Fiona Ackerman

Trientalis- lively, colourful, narrative, abstract botanicals, acrylic on canvas

2019

This particular painting is a play on the form of the Canadian flag, the military history of Canada, the journey implied by the use of the tent, and of course, the primary symbolism of the pyramid. In true Pachter form, he manages to challenge and evoke all these ideas with riveting simplicity. One of Canada’s leading contemporary artists, Charles Pachter is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian, and lecturer. His work is pursued by significant private and public collections. Born in Toronto, he studied art history at the University of Toronto, French literature at the Sorbonne, and painting and graphics at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. His work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the McMichael Gallery. He is represented in public and private collections throughout Canada, and internationally. He has held solo exhibitions in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and India. Pachter worked at Expo 67 in Montreal supervising the installation of 60 contemporary sculptures from around the world. He taught printmaking at the University of Calgary in 1969-70. He spearheaded Toronto’s Queen Street West revival in the 1970s and 80s by restoring 20 old buildings into facilities for arts usage. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, a member of the Order of Ontario, and holds honorary doctorates from Brock University, OCAD University, and the University of Toronto where he is a Senior Fellow at Massey College. He is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. His images of the queen, moose, and maple leaf flag are icons of Canadian contemporary art. McClelland & Stewart publications include an illustrated book on his life and work, and The Journals of Susanna Moodie, his celebrated collaboration with poet Margaret Atwood. His murals of Hockey Knights in Canada can be seen in Toronto’s College Subway Station. Mr. Pachter lives and works in downtown Toronto in an award-winning studio designed by Canadian architect Stephen Teeple. His work is on permanent display in his adjoining Moose Factory Gallery. From 2004-2014 in summer he painted in The ICE HOUSE...

Vancouver artist, Fiona Ackerman strays from botanical-themed compositions to explore the concepts of philosophy in this new abstract acrylic piece, one of two. Her colourful palette...

Charles Pachter’s love of barns has spanned decades. For the cherished Canadian contemporary artist the barn is a reminder of Canada’s strong rural roots and agricultural heritage. In this painting, the barn is a forest green; a colour that became popular after the 18th century invention of a paint pigment called ‘Paris green.’ The rich colours are enhanced by the reflection of the image in cool blue waters. The undulating borders blur the line between earth and sky. While Pachter has been much lauded as a pop artist often compared to David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Jim Dine, his charming imagery is distinctly his own. “Charles Pachter is the most Canadian artist this country has ever produced, including the Group of Seven. Charlie is a Group of One, and no one else can do what he does.” Leonard Wise, Author and Art Critic Pachter is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of France’s Ordres des Arts et des Lettres and twice a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee...

Botanical imagery layered with shapes in mauve, sapphire, yellow and green form a playful narrative in this acrylic painting by Fiona Ackerman. The painting is part of a series inspired by the narratives and botanical drawings of women...

Josh Talbott's (US based) "Untitled at Sea" is an acrylic painting that depicts a small toy red piano floating suspended in a light blue sea background. Bio: Josh Talbott grew up in suburban/rural Georgia in the southern US. His first work as a professional artist was in scenic painting and murals for various production companies. An attempt to deepen his well of possibilities led to New Orleans where as a street artist he sold works to people from all over the world before loosing everything in hurricane Katrina. With short stints in Santa Fe and then Los Angeles Josh arrived in the small coastal city of Los Osos, California where he lives and works today. His curiosity is voracious and interests are many, including scuba/ free diving, sailing, surfing, gardening, geology, rock hounding, rationality, AI, history, and philosophy. In his studio there is always an audiobook on, and outside of the studio there are all manner of activities making there way into his work. He has many private collectors scattered across the globe and murals in San Francisco. ARTIST STATEMENT We live in a time of extreme and accelerated change, growing complexity, and specialization. At every stage in our human trajectory from primitive beginnings crawling out of the sea to the present gauntlet of challenges, our thinking tools and their uses are central to the story of what it means to be human. My work is informed by a fascination with thinking tools and the effects of programming and environment through the different phases of life and our capacity for storytelling. My practice consists of constructing small-scale still life scenarios of toys and other artifacts of human development, then creating photorealistic acrylic paintings of these scenes. The work juxtaposes the familiar and playful with a contemporary, complex, adult world. While I am interested in the science of the mind, and what it means to be a human, my work seldom features the human form, focusing instead on the objects and items that are frequently left behind. As such, the subject of the painting becomes the viewer him or herself because their own humanity is ultimately what is revealed. My work honors toys as thinking tools for small people and the scenes depicted explore the ways in which the culture of our formative years leaves a lasting mark and continues to shape our storytelling. The plastic artifacts of my formative years carry memories of simultaneous confusion and wonder at the world around me. These are sensations and emotions still very much present in my life. What were your imaginings and dramas when you played with toys? Are you living them today? The multileveled still life paintings of familiar toys are bright and accessible and connect to the viewer's nostalgia and playfulness while provoking deeper insights into our current evolutionary, cultural, and technological moment. I place each little curio with care into meaningful relationship to their interlocutors and environment. The plastic dinosaurs often depicted are emblematic of childhood curiosities, of great wonder and speculation at past worlds and the depth of evolutionary time, and yet they are made of a material that illustrates our shortsightedness, a quintessential human quality that makes it quite possible that these plastic creations will outlast us all. I do my best to draw inspiration and resources from everywhere to build a visual language. In my divergent path I find the musical compositions and the story of composer, Philip Glass inspiring. The story of his devotion to his craft and his subsequent successes have encouraged and inspired me. I'm influenced by writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Sapolsky, and Yuval Noah Harari, the many books by Simon Winchester, Daniel Dennet, Robert Wright...

Abstract expressionist floral work from the garden of Susan Bleakley. In her paintings of flowers colour and texture are highlighted and vibrant, Susan spends hours perfecting the fo...

Michael McHugh is a painter born in New Zealand and living in Australia. He has drawn and painted since childhood and has won acclaim for his colorful and joyous nature-based paintin...

"Old World New World", acrylic on canvas, 59x39in, 150x100cm Large original, one-of-a-kind, painting. Shipped rolled in a tube. Free shipping for items over $500 with 1stDibs code FR...