Welcome to my art blog



A self-taught artist, I have always been drawn towards the macabre. Born a twin on Christmas Eve 1964 in Montreal, my twin died several months after birth. This became a large influence in my creative process; isolation, detachment, duality, haunted visions coming from this astral being that I am forever tethered to.

Art has always been my way to process and filter what I come across, what I am subjected to, or what I subject myself to each day; a way for me to exorcise the demons on my shoulder. The paintings are empathic, often inspired by the individual’s strength in the face of their own weakness. The common thread in all of my works is survival of self.

If a viewer is made uncomfortable by my work, then I have done my job as an artist. I have touched something within them that they are not comfortable with. I want to elicit a visceral response but maintain a sense of the absurd, creating works that are both intensely horrifically personal and humourous.

I am inspired by artists that have celebrated the grotesque: Hieronymus Bosch, Joe Coleman, Otto Dix and George Grosz.

This blog is a progression of my work, works in progress, random thoughts etc. You can join me on Facebook or view a gallery of my work on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27952465@N05/

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Your f(r)iend,

Grant Cunningham

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Sculpture

I was lucky enough to receive some art supplies as gifts over the holidays. Super Sculpey is something I've played around with once before, but it never quiet worked for me. This is my second attempt using it and I'm pleased with the results thus far. I had no clear concept going into this project, so it is very stream of consciousness. I believe the other hand is going to be a serpent. I want the finished piece to be very deity-like (ish?).







Saturday, December 12, 2009

Release



I've always been an artist. As a kid I would lay on the floor and draw in the white borders of magazine pages. Fast forward to about 15 and I started oil painting.... landscapes. I'm actually pretty good at landscapes but I have zero emotional investment in them, and my paintings are all about the emotion they evoke. I grew bored of landscapes and started focusing on my pen and ink work. In 1996 someone gave me some oil paints as a gift and this was the first oil painting that truly represented my work as an artist and has led me on my current artistic path.

Bad Dog


This is a very large piece, about 6' x 5'. Tornadoes are a recurring theme in my paintings. Rage, chaos, the disaster just over your shoulder. The figures in my paintings never seem to be too concerned about them.


Four Small Pieces

These are four 3"x"3 pieces. I'm not a big lover of small art pieces, but I do enjoy doing them on occasion. My brain tends to paint faster than my hands do, so these don't take a lot of time to do which doesn't allow me the time to get bored with them. The are respectively: "Daemon", "Harvest", "Beast" and "Below". Daemon is still available for sale.



The Venomic Arsonist





I make no apologies for what inspires me. I do not paint pretty things. I have been inspired by cancer, death, breakups and betrayals and the general ugliness that is displayed by humanity. If my art touches a nerve, then I have done my job as an artist.