Art School Confidential
Artist’s Statement
Figure Drawing is the most intimidating course offered at art schools. Class scrutiny and pitiless instructors breed havens for uninspired, analytical images.
The pictures in this show are reminders of the expressive possibility in the human figure. I use colour notes in natural ways to highlight form, although the less natural hues and unfinished surfaces contain the excitement I feel in pursuing these studies. Like diary entries, they document a more intuitive and playful response to the figure, informed by practice and familiarity with the best art materials available.
Artist Biography
Patrick Conway is a Saint John native who taught Visual Arts at St. Thomas More High School in Hamilton, Ontario.
He studied at St. Thomas University in Fredericton and at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. His final year was spent in an off-campus independent study program in Florence, Italy.
In the spring of 2015, Patrick gave up a studio in downtown Hamilton to work in Saint John exploring its dramatic landscape and rich architectural heritage.
Patrick was initially represented by the Alice Peck Gallery of Burlington, Ontario. His work has been selected for juried shows in both Dundas and Hamilton, and has also exhibited in many group shows including the DVSA’s Art Auction, the James North Life Drawing Show, 2012 & 2013, and the Hamilton Artist’s Inc Member’s Show, 2012 & 2013. In 2016, he mounted a solo show at Saint John’s Millenium Artplace.