How to Draw A Girl’s Portrait (Sketch for a series of drawings)

Brian Grison, 1990 Mixed Media on Paper 

After graduating from the five-year program of the Art Department of Central Technical High School (CTS) in Toronto, Brian Grison lived in Mexico for about two years. Later he completed his Honours Bachelor's degrees in Fine Art and Art History from the University of Victoria, and a Masters degree in the History of Art at Carleton University. 

Over the years, Grison instructed at a number of institutions including (but not limited to): CTS, York University, Camosun College in Victoria, the University of Victoria, the University of Alberta, Emily Carr College of Art and Design, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Since the 1970s, he has mounted exhibitions across Canada as well as in New York, Paris, and Belgrade.

Since around 1985, Grison’s art has considered the nature of drawing and painting, the meaning of being an artist, and the relationship his work has with other art. He has a tendency to work in series, and this allows him to think of his studio practice as quasi-scientific research. Working mostly with traditional materials, he develops, as a teacher, studio assignments for himself, as a student. 

His works research the foundational issues of art: particular problems of concept and subject, its representation, style, scale and media. He uses most conventional formal graphic tools of two-dimensional art making: line, shape, form, tone, colour and surface. Grison’s work provides a view into the multi-faceted workings of a complex integration of mind, body, and emotions.

Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1947