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

Friday, December 16, 2011


These pieces are the lighter yin to my darker yang. For a period of time I worked with young children at La Maison Des Arts de Montreal - a non-profit organization based in the east end of Montreal.  I did several wall murals for them, as well as hand decorated stationary that was sent out to various French language school in the city and surrounding areas.  This piece in particular was done for my niece when she was very young, I believe in 1996.  I hope to get a better quality image soon that will show the vibrancy of the colors.  

I still enjoy stepping out of the shadows at time and indulging my inner child in these more innocent and whimsical pieces and am even toying with the idea of doing a complete show based on these works. 

No Surprise


A piece I did for my late sister in the early to mid 90s entitled "No Surprise".  This was during the period where my secret language symbols were very front and centre in most pieces.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Negotiation

A birthday present for my 12 year old niece.  When I asked her what she wanted a picture of she told me "cats".  I wanted something that as she grew older, she would begin to see the true apocalyptic nature of this tableau.

The cats negotiating with the queen of the realm; one cat enviously eyes her crown, the other is offering her the cupcake or is he taking it for himself?  The queen's familiar has handed her a hidden ace of spades, signifying fundamental change in the tarot.  All the negotiators at this table are not who they appear to be, each playing their own part in the deception.  Behind, the church doomsday clocks ticks away towards 12 and underneath the table, the mice are planning their own takeover of the realm.







Monday, September 26, 2011

Inquiries

...inquiries can be sent to grantcunningham at hotmail.com

I've also been playing around with photography recently... this idea came to me while I was painting and eating licorice candy.  These will soon be available as limited edition prints.




Friday, July 8, 2011

Friday, April 8, 2011

New Work

A bit of an artistic desert lately... but finally something rises from the dust.





Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Green Fairy - Complete

I had some final details to complete this piece, so even though I've posted it before, this is the final version.



Thursday, January 27, 2011

Lost Works

I used to do a lot of decor work for nightclubs in Montreal, most notably the now closed K.O.X.  and Sisters'.

Wall mural in the entranceway of the old Sister's nightclub:


Wall mural beside the dance floor at Sister's

Sacred cow prop (acrylic on wood) at the old K.O.X. nightclub

 Humongous wooden demon head:

Wooden gargoyles:

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

Art Sponge

A very cool blog that recently featured some of my work.  Some great art on their site.

Art Sponge

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Upcoming Exhibit "The Sex Show" - Gallery 1313 Toronto, Ontario

Two of my pieces, "Control Freak" and "Parasite" will be featured in the upcoming exhibit "The Sex Show" at Gallery 1313 in Toronto, Ontario Canada.





You can check out their site at http://g1313.org/

Pictured:  Control Freak