Please join me in sharing an Alex Colville Painting today on Facebook
I noticed an interesting and powerful trend among my Facebook friends today. In honour of Canadian artist Alex Colville – who passed away in Nova Scotia yesterday at 92 years old – they’ve been sharing his work through their cover photos, avatars, or Facebook posts.
And it has made his work come alive for me again.
So I joined them…
I have been deeply inspired by Colville since I was introduced to his paintings in grade nine by Mr. Ross at Confederation High School. My teacher was a die-hard fan of strictly realist art and had little time for abstraction or “fakery”. But still, he loved Colville and praised his work loudly as an example of the triumph of realism.
I loved it too, but for the opposite reason. I loved how Colville could take “realistic” scenes and elements, strip out many key details like shadows and blemishes to focus on simple forms, and create this mythical, dramatic, and often creepily ominous moment. Every Colville painting made my head spin with stories and questions.
And seeing them again has made me want to see, share, and experience more.
So please join us…
- Please visit and LIKE the “Share a Colville Painting Today” Facebook page.
- Visit the official Alex Colville Gallery site, choose an image from the many examples on the Facebook page, or search “Alex Colville” on Google.
- Share the image with your Facebook friends – either as your cover photo, avatar, or through a post.
- Make sure you mention Alex Colville and share a few words about what you love about his work.
- Optional: tag the Facebook page (Facebook.com/shareAColville) and we’ll tag you back.
