INTRODUCTION
Brian LaSaga was born in St.Teresa's, Newfoundland in 1955. He moved to St.George's, Newfoundland in 1965. Brian's journey as an artist began when he was very young.
He has always been a very visual person and with no formal training,
art is more instinctual, full of discovery and experimentation which
has continued with him today.
Being somewhat of a perfectionist, Brian has always remained faithful to realism and his imagery. Although
he has experimented with watercolors, gouache, egg tempera,
and oils,
the artist soon realized that acrylics suited his style and
technique. Brian has been painting with acrylics since 1980 and
considers them to be a very versatile and
durable medium. He also notes
and subscribes to the fact that it's not
the necessarily the medium, but how one manipulates and uses it that
matters in the end.
The artist prefers to paint familiar experiences and subjects
indigenous to his area. An area that he feels is raw and sacred. Upon
viewing his work, you will notice that he
has a very discerning eye for
weathered textures and prefers to paint character pieces as opposed to
pretty pictures. Over the years, many have labeled Brian a wildlife
artist or a photo realist. He doesn't seem to dwell on labels or titles and just simply feels he is just a painter, an instrument and student of Nature. At times, he may incorporate
some form of wildlife into certain pieces as an extension of Nature.
Brian's studio is located in his hometown of St.George's, Newfoundland. The island of Newfoundland is Canada's most easterly destination and
offers the artist a sanctuary
for his work. It has many rugged coastlines,rivers, forests, wildlife, ponds
and marshes. It has also been the inspiration for Brian's work for over
30 years. When not in his
studio, he is out hiking or making field trips and gathering more material for his
paintings. Many of his works hang in corporate, public and private
collections in Canada,
United States and Europe.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
"Nature is my muse and inspiration simply because of Her endless
subject matter and surprises. This collaboration always offers me something I never even thought of.
Although I
prefer to paint Nature themes, weathered objects and rural settings,
I'm open to other things that may catch my eye. There is always something to learn. I
like to
create
a sense of place that is somewhere but nowhere in particular. In my work, I try to capture some of Nature's simple things we tend to overlook and take for granted.
I hope my work reaches out
and reflects this intention. My main interest is not to paint life, but
to paint life into my work and create a living component and an emotional
connection that I can communicate to my viewers. Being
a realist painter, I prefer to work on one piece at a time until
completion. This allows me the time and attention I
need to create high quality works. I feel that it's
not the destination of my work that matters the most, but the
journey.....the journey towards the destination and progress
of my life
as an artist. My goal is to paint not just what I see and feel, but what I want my viewers to see and feel. First and foremost, I'm true to myself and ultimately I want
to inspire my viewers."
EXHIBITION HISTORY
1981 "Small Works" / group / Atlantic Arts Ltd., St.John's, NL
1982 "West Coast Realism" / two man show with Lloyd Pretty / Arts and Culture Centre, Stephenville, NL
1983 "Weathered Relics" / solo / The Ewing Gallery, Corner Brook,NL
1984 "Coastlines" / group / The Ewing Gallery,Corner Brook,NL
1986 "Images Of A Realist" / solo / The Duke Of Argyle Gallery, Halifax, NS
1988 "Days Of Yore" / group / The Duke Of Argyle Gallery, Halifax, NS
1995 "Eastern Images" / solo / Gallery On The Lake, Buckhorn, ON
1997 "Realism At It's Finest" / solo / The Sheraton Inn, Fredericton, NB
2005 Public Showing / solo / Kennebecasis Valley Public Library, Saint John, NB
2005 "Catching The Eye" / solo / Imperial Theatre, Saint John, NB
2007 Toronto Art Expo / Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON
2009 "Constant Observer" / two man show with Mike Gough / Christina Parker Gallery, St.John's, NL
2009 Toronto International Art Fair / group / represented by Christina Parker Gallery
2009 "From The Studio III " / group / Christina Parker Gallery, St.John's, NL
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
1982 White's Hotel, Stephenville, NL
1983 The Roman Catholic Church, St.George's, NL
1989 The Arts and Culture Centre, Stephenville, NL
1994 Ducks Unlimited, Fredericton, NB
1994 The J.R.Smallwood Federal Building, Corner Brook, NL
1995 Tim Horton's, Oakville, ON
2002 Western Regional School Board, Corner Brook, NL
2003 Stan Dawe's Building Supplies, Corner Brook, NL
2005 Western Regional School Board, Corner Brook, NL
2006 Brinkston Investments, Grand Bay, NB
2007 Aur Resourses Inc., Toronto, ON
2008 Western Regional School Board, Corner Brook, NL
Plus many private commissions throughout Canada and the
United States.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1980 Arts And Letters Competition, St.John's, NL - Second Place
1994 The Georgian Newspaper / In The Arts "Painting Stages"-Stephenville,NL
1994 CBC Radio Morning Show / Interview
1995 The Artist's Magazine Competition, Cincinnati, OH - Honorable Mention
1996 "First" Aboriginal Artists / Newfoundland and Labrador / Profile Publication
2001 The Downhomer Magazine / "Super Realist"-St.John's, NL
2004 Saint John Weekend Newspaper / "Showcase" NL Artist-St.John, NB
2004 The Telegram/Backstage / "Painter Creates Lifelike Scenes"-St.John's, NL
2005 The Newfoundland Herald Magazine,St.John's, NL / Artist Profile
2006 The Newfoundland Herald / "It's All In The Details"-St.John's, NL
2007 Centre For Distance Learning & Innovation / Art & Perception: Art Movements:Realism / St.John's, NL
2009 Canadian Brushstroke Magazine / "Hard Way To Make An Easy Living" / Leduc,Alberta
2009 The Telegram:Arts & Entertainment / "Real Meets Surreal" / St.John's, NL
2009 Natural Awakenings Magazine / Cover Art and Profile / Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Central Trust Tower,Halifax,NS
Fur Dressers and Dyers,Toronto,ON
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada,Ottawa,ON
United Nations,New York,U.S.A.
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,St.John's
Confederation Art Centre and Museum,Charlottetown,P.E.I.
J.R.Smallwood Federal Building,Corner Brook,NL
Fox Harb'r Resort,Tatamagouche,NS / Mr.Ron Joyce
Jetport Investments,Burlington,ON / Mr.Ron Joyce
Brinkston Investments,Grand Bay,NB
Northgrave Architect,Toronto,ON
Home Depot,Toronto,On / Annette Verschuren
Coachford Mfg.Inc.,Toronto,ON
Bird Packaging Ltd.,Guelph,ON
Plus many private collections in Canada,United States and Europe.
CURRENT GALLERY REPRESENTATION
The Christina Parker Gallery,St.John's,NL
Zwicker's Gallery,Halifax,NS
The Ewing Gallery,Corner Brook,NL
GALLERY HISTORY (1981-2003)
Atlantic Arts Ltd.,St.John's,NL
The Pavilloner Art Gallery,Charlottetown,P.E.I.
The Duke Of Argyle Gallery,Halifax,NS
The Spurrell Gallery,St.John's,NL
The Beckett Gallery,Hamilton,ON
The Hollander York Gallery,Toronto,ON
Gallery On The Lake,Buckhorn,ON
The Emma Butler Gallery,St.John's,NL