Mark B Garland

I am an artist.

I am originally from Ottawa but spent many years living and painting in Montreal where once upon a time I received a B.F.A. from Concordia University. Before returning to live in Ottawa in 2017, I spent two years in Toronto where I was encouraged to create a new body of work which is featured on the Recent page of this site.

I have exhibited my work regularly in galleries including Zéphyr, Galerie Luz, Galerie B-312, Stewart Hall Art Gallery (Montreal), Gallery one2one (Toronto) and an outdoor installation at The Fletcher Wildlife Garden (Ottawa).

I assisted in the studios of artists Astri Reusch and JW Stewart for many years and I was the Installation Technician at Stewart Hall Art Gallery for seven years. I’ve also worked in graphic design, creating book covers, CD packages and web sites…and I’m a drummer…bang bang!

After years of working with irregularly shaped wood and found objects, I have, in the past seven years, returned to stretched canvas. I am enjoying the pureness of this format – it has forced my image making to become more refined. I find these new canvases inspiring because I don’t know what’s going to happen next and the only way to find out is to do it. The work is both abstract and representational. The paintings are colourful and bold with a strong graphic look.

Humour is a major element in my work but it always accompanies an underlying social commentary. Words and language are prominent in all of the paintings. Combining these elements with abstract shapes, recognizable images and bright colours results in thought provoking art that is fun to look at.

RECENT • EARLIER WORK • Sketches • SHOwS

Here are some random shots – recent and not so recent. Check out the sub-menus for a more complete look at my work.