Explore Southern Ontario's Beauty Through Brian Oliver's My Roadmap at the Kawartha Art Gallery
Journey with artist Brian Oliver as his stunning landscapes and wildlife paintings transport you across southern Ontario. Discover the hidden beauty in familiar places, from majestic forests to tranquil creeks. Oliver's meticulous detail brings nature to life, inspiring you to appreciate its delicate balance. Don't miss this captivating exhibition!
All are welcome to attend the
Artist Talk & Reception!
Saturday, July 6, 2024 • 2pm to 4pm
“I hope my exhibition inspires viewers to go to one of our conservation areas, or provincial parks, and enjoy the beautiful province we live in and help keep them for generations to come.”
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
When travelling around southern Ontario and seeing the amazing scenery and wildlife that we have, I am truly inspired. I have spent my life here and I am still amazed at the freedom I feel when travelling. My family’s support, and networking with other artists also inspires and motivates me.
I want my paintings to show how fragile our forests and lakes are, and the negative impact that habitat loss has on our environment. Painting flora and fauna has helped me to gain a better understanding of the wildlife and the connection it has to the environment.
I like to capture the details within the subject like the random shapes within tree bark or reflections in the water, the details captivate me as much as the subject does. Details and accuracy are necessary to capture the depth and realism I want to achieve in my paintings. I still find it difficult deciding when a painting is finished, as I always feel that I could add a little more.
I hope my exhibition inspires viewers to go to one of our conservation areas, or provincial parks, and enjoy the beautiful province we live in and help keep them for generations to come.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings are places I have hiked drove or visited; they are memories to me. Most of my paintings are of wildlife and landscapes I have captured on my camera in local Conservation areas and Provincial parks and painted in oil on canvas in my studio. When hiking I like to look for light and the way it creates reflections in the water and the different shades of colours and shadows that are cast on the trees and leaves, it gives the subject dimension and life. In my paintings I want to show the beauty in the smaller things in nature the little pools or creeks along the side of a road or trails, the places you might not look at or notice. I like to express myself in my paintings but not change too much, I want to capture mother nature as she is.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I was born and raised in Scarborough Ontario, going camping with my family is what gave me the love of nature. As a child I enjoyed drawing animals from any magazines or books I could find. I started painting in high school, tried the different mediums and gravitated to oil painting. After graduating from high school, I started working for a large electronics company for thirty years. I moved to Whitby Ontario in 2004 and started working for a custom framing store where I enjoyed working with the many wonderful art and photography pieces, meeting the amazing local artists, and started painting on weekends and in any free time I could find.
I entered my first juried art show in 2006 and featured in Surfacing Art Magazine in 2008. In 2014 I entered The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and won the Mayors’ Choice Award and in 2022 won the award of excellence in landscapes. I retired in 2022 and moved to Lindsay Ontario where I now look forward to discovering the Kawartha Lakes.
RECEPTION CATERING
