Artists

Laurence Crooks

artist/printmaker Australian

In 1971 Laurence left Australia for England after having been introduced to screen printing by Australian painter Brian Maloney and in 1972 moved to Canada. He has been abroad for 27 years primarily in North America and was the founder of Annex Art Studio in Toronto, Canada, which became a major publishing force promoting original hand made prints. Laurence started the studio to help promote the Canadian Arts and gave young artists the opportunity to have their work exhibited in print form. As a printmaker he taught and lectured on serigraphy (the most misunderstood of all media arts) and on how to building a print collection at colleges and universities throughout Canada. He is recognized for his serigraphic technique which are primarily produced by hand blocked screens and traditional serigrapic techniques.

Style Notes

Laurence Crooks derives his artistic inspiration from the diverse geography of North America which he has literally traveled from coast to coast and his strong appreciation for historical architecture which began with the rejuvenation of the Sydney Rocks area in the late 60's. Laurence is probably best known for his water coloured serigraphs which capture repeatedly country and coastal living and his architectural studies of interesting old buildings.

Exclusive editions

All of Laurence artwork is published on archival, pH-balanc, acid free paper and board. All editions are hand pulled, all stencils and screens destroyed after completion.

Exhibition/Collections

Paintings and prints by Laurence Crooks are now held in collections of many distinguished private and corporate collectors throughout the United States and Canada and his work was extensively exhibited throughout North America in Art Expo New York and Chicago, Image 54 Calgary, Canada and American Annex Studios and some of his corporate collectors include, Burns and Fry, Manufactures Life Insurance, Malarctic Hygrade Gold Mines, Digital Executive Trust Co., Seena Corp., London Life Insurance, Century 21 Real Estate, Darell Kent Real Estate.

All the original prints on display in this collection at Lodge 241 are the works associated with Laurence Crooks and Annex Art Publishers

Allan MacDonald

Canadian 1951

Allan MacDonald is a well known Canadian artist and printmaker, who works primarily in watercolor. He is especially recognized for his serigraphs and for his advanced airbrush technique, which he employs in many of the prints included in his work on exhibit.
Allan MacDonald was a principal artist of the Annex Art Studio in Toronto, Canada and now resides in Trenton, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Serigraphs and paintings by Allan MacDonald are now held in the permanent collections of distinguished private and corporate collectors throughout the United States and Canada, his work has been published and exhibited extensively throughout North America.

Style Notes

Allan MacDonald derives his artistic inspiration from the splendor of the Atlantic Seaboard and his realist techniqics is in the style of Alex Colville and Christopher Pratt. Allan MacDonald works in the serigraphic medium which is a screening progress for producing individual, original renderings of a work of art. In his serigraphs he renders natural beauty from rugged east coast views to art-deco and art nouveau influenced studies.

Exclusive editions

All of his work not only reflects the original works of a distinguished artist but also represents the highest quality in printmaking. All artwork is published on archival, pH-balanced, acid free paper and board. All editions are hand-pulled and all stencils and screens are destroyed after completion.

Exhibition/Collections

Allan Joined the Annex Art Studio in 1983 and over 10 years his work was exhibited extensively throughout North America in New York Art Expo, Chicago Art Expo, Image 54 Calgary, Waldorf Galleries Nova Scotia, Annex Art Studios Canada, American Annex Art Studios US and many private regional galleries.

Corporate Collections

Burns and Fry, IBM, Canadian Pacific Airlines, Royal Bank of Canada, Imperial Oil, Loeb Industries, London Life, Martin Capital, Attorney General of Canada, Winnipeg Conservatory of Music.

Tanja Karl

Printmaker/Painter

Tanja Karl was born in Berlin, Germany, August 1969 and immigrated with her family to Canada in 1977. She resided in Milton, Ontario and later attended the Ontario College of Fine Art, majoring in the Commercial Design program. Presently she is living in Bellingen, NSW, Australia.

After her leave from O.C.A. she pursues a career as a fine artist and joined the Annex Art Studio in 1989, where she was introduced by master printer Laurence Crooks to serigraphy. She has since found her ideas best interpreted through this medium however, she also enjoys working with pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolour for her preliminary and original ideas for print subjects.

Tanja is influenced by no one artist, and admits her style has overtones of the French Impressionists. Tanja's first hand pulled limited edition print "Fruhling Picnic" clearly shows her flamboyant style and taste for lively and vibrant colours. Her second print "After the Bath" is also a refreshing twist to the often traditional approach of the "beauty in nudes". Tanja is currently working on a new series of limited edition hand pulled serigraphs which will be released in the new year.

Tanja enjoys her subjects to be boldly depicted, with an oddly naive point of perspective. Her limited edition works are noticeably small and display her desire to be collected by a few true admirers.

This promising new young artist has been widely received and collected across Canada, United States and Australia. And her new works are shown in many Asian countries. Each new edition is demonstrative of Tanja's unique talent.