*The private reception is by invitation only. RSVP to artist’s private email.
Artist Statement:
I am a Toronto painter, presently a member artist of Gallery 1313. I have had solo shows in Toronto and Ottawa, and participated in numerous group exhibitions. My most recent solo exhibition was at AWOL Gallery in February 2014. In 2011, I completed a major commission of 4 paintings which are on permanent display at Osgood Hall Law School, York University. I was one of the selected artists appearing on the 2009 Bravo TV series, Star Portraits, and a finalist in the 2005 Kingston Portrait Prize Competition.
This exhibition is a survey of works painted over the last 8 years. While some of these paintings have been exhibited, others have never been shown. My intention is to examine how my practice has developed over the years and identify unifying threads in terms of theme and technique.
The subject matter of the paintings exhibited here has varied over time, ranging from figurative to landscape to still life. However, the common thread linking them is the exploration of light and its effect on different surfaces like water, landscape, linens, sand, glass and the human figure. In earlier works like Brasserie Bofinger and Midnight Supper, interior lights glitter and bounce, illuminating the figures in their artificial glow. Later paintings like Sleep deal with the softness of natural light on the undulating surfaces of bed linens at dawn or, in paintings like Pool, the sparkle of sunlight on rippling water. In Pas de Deux and Shower Man, the figures half emerge as light is filtered through the mist of the ocean or shower. The human figure is absent entirely from the Reflections and Palms paintings; nature is the protagonist, sheltering in the cool shadows and reflections of lily ponds or straining upward against a cerulean sky toward the sun.
I am excited that the exhibition has been curated by the Canadian artist, Sadko Hadzihasanovic, whose work I admire greatly. Sadko has been my mentor and close friend for over 15 years. His guidance was instrumental in developing the narrative underlying this survey of my work.
This exhibition is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the government of Ontario.