Bob Gunning

I have been painting for about over 50 years, but only have had the time to be serious when I retired about 6 years ago.  I am mostly self-taught, although I took lessons many years ago in Halifax.  I am a regular at local one day workshops around the lower mainland.

My inspiration is nature, the bright colours, the shapes, the contrasts between natural design and the structures with which we surround ourselves.  I am a gardener so I paint a lot of florals.   I am fascinated by the  endless variety of colours in nature.    I am fascinated by water, by reflections, by the gentle ripples of small waves and how they are reflected.

I have a particular area of interest in the totem poles of the Pacific Northwest and especially those at Ninstints in Haida Gwaii.  I recently requested an official letter of permission from The Council of the Haida Nation, asking for their official authorization to reproduce the carved images at historic Haida sites.  As I write this, the permission has been granted and I am waiting for the document that they issue

I have lived on both coasts, in Halifax and Vancouver.  I went to university in Windsor, Ontario.   I have lived  here on the west coast since the early 80’s so my gardening instincts  have a very long growing season to produce the flowers and greenery that are part of so much of my work.

I am a realist as a painter so  detail so there is a great deal of detail in all of my work.  But living in a region that is so green and lush and vibrant, I know that whatever I have painted this year, will likely have changed by the following season and I will have a whole new range of images and colours to fill my canvases.

I have shown at the Arts Council of Surrey Gallery in Newton, and at the Plaskett Gallery in New Westminster.  I have also done one man shows at libraries in both Surrey and New Westminster.  My work has been juried into shows at the Seymour Gallery, the Tsawassen Art Gallery and in 2 shows at the Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery on Granville Island.

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