Bonus Video | Melody Lane

Canadian Art is enormously diverse, unique and prolific as Canada itself. Learning and writing about Canadian artists is both an honour and a formidable experience, a wonderful and awe-inspiring voyage through an incredibly diverse and rich visual culture. Canada has produced remarkable quality of art over the years which have echoed the diverse ancestries of the artists themselves; their art reflects the merged traditions and realities of life in Canada.

Visual artistic expression is one of the most satisfying of creative efforts that I can think of. However, I used to look at abstract art as being a lazy means of expression – until I tried it. By painting or drawing abstractly, you can essentially free yourself from the usual rules and restriction that must be adhered to in other forms of art.

Having trouble finding inspiration to draw? Here are four ideas to get you started.

When walking into the welcome center of the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA there is a small alcove type space off to the side which houses Keith’s amazing portrait the California Alps. The inspiration for this portrait is not actually any part of Yosemite national park but rather Keith idealized the California Mountains in this painting. The portrait is located in an area where it commands the attention of anyone passing by.

Guerilla artist Banksy uses his work to criticise corporations for their globalisation of mainstream culture. Tesco, McDonalds and Disney are just some of the many multinationals to have experienced the Banksy treatment by having their logos satirically juxtaposed with an image of poverty or terror. The elusive Bristolian portrays himself as a modern day anti-hero by critiquing the perceived ills of twenty-first century society through graffiti art, books, Banksy prints and now feature-length films.