Tim Nikiforuk

Guzzolene I - textured contemporary painting, magenta strokes, abstract

2020

Tim Nikiforuk is a Canadian artist, whose work seeks to inhabit and work within, the space between painting and sculpture. Best known for his richly textured, vividly colored applications of gel or oils over substrates such as vinyl and panel, Nikiforuk infuses his paintings with a sense of immediacy, energy and movement. In his latest Mythos series, Nikiforuk imagines and strives to make real, the drama, theatrics and energy of Greco-Roman mythology. Works like The Rape of the Sabine Woman and The Birth of Gaea exhibit a sense of spontaneous gesture and fluidity of brushwork. The influence of artists such as Robert Ryman and Jason Martin reflects his concern for a practice rooted in process-based abstraction. “My strongest work is that, which is anchored in composition,” he reflected. “I have a deep concern for the fluidity and movement of the marks I make, each one must work in harmony with its neighbor.” He received his BFA from the University of Calgary in 1999 and his MFA from the University of Connecticut in 2001. He currently lives and works in San Diego, California.