Inspiration & Collaboration

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The Artist as Subject, Collaborator, and Inspiration

Toller Cranston lived in a world of image, colour, and theatricality, fueled by his extraordinarily rich imagination. On the ice, he set a standard of creative expression that remains unmatched. In the studio, he exercised complete control over the images, the paints, the brushes, and the size of the canvas as he translated his vision into bold, emotive works. Using sketches, broken Spanish, and wild gesticulations, he brought his design ideas to life as he guided weavers, glassblowers, metalworkers, and carvers to translate his vision into woolen carpets, blown glass flowers, elaborate chandeliers, and intricate candelabras.

Yet, even with these vast creative outlets, there were always untapped reservoirs of artistic energy. From his early twenties onward, Toller sought to explore the intersection of image, emotion, and physicality and many of his ideas required collaboration. He worked with artisans and craftspeople who could bring his concepts to life. He also worked with fellow artists who shared his passion for pushing creative boundaries. His influence extended well beyond his own work, and inspired a new generation of painters, sculptors, and performers who found in his fearlessness a model for their own artistic journeys.

Quote from Jeanne Beker

“He was such a celebrity. You know, everywhere I went with him, people would want to talk with him. He was constantly having to fend off people because everyone wanted a little piece of him. I felt like I was with some kind of a rock star. He had such a fantastic sense of style.  He was just a vison.  I think that it was something that everyone in Toronto was starved for. I think still, all these years later, we are still starved for these flirtatious colourful characters—people who are larger than life. Canadians aren’t often known for their theatrical qualities and certainly they are not known for dressing to the max and being over the top, but Toller was all those things.” 

By Jeanne Beker, Canadian fashion journalist, television personality, author, and Toller’s very dear friend. 

Natalia Laluq

Ukrainian-born Canadian artist

Natalia Laluq was inspired by Toller when she was visiting San Miguel de Allende in 2011. Tollermania, her unique interpretive work encompassed ceramics and incorporated painted images and a stop-motion video that brought a skating performance of more than forty years ago to life once again. One and a half years in development, the project is a series of 452 handmade porcelain plates that are hand-painted in blue cobalt. It was presented as an installation as well as a stop-motion film. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 219.

Natalia Laluq

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) – Internationally acclaimed songwriter and musician

Leonard Cohen is one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries. He is a hugely influential singer-songwriter, poet, novelist, and film maker whose career spanned nearly 50 years. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Toller appeared in Leonard Cohen’s film I Am a Hotel which was inspired by his song “The Guests.” The film tells the story, through music and dance, of the romantic yearnings of the hotel’s staff and guests, with Cohen appearing throughout the film as the detached but sympathetic storyteller. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 224.

Leonard Cohen

Corey Circelli

Elite figure skater and recipient of multiple Toller Awards through the Canadian Olympic Foundation

Corey is the 2020 Canadian national junior champion, the 2024 Italian national bronze medalist, and the 2024 Nepela Memorial bronze medalist. An international competitor and six-time Toller Award winner, Corey is consistently recognized for his artistry, creativity, and expression. Along the way, he has been coached by the best—Ellen Burka, Brian Orser, and Tracy Wilson.

Corey Circelli

Jeanne Beker

Canadian fashion journalist, television personality, author, and Toller’s very dear friend 

Jeanne Beker is a Canadian journalist, media personality, and fashion entrepreneur. She was the host of Fashion Television for 27 years; style editor at TSC; journalist, speaker, author, and proud Canadian. She launched Citytv’s ground-breaking show The NewMusic, is the author of six books, a Member of the Order of Canada, an inductee on Canada’s Walk of Fame and recipient of the Special Academy Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television.

Jeanne Beker

Joni Mitchell OC

Internationally acclaimed songwriter and musician

Joni Mitchell, OC, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who draws from folk, pop, rock, and jazz. Her songs often reflect social and environmental ideals as well as her feelings about romance, confusion, disillusionment, and joy. She invited Toller to collaborate with her on the photo-shoot for her iconic Hejira (1976) album cover. She has received many accolades, including nine Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her “one of the greatest songwriters ever.” AllMusic has stated, “When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.”

Hejira (1976) album cover back

Read Toronto Star Article by Sid Adilman:

Read Toronto Star Article by Sid Adilman:

Joni puts Toller on ice for her TV special.

Joni Mitchell OC

Yousuf Karsh OC, CM

Yousuf Karsh OC, CM, master photographer, (1908-2022)

Yousuf Karsh CC RCA FRPS has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. His 1978 book of portraits titled Karsh Canadians features Canadians who shaped culture, politics, and the arts. His images celebrate their achievements and create a visual legacy that honours Canada’s impact on the world. An Armenian genocide survivor, Karsh migrated to Canada as a refugee. During his career he held more than 15,000 sittings, produced over 370,000 negatives, and left an indelible artistic and historic record.

Yousuf Karsh OC, CM

Cylla Von Tiedemann

Internationally acclaimed dance, theatre, and performance art photographer

Cylla Von Tiedemann is a German-born photographer based in Toronto. Renowned for her dance portraiture and live theatre photography, she is also a respected visual designer for the stage. Cylla has collaborated with artists around the world, teaches photography, and has presented creative workshops. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 159.

Cylla Von Tiedemann

Dr. Sky Gilbert

Poet, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, theatre director, and drag queen extraordinaire

Sky Gilbert is one of Canada’s most controversial artistic forces. His one-man play Toller was produced in Hamilton, Ontario, and at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2016. In the play, David Benjamin Tomlinson performs in ten short scenes that exemplify Toller’s creative spirit and summon his ghost into the room. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 212. Sky Gilbert was the co-founder and Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto and in1990 received the Dora Award (Toronto’s “Tony”) for his play The Whore’s Revenge.

Dr. Sky Gilbert

Jenifer Brewin

Writer, director, Dora Mavor Moore Award winner

Jennifer Brewin is a multiple award-winning theatre artist who specializes in new work with an emphasis on large-scale, outdoor performance. Winter landscape is the backdrop for many of her productions including a new work inspired by the colourful worlds of Toller Cranston’s paintings. She creates theatrical and often comedic stories that evoke important discussions about modern life. Jennifer lives in Regina, SK where she is the Artistic Director of the Globe Theatre. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 215.

Toller Cranston Winter Landscape Painting

Jenifer Brewin

Charles Pachter

Canadian contemporary artist

Charles Pachter OC is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian, lecturer and one of Canada’s leading contemporary artists. His iconic pop images of the queen, moose, and maple leaf flag celebrate Canada’s cultural heritage with wit and whimsy. He holds four honorary doctorates and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. His work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the McMichael Gallery. His Six Figures on a Landscape includes Toller Cranston in a group of six individuals sitting on the ground having a picnic at the artist’s farm in Oro-Medonte in 1978. See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 221.
 

Charles Pachter

Michael Hoppé

Award-winning composer and musician

Michael Hoppé is an English musician, composer, and record producer. There are more than 9,000 videos utilizing his music on YouTube. In the early 1980s, he was head of A&R for PolyGram Records and signed new-age artists including Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, and Kitaro as well as re-signing ABBA and the Who. Michael and his wife Monica Campbell Hoppé live in San Miguel de Allende where they became dear friends of Toller. Toller would play Michael’s music all day and often all night and always at high volume. Michael composed and recorded a memorial song for Toller, sung by the Italian folk singer Giuditta and called “Safe to Port.” See more in Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion, page 227.

Safe to Port
Thou hast come safe to port,
I still at sea,
The light is on thy head,
Darkness in me,
Pluck thou in Heaven’s field,
Violet and rose,
While I strew flowers
That will thy vigil keep.
Thou hast come safe to port,
I still at sea,
The light is on thy head,
Darkness in me,
While I strew flowers
That will thy vigil keep,
Where thou dost sleep,
Love, in thy last repose.

Michael Hoppé

Michael Hoppé