Weekend in Toronto

Fujifilm X-M5 w/ XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

NEW CAMERA!

After deciding to get a smaller camera, I spent every evening after painting reading reviews. I looked into Canon and Sony compact cameras, but eventually chose the Fuji X-M5. I’ve always loved Fujifilm’s colours, and it was also the most affordable option. The only problem? It was sold out everywhere. I was hoping to use it during a weekend trip to Toronto, so I felt relieved when a Calgary camera store finally notified me that one was back in stock on Thursday. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the email until after the shop had closed, but I immediately placed an order for in-store pick-up and anxiously waited for Friday to come.

My work schedule is to finish one page a day, so I was supposed to complete a full illustration that Friday. But I was way too distracted by the camera situation, constantly checking my phone instead of painting. As soon as I got the pickup notification, I grabbed my tote and rushed out the door.

The page that I was supposed to finish on Friday.

By chance, a Fujifilm rep was at the store doing demos. I tried a few cameras and lenses and felt happy with my choice of X-M5 with the 15-45mm kit lens. After mailing out an Etsy order, I rushed home and started testing the camera before it had even finished charging. With two hours left, I quickly had lunch and tried to finish my painting for the day. In the end, I didn’t manage to complete it, but the excitement of the new camera and the Toronto trip made me feel less bad about it.

It seems that whenever I have a lot going on, I get too greedy and don’t manage my time that well at all. My Japanese teacher used to call my intense days "ギリギリ", which means barely making it lol.

I made it onto my 6:10 p.m. flight, and before long, the sun was setting outside. I had paid for a window seat, but the Calgary-to-Toronto route mostly just offers views of farmland, and flying east meant the sun was behind us. Still, I was really happy taking photos out the window. It had been a long time since I enjoyed snapping casual photos like that. These days, I only use my big camera for taking painting references, and since I'm not happy with phone photo quality, I rarely document daily life. Buying this camera felt like the right decision because it reminded me how fun photography was.

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WEEKEND IN TORONTO!

Before I embarked on this weekend trip, I had everything planned out. I would arrive on Friday at midnight, then on Saturday, I’d get Udon with my friend in Downtown, visit OCAD for Gradex, buy Posca 7M and 8K markers from Above ground and Collective, go to the AGO before it closes at 5:30 p.m., meet my mom for hotpot in Downtown, and take photos of Chinatown around blue hour. On Sunday, I would take my mom to Trinity Bellwoods Park to check out the Toronto Artisan Market for Mother's Day, have brunch at a nearby cafe, explore Queen West, then head to Eaton Centre to buy a copy of Everything Everywhere All at Once’s script book, and end the day with dinner with my mom in Downtown. Sounds pretty intense, right? But luckily, it all worked out perfectly, and it wasn’t even that ギリギリ.

DAY 1 - UDON, OCAD, AGO, CHINATOWN

Ever since I fell in love with udon at Yamamoto Menzou in Kyoto, I’ve been on the hunt for good udon outside of Japan. My friend had taken me to Raku in Toronto before, but I had ordered a hot udon that didn’t leave much of an impression. This time, I went with their cold udon, which many reviews recommended. I got the yaki nasu appetizer, which I enjoyed last time, and the ja ja cold udon—both were good and worth trying. The hotate furai we ordered wasn’t great, though. Overall, the place feels overpriced, likely due to the location, but maybe I’m just not used to how expensive Toronto has become.

We then walked to OCAD to check out Gradex, though I didn’t take any photos. It was my first time attending their grad show, and I found it refreshing. I’ve always loved visiting graduation exhibitions. These shows always inspire me, especially the illustration and painting sections. While Canada might not have the most prestigious art programs, I thought OCAD’s show was great. A few students’ work caught my eye, and it was exciting to see so many young artists experimenting with different mediums and ideas.

We walked around the area a bit before I headed to the AGO. I had forgotten how charming the houses in downtown Toronto are, it reminded me how much I enjoy this city. My friend and I parted ways in front of the AGO, and I went in alone, buying a one-day ticket for $30. It felt a bit pricey compared to other museums, but I’m always happy to support art spaces. I just wish I had more chances to visit regularly, so an annual pass would be worth it. (Last time I got one, I only ended up going once.)

AGO, the Art Gallery of Ontario, has now become my favourite art gallery in Canada and probably the best in my opinion. Strangely, I don’t remember enjoying my past visits that much. I had this vague impression of the space being dimly lit with a relatively small collection. But this time, both the artwork and the architecture completely changed my mind. I loved wandering from room to room, and it felt like every corner revealed something beautiful. Even though I usually do not like taking pictures in art museums, I kept stopping to photograph the space itself because it was just that striking.

Clarence Gagnon and Tom Thomson's paintings never fail to amaze me, no matter how many times I see them. I made sure to spend enough time in front of each piece, but not too long, as I want to save some of the enjoyment for future visits to the AGO.

In the evening, my mom and I had hotpot at Liuyishou's Chinatown location. As we finished eating (I was completely stuffed since it's all-you-can-eat), I glanced out the window and noticed the streets had darkened. I checked my phone and saw that it had been 10 minutes since sunset, so I quickly headed out to capture some blue hour shots. The 15-45mm kit lens isn’t the best for low light, and the 45mm focal length didn’t quite give me the compositions I wanted, but it was still so much better than phone photos.

DAY 2 - ARTISAN MARKET, QUEEN WEST, YORKVILLE

On Sunday, I slept in, gave my mom the presents I had prepared for Mother’s Day, and we got ready to head out to Trinity Bellwoods Park. I had never been to this park before, though I did get the chance to paint it when TCAF commissioned me to create a Toronto postcard series. We decided to grab some food first before exploring the artisan market, so I looked up nearby coffee shops and found one close to the park with a brunch menu that caught my eye.

We went to Found Coffee Bellwoods, just a few minutes from the artisan market. I ordered an iced matcha latte and avocado toast, and got an Americano and smoked salmon toast for my mom. The matcha wasn’t the best I’ve had, but the smoked salmon toast was really good. After breakfast, we headed over to the Toronto Artisan Market in Trinity Bellwoods Park. We came across some pastel-coloured ceramics that we both liked. We didn’t end up buying anything, but it was still inspiring to see so many local artists and their work.

Ceramic work by @rose.sevhan

The artisan market was smaller than I expected, so we had plenty of time in the afternoon to wander around Queen West. Back in high school, my friends and I used to make the trip from North York just to explore the little shops and galleries along that street. I have such fond memories of those visits, and it made me genuinely happy to see that some of the places we loved are still around. Stepping into them again after all these years brought back a rush of nostalgia.

We walked from Trinity Bellwoods Park to the Eaton Centre, it was a longer walk than I remembered. Along the way, my mom accidentally cut her finger while closing the door to one of the shops, and I randomly got a nosebleed at one point. We took a short break to recover our health points before continuing.

By the time we reached the Eaton Centre, I was completely exhausted. All I wanted was to stop by Indigo and pick up a copy of Everything Everywhere All At Once's script book, published by A24. Just before we left, I suddenly remembered that a friend had told me there was a copy of my book, just one, available at this location. I tracked it down and took a few photos as a little keepsake.

Available on Amazon US and Amazon CA

For dinner, my mom wanted to sit on a patio in Yorkville, so I looked up a few spots and ended up making a reservation at Alobar. It’s definitely on the pricier side, but we really enjoyed the food. The only dish we weren’t too crazy about was the broccolini side. After dinner, it was just around sunset, the Yorkville area looked especially beautiful under the golden light, and the whole neighbourhood felt so fancy and charming.

The next day, I helped my mom run a bunch of errands before heading to YYZ around sunset. I was pretty tired by then, but I’m really glad I made the most of my weekend trip to Toronto. I headed home feeling inspired and excited to make some new art!

-the end-