“At the Art Gallery” is painted in oil on canvas, 24” X 30”. The concept for this painting came to me upon entering the gallery (Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta). To the left was a large, tall, and almost cavernous lounge where three young lads of Asian descent were lounging on a settee with their eyes fixed on their cell phones. The image was humorous as they were in a gallery supposedly viewing art! It raised some questions: were these supposedly international students texting their kin and friends back home showing that they were studying art? Were they looking at digital art? Were they in the gallery warming up on a cold, winter day? Had they been through the gallery? Were they waiting for someone? Or were they just killing time? I was inspired by these numerous questions and decided to paint this picture to let the viewers question the image and make their own opinions.
I painted “At the Art Gallery” on a large (for me) canvas to depict the sizeable room and the composition to enhance the largeness by means of including the window reflections. The focus is grand, yet diminished down to three cell phones. Because of their dark clothing, the boys belong in this room. The window reflections bring light into the space while also duplicating the “threeness”. The brushwork goes from a fluid blending to a rhythmic clothing pattern to bold knife work. The viewers’ eyes are kept within the edges of the painting with thoughtful construction. This painting is available for sale at artists.ca at the "Painting on the Edge" International Exhibition.
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