Happy Holidays from the staff at the Art Bank!
Please note that our offices will be closed starting on December 24, 2018 and they will reopen on January 2, 2019. In our absence, enjoy a special selection of some of our staff’s favourite artworks in the collection.
Billy J. McCarroll, Split Tees (1987)
“This is one of the first paintings from the collection that I installed in my office when I started at the Art Bank. I like the colour and the texture of the work – it is bold and gestural. While I am not a golfer, and I knew very little about the artist at the time, I now know that he wrestled between becoming a professional artist or a professional golfer. This is obviously how he reconciled the two!” Amy
Timootie Pitsiulak, Repairing the Snowmobile (2008)
“Tim Pitsiulak had a good way of depicting the ingenuity required to live in the arctic.” Chris
William Featherston, Fan Tan Alley (1974)
“This work reminds me of graphic novels I’ve read. Certainly, these men have entertaining stories to tell.” Christine
Adad Hannah, Museum Security (2010)
“A milkshake and a book about museum security…my kind of evening.” Claudio
Georget Cournoyer, Beach Bag (1972)
“First of all I am blown away by the artist’s mastery of her material, perfectly creating the illusion of soft textures from the hard ceramic. But most of all, putting so much care and effort into the representation of such a mundane object shows an obsessive love of detail and subtlety I really appreciate!” Dereck
Evlyne appreciating Catharine MacTavish’s Night Scape #2 (1978)
“This is ONE of my favorites. So many to choose from – literally 17 000 works of art. I discovered Night Scape #2 a couple weeks back. For me, it is an amalgam of all the places I lived in. It is the mountains and the lake, the thousand and one memories that I have of those places. It is also a technique that reminds me of pointillism as well as the work of some Indigenous artists I worked with while I lived in Australia. It is the commitment and the devotion of the artist to her art that allows the creation of something wonderful – open to each one’s interpretation.” Evlyne
Katharine Harvey, The Catch (2017)
“I love that this work speaks to the past, leisure time and family time, yet is obscured as memory can do to times in the past. The dissection of colours bring overall cheer and warmth which again I think reminds us of the feelings the past can bring with it.” Lorraine
Laurent Lamarche, Fossile Pétri 10 (2017)
“I like this piece because it makes me feel like I’m looking at something through a microscope; it is both abstract and figurative.” Luc
Sasha Pierce, purple beige (2008)
“The first time I saw this artwork in our database, I thought it was made of knitted wool. I was very surprised to learn it is actually a painting. It is definitely an artwork that makes me stop and take it in.” Martha
Maxwell Bates, Cocktail Party – Three (1967)
“I have an affinity for German Expressionism and I find this work by Maxwell Bates particularly striking. The theme of a social gathering and the style show the influence of Max Beckmann under whom Bates studied at the Brooklyn Museum.” Mike
David Partridge, untitled/sans titre (1959)
“For me this work is calming and reminds me of the sun setting after a beautiful summer day. I loved having this painting in my workspace to admire the rich textures of the mesh and concrete worked into the piece.” Nancy
Ken Singer, Nobody Here But Us (2006)
“The more you look, the more you may see us.” Rick
Steven setting up Michael Snow’s Core (1982-84) in the Art Bank sculpture area
“It was a privilege to install this work for a special installation in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at Queen’s Park in 2002. Having to carry the work in its 9 separate crates up numerous stairs and through a gorgeous historic door at the north end of the building was very tricky and a feat to install.
I was pleased to meet Michael Snow again and see his delight in this work being included in the exhibition. I also got to meet people at the opening whom were present at the firing of the large 5 inch plus thickness of Core’s red clay creation. I believe there were 8 or more people to put the largest section into the kiln. An even more incredible feat in making as it would have been even heavier as wet red clay!
An amazing work by one of Canada’s most prestigious multimedia artists.” Steven
The Royal Art Lodge, The Books I’ve Read (2008)
“This artwork brings together two of my passions: Canadian art and books! Over the holidays, I plan to explore galleries and dive into some of the books that have been recommended to me this year.” Tara