P~R~E~S~S R~E~L~E~A~S~E For Immediate Release: May 1,2000 TWENTY TALENTED ARTISTS TO EXHIBIT @ ARTFOCUS 2ND SPRING ARTISTS' SHOW @ SCOTIA PLAZA IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO, May 9-12,2000 The ambiance of the business-heart of downtown Toronto is once again the location for ARTFOCUS 2nd Spring Artists' Show. The show will be held for the first time in the Lower Concourse Atrium of SCOTIA PLAZA @ 40 King Street West (Between Bay & Yonge) in Toronto, Tuesday,May 9 thru Friday, May 12, 2000. Once more the ARTFOCUS show has attracted artists from Ontario to Quebec and will include the dramatic artworks of many talented artists, well-known in their countries of origin, but newcomers to Canadian collectors. RENAULD BRISBOIS (with MARIO BEAUDOIN) from Quebec City returns to the show with surrealist & figurative oils; TATJANA BLINJA returns with her Egyptian-inspired tapestries; MELANIE ROMAN & MARLENA SZABO return with mixed media works on paper & encaustics, that bridge the gap between figuration & abstraction; Russian-born artist VIATCHESLAV TCHISTILINE returns with his delightful stylized encaustics on paper; colour photographer KIM ROBERTS from Beaverton, Ontario, a veteran of artists' shows in Ontario, once more contributes his hand printed Northern landscapes. Newcomers to the show include award-winning York University student, JULIA PLETMEVA; an Iranian-trained mother & daughter team, PARVANEH MIRAMADI & PARMIS GHOOPARANLOO; Canadian photographers JOHN POOLE & BRYAN SPIEGEL; Russian-born artist ALEXANDRE PEREBATOV; multi-media artist ANA GRUNTOVSKAYA & sculptor/potter VLADIMIR LIBANOV; EVELYN POLLOCK who works in watercolour & oils; & ROXANNE TRACEY who will present her distinctive Afro-Canadian artworks combining poetry & painting www.poeticartgallery.com Canadian sculptor FRED BOULTON will arrange his generic wood carvings from tree trunks in the Atrium Garden, next to the urban photographs of PAT FLEISHER, show organizer, which preview her CONTACT 2000 exhibit @ Original Papers Gallery www.originalpapers.com in Yorkville the following week. Unique to this show, a PURCHASE AWARD has been offered by SCOTIA PLAZA for the favourite artwork voted on by visitors , as well as a COMMISSIONED PORTRAIT to be awarded as a Mother's Day Doorprize. An informal question & answer period on the Whys? & Hows? of Art Collecting will be presented by the artists daily in the Atrium during the lunch break. ARTFOCUS @ SCOTIA PLAZA SHOW HOURS: Tuesday, May 9 - Friday, May 12, 2000, Open Daily Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Public Admission Free. FURTHER INFO: 416/925-5564 or FAX 416/925-2972 or E MAIL info@artfocus.com WEB www.artfocus.com