GrantCunningham.ca

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, June 29, 2010

Famine

Work commences on the third piece of the Four Horsemen Series: Famine. I've also got something extremely exciting planned for the next series of pen and ink works which I'm anxious to get started on. I'll reveal only when the I've finished the first of that series...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Red Horse

The second in the Four Horsemen series. Pestilence, War, the next in the series is the Black horse of famine.
Pen, Ink, Graphite and Watercolor on Illustration board.

Monday, June 21, 2010

...untitled oil painting...

I've begun work on one of my epic pieces... here's a small section of the 36"x36" tableau

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Red Horse

I've begun work on the second piece of the Four Horsemen Series. I want to give the war horse a decidedly steampunk feel to it and may add some masking/watercolor techniques to it.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Several older oil painting workers... all with private collectors presently.

"A Corrosion of the Soul" - one of my earlier oil paintings (36"x36") from the "My Inner Child is a Serial Killer" series. Bad photo (pre-digital camera period, but I'm dating myself)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

White Horse

My first pen and ink work in awhile, although I only used my cross hatching technique in a small part of the work. I based this work on one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse - the white horse: pestilence.

Pen, Ink, Graphite on Illustration Board 15"x10"