Brian Edward Cunningham - Artistic Biography
 

I was born in the City of London, Ontario and settled into the Niagara area in 1987.

I grew up in North London, close to large wooded areas that ran along the Thames River and up to Fanshawe Lake. I was very young when I developed a love of nature and wildlife.

As a child, I enjoyed crafts and hobbies that involved activities using visual creativity.

Plenty of encouragement and support from family kept me happy drawing and painting.

My family went on visits to Merry Dale Farm where my mother grew up. I often played forever in an old large hardwood forest behind the farm. The barns, corn fields and farm animals provided many learning experiences.

My father took the family to Lake Nipissing for summer vacations. We explored distant islands, fished, and learned how to swim. At age nine, I experienced my first flight in a bush plane over Lake Nipissing. A spectacular view from above!

As a youngster, by my mother’s side in the garden, I learned to grow plants from seeds. I enjoyed all things in the garden.

Both Elementary and Secondary Schools I attended had excellent Art Programs. The teachers were talented, inspirational, and the Art Room Facilities were “state of the art”. I completed a five year High School Art Program.

I attended oil painting classes outside of school as well, provided at the YMCA. At the age of fourteen, an art pal and I helped with the creation of “the London Art League”, which was primarily a group of talented retirees and two enthusiastic kids. We displayed and sold our oil paintings of landscapes and animals, in public common areas like City Hall, Victoria Park, plazas, and the Humane Society.

I was asked to show my oil paintings on TV’s Junior Talent Hour, (around 1975) which was very exciting for a 15 year old.

Thirty plus years later my passion for painting continues to grow.

During those thirty years I made yearly camping and canoeing trips into the Algonquin Park Interior. Images of wilderness fill my memory, and photo albums, with subject matter to draw and paint from.

Many Great Canadian Painters like Tom Thomson, A.J. Casson, “the Group of Seven”, Ken Danby, and Robert Bateman have all inspired me. These artists pioneered an appreciation for the Great Canadian Landscape and its wildlife.

In 2002, I began painting in Watercolours with a renewed focus and determination to learn the medium. I prefer Watercolour for its clean natural and transparent characteristics. I attended a series of workshops and classes with local Watercolour Artist Julie Snider. Many of the current paintings in this gallery were either inspired from, or products of those workshops.

The majority of the Paintings on display here were painted between 2002 and the present. A selection of original Paintings can be purchased framed. Some works are available in Signed Watercolour Prints, and packs of Art cards. Home portraits and special orders are welcome. Please feel free to contact me about your custom painting ideas, questions or requests.

Thank you for considering original Canadian Artwork!

Brian Cunningham

 *special thanks to the AHA Gallery, 104 St. Paul St., St. Catharine’s, ON for inviting me to show my work at their Grand Opening in the fall of 2007

 *Member of the St. Catharine’s Art Association 2008