Shawn Skeir Summer Art Internship at Harlem Underground
Toronto artist Shawn Skeir studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and George Brown College. Skeir's vibrant and energetic artworks have been exhibited throughout Toronto and in the U.S., and in numerous private and public collections. Layers of vividly-coloured acrylics are densely applied to create viscerally charged compositions that reference the performative act of painting itself. Tracing a kind of choreography,(referencing the strong gestural work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem deKooning), his purposefully-directed brushwork compliments the design-focused, geometric and “hard-edge”aesthetics he also employs. Influenced by the ongoing change of pace and the people of the contemporary city, the artist explains, "I want to express a feeling of unity with movement as a reminder that we should celebrate our diversity and draw from each other’s cultural and traditional experiences." The artist works out of the self-named Skeir Studio Gallery in downtown Toronto, which he uses as the window into his creative process and primary showcase. Several of his larger compositions have recently been installed in new Regent Park developments, including Artscape's “Daniels Spectrum”. Shawn will be a featured guest at Artscape's 2014 Salon. Shawn regularly volunteers his time as a member of Toronto's “Keys to the Studio”, working creatively with the developmentally challenged .
