Additional Images

Provenance:

Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:

“LOOK AT THIS: The Colourful Paintings that Andre Ethier Makes When He’s Not Playing Music.” CBC News: Canadian Artist of the Week, November 23, 2013. Accessed August 12, 2014. http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/look-at-this-andre-ethier

Note:

André Ethier finds inspiration for his paintings from a variety of sources. The artist typically paints figuratively; images of whimsical men, organic still lifes and twisting flowers that fill the canvas as if in a quaint dream. Finding inspiration in Neo-expressionism and the work of Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Ethier’s compositional oddities can often be disturbing, as the artist defies convention by challenging societies understanding of what is “normal.”

Ethier has also garnered success as an accomplished musician, mentioning that, “Music and painting are related, in that there is craft that stands between the artist and expression…you have to negotiate with tools, and the tools inform your work.” His paintings are reminiscent of his creative life and vivid imagination. Ethier’s process includes a pastiche of colours applied in thin coats, providing a transparent luminosity and inherent depth. The multiple layers of oil paint exude an earthly quality that brings to life the gnomish characters often present in his work.

Ethier often leaves his paintings untitled, as he feels titles eliminate intrigue and reduce the impact that a work might have on the viewer. Born and raised in Toronto in 1977, Ethier received his BFA at Concordia University in Montreal. He has since been collected and exhibited internationally, and currently lives and works in Toronto.