO #06 • 1996-2006 ~ July 1996 was important period in our new life. I accepted a position of Multi Media Specialist with traditional skills required, like photography dark room experience, at Seneca College in Toronto [see Studio #01 for reference :).

We moved to new location later that same year this time with lot more space and two workareas, one for me and Mira and other for Una. In reality we were still jamming in one, all three of us, and not two dogs as it looks on the panorama above, but one, Bane. He was just constantly moving around following us everywhere. This was extremly productive creative period, both at work, freelance graphic design practice and art.

 

We don't have two dogs
as it looks on the
panorama above

 
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021  
 

Whistle & Work
our on-line shop
was born here

 

STUDIO #07 • 2006-2016 ~ We moved to downtown Toronto, very close to our present Front Street location.

Whistle & Work, our on-line shop was born here. Of course "whistle" was Una and I was pleased to accept a role of "work". See just few exhamles of our work bellow or follow the link for many more of them or even purchase some of those artworks on Etsy.

     
   
     

Until 2012 I shared my time with the Seneca College when I retired and directed all attention to Art, illustration and freelance graphic design.

5 out of 7 of our books are created here: Urbis I, Urbis II, 66 Sideviews, Urban Squares and My<psycho>geography. Two other belong to Studio #08 but I will list them here for your convenience: Genius Loci and Right to be different. Preview them all on-line, or purchase them, they are for sale.

     
  Urbansquares Studio, Toronto, 2021, people  
     

One more addition here, very last piece finished in our studio few day ago, on March 31, on the same day I received Covid19 vaccine: "Observer on his Dragon/Ship/Machine accompanied with Green Hair Raindeer". It was submitted and accepted for the Ontario Art Gallery, Portraits of Resilience.

     
   
     

Lot is happening here in our studio #08 every day. Just few days ago girl with pink hair appeared as a master of the well decorated green hair elephant !!?? on this occasion siting on the CIT sculpture created back in studio #02 in 1984.

We are continuing to create even in this Covid 19 restrictions. Latest creation with cooperation with Lumen are collection of Green Hair Toys, we have so far only 23 of them, but collection is growing every day. What else, we have plenty of plans, we'll see. Don't forget to follow links all over this page, plenty of information, records of our work or just places to enjoy!

Most important are people that we have a pleasure to work with, some are far away some are even further away now, but most important people are still very close.

Turning around you will notice [left to right] business cards for our first Canadian Company, good omen designing created in 1992, pastel done by our late best friend artist Marija Stosic, or my latest ikebana in Alvar Aalto crystal vase. Keep coming back here to find out latest creative news.

     
  urbansquares.com studio, toronto  
  ~ 21 Praça des Flores, Lisbon, Portugal, 2017 ~ 26Funchal City Centre, Madeira, Portugal, 2019 ~
~ Bascarsija, Sarajevo, BiH, 2018 ~ 27 Nicholson Lane, Toronto - February 2020 ~ 30 Taylor's Wharf Lane, Toronto, 2021 ~
 
  ...........  
  urban squares urbansquares copyright initiative is licensed under a creative commons attribution-share alike 2.5 Canada license. September 15, 2023  
List of all SquaresActivitiesDocumentationClassificationEvaluationPsychogeographyNetwork&ResourcesWho We AreContact Us  
  Last time updated on September 15, 2023  
marija Stosic pastel