Elva Hook

2009

I grew up in Woodstock Ontario and attended an art school with expert teachers and an in-depth curriculum that encouraged a range of skills and talents. The introduction to a variety of mediums, techniques and concepts at an early age, to this day, inform my instincts as an artist.

I was encouraged to go to Sheridan College, where I studied commercial arts. A few years after this education I realized I was a painter.

I have been living in Toronto since 1982. While working as a freelance artist and raising two boys, High Park became an oasis of escape from a hectic life. The sharp contrast of quiet beauty in the heart of a noisy city found its way into my work. I take photographs as reference for inspiration and to provide a foundation for painting on canvas.

I began an experiment in 2003 when I found myself with a large amount of leftover paint from several mural projects. This made possible to me, an entirely new way of painting. Uninhibited by cost, I was able to delve deeper into the nature of paint without restraint. Since then, I have been immersed in free-flowing unbridled painting.
Harnessing this fast moving medium is much like trying to guide a waterfall into a fountain pen. The process continually stretches my expectations and intentions, which must be as fluid and everchanging as the paint itself.

Accepting the nature of this beast and working with it, I pour, splash, drip and use gravity to manipulate with an occasional prompt of a brush. It is a very dynamic process and extremely physical work. The canvas is lifted, turned and tilted allowing and coercing a natural flow of paint with specific intention. It is a constant battle of wills.

Through the mayhem of paint, I strive to convey an intimate connection to a visual and physical experience resulting in representational abstractions and impressionistic expressions.

art education...

selected exhibitions, art fairs, and awards...

solo exhibitions:

two-person and group exhibitions:

art fairs:

awards: