Korin Faught continues to focus on her "multiples" for Echo, her latest show: rooms of women that could easily be twins, triplets or mirror images of themselves. The narrative revolves around these women, the interiors that surround them, patterned textiles and kendo, with an erotic undercurrent running throughout. Movement is careful; there is certain stealth; and discretion is of utmost importance.

Artist: Korin Faught
+ coreyhelfordgallery.com

Jessica Fortner is a Toronto-based sculptor and illustrator who creates an assortment of odd beings out of polymer clay and other materials and then photographs them. These creatures are a mix of man and beast, such as the Walkin' Birds above. These creepy old men/chicken look as though they can be up to no good, but those clipped wings should keep them out of trouble. Ludwig the Lemur God is a two-headed mutant who spent years roaming the woods alone until happening upon a village that chose to worship him rather than cast him out. And our final character is The Gold Horned Hexapede Bear that roams the Arctic, mourning her lost love who has been killed by the man in her mouth.

Artist: Jessica-Lynn Fortner
+ jessicafortner.com

Weather Permitting is a new show of work by Toronto artist Tara Cooper that just opened last week at Open Studio. The show is based on animation, words and compositions made up of numerous drawings that provide narrative to a weather-based plot. Meteorological conditions reflect personal disaster and states of being through a series of fine drawings that have been carefully cut out and mounted to the gallery walls. Cooper's is the sort of exhibition that begs time of the viewer, to read carefully the story that is authored by his or her eyes and the artist's hands.

Artist: Tara Cooper
+ openstudio.on.ca

The often dulled colours (with precisely aimed infusions of brighter hues) of Ric Stultz's work of gouache, gesso and ink on paper can be deceptive, hiding a sense of humour as the artist makes sharp commentary on the times. Creatures that are blends of technology and tentacles live out lives as best they can; objects that should not behave at all take the stage; and motion and emotion get in the way of the mundane. Stultz, who is influenced by "crickets who are fed to other animals, a good pair of headphones, bumblebee hives, Rhodia notebooks and wine labels" among many more lively inspirations, is a Milwaukee-based painter and illustrator.

Artist: Ric Stultz
+ ricstultz.com

Alex & Cocco have updated their Parkour series by adding new images to the collection. These aerial jumps with particles are part of the Street Motion, Freerun, Parkour portfolio and are presented as shot, without any sort of post-production. The subjects pop from the black space, which, as a background, allows the eye to focus on the movement and the beauty of the body. These displays of sheer energy and power are awe-inspiring and almost unbelievable. The art is both in the performance and the photography.

Artists: Alex & Cocco
+ distilennui.com

Gentleman Jim was originally published in 1980, well before there was much interest in graphic novels, but was reissued last year. Written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, this book is full of intricate drawings that represent both reality and fantasy. A humble toilet cleaner, Jim Bloggs, aspires to greater things and takes inspiration from the boys' adventures books he is fond of reading. In time, Jim realizes that a drastic career change may be more out of reach than he thought. In his endeavours to become a highwayman, Jim encounters much opposition from all official sides and certainly lives out more adventure than he had been used to. This a charming story, albeit sad, that is beautifully illustrated.

Hardcover, 40 pages. Drawn and Quarterly, reissued 2008. $11.66 at Amazon.

+ Gentleman Jim at Amazon

We discovered the soon to be released O-No vinyl sushi by Andrew Bell at Josh Spear. Tidily packaged with extra eyes and severed tentacles, O-No comes in red and blue.

A couple of dining scenes from Keith Shore appealed to us from Fecal Face: the quiet comfort of sharing in a meal.

Gail Tremblay is a Native American artist who specializes in weaving baskets out of Super 8 / 8 mm film. Instead of using traditional materials, Tremblay uses film to reflect her views on the portrayal of native peoples on the silver screen. Her titles are telling: In Great Expectations (There is No Red Leader), Mountain Men and Indians: A Hot and Prickly History; Scorched Earth Policy; The Damnation of Being Cast as a Supporting Actor in Some Wasichu Story; For Red Queens Who Get Us Through When All We Want to Do is Cry.

Artist: Gail Tremblay
+ froelickgallery.com

Although Pamela Michelle Johnson's work reflects a North American tendency towards overindulgence and over-consumption, the realism of her paintings cannot help but draw us in. Attracted by the simple beauty of single images, we eat it up: Johnson's work is like a quick fix. Only when we are left with the detritus of our greed can we stand back and see that the scale and quantities are designed to mimic our habits and weaknesses. Our comfort foods can turn against us.

Artist: Pamela Michelle Johnson
+ pamelamichellejohnson.com

Wayne White takes lithographic reproductions of classic landscapes as his canvases so that their kitsch iconography can serve as a suitable backdrop for the juxtaposition of his contemporary phrasing. White's letters grow out of the landscape in a surreal sort of way, at once organic yet also somewhat out of place. The phrases participate within their surroundings as best they can, providing an interpretation of both the scene and the contrast.

Artist: Wayne White
+ mireillemoslerltd.com

Artist Ariana Page Russell has a tendency to blush. But instead of letting a skin sensitivity impede her, she has made temporary tattoos out of photographs of her affected skin in various shades of reds and pinks. She then makes patterns out of these, scans them, creates the tats and adorns the skin with them. Intention makes all the difference. This body of work is entitled Dressing, where blush becomes fashion.

Artist: Ariana Page Russell
+ platformgallery.com