Phillip Gagnon is a self taught Canadian artist who has been mentoring under Roy Tabora since 2018. Gagnon earned a finalist place in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award.

Can you describe your artistic journey?

I’ve always drawn. Since a child in Grande Anse, New Brunswick I’ve had a pencil in hand. When I moved to British Columbia at 7 years my teacher sent with me a box of paper, crayons, pencils and watercolours telling my grandparents to encourage me to keep drawing (my grandparents raised me until I was almost 8).

Until later in my mid twenties art was always there and I focused mostly on pen and ink and pencil. While I was working toward my black belt in Ju-Jutsu I designed and drew the various certificates for the all the belts. Drawings of Bruce Lee and flying side kicks was always a hit with my fellow students and the small earnings allowed me a few beer on weekends!

For a short period after getting married (1985) I didn’t draw much until while on internship while at an art show I saw print of a wolf that was wildly overpriced and was reminiscent of Picasso on LSD, at least to me anyways! My wife encouraged me to not be so negative and start drawing again.

And so I did and a few graphite drawings of Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Peter the Aged Rock and the Nativity scene of the Jesus of Nazareth movie as a Christmas card for our seminary was the fruit of my starting to draw again.

Closer to the present, about ten years ago I started to do watercolour (some are on this website) and 4 years ago I took part in a master watercolour class in Vancouver B.C. with Alvaro Castagnet who encouraged me with many kind words and his flamboyant style!

I then ventured into acrylics and more recently oils. In the summer of 2016 I was in Maui and was showing the director of a gallery on Front Street my Tuscany Dreams watercolour while in conversation. She remarked that she loved my watercolours, but the gallery didn’t deal in that medium. However, if I did Tuscany Dreams in oil then they would certainly consider it. I was encouraged as I considered that a conditional yes, not an unconditional no.

Walking down the street I visited Lahaina Gallery and met Brian Connelly who allowed me after a little persuasion to show him one painting - and so I showed him Tuscany Dreams. He loved it, the director loved it and Brian asked if I had ever met Roy Tabora. I said I hadn’t and he said he wanted to introduce me that Friday night as Roy would be in Lahaina at the gallery. And so we met, long story short he invited to paint with him and I’ve painted numerous times with him since January of 2018. Truly a gracious, generous and incredibly talented man willing to share his knowledge. 

What inspired you to start creating art?

I’ve been drawing every since I can remember - I find art everywhere and live various aspects of the the creative process snd do find myself jumping from pencil to pen to watercolour then to acrylic and oils to convey what I feel and see all around me - the moments of colours clashing and the warmth and at times coolness of light breaking through truly mesmerize me - ask my wife when I’m driving!

What inspires your work now?

Right now I feel I’m finding my way expressing how light weaves it’s magic in a multitude of scenes especially seascapes - I love how water and light interact moment by moment!

What mediums do you work in and experiment with?

I’ve worked mainly in watercolour, acrylic and oils these last years but keep sketching all the time to hone my skills in that medium as well.

Are there any particular brands of art supplies you prefer using (if so why)?

I tend to use Golden and Liquitex acrylics and a variety of oil brands such as Harding, Windsor and  Newton and just bought some Blue Ridge - lovely oils! I love Daniel Smith watercolours! 

Do you have any particular ways that you work through a creative block?

Well, to be honest, I tend to sit down at my easel, scrape the dried oils off my glass palette, after I’ve poured myself a cider or whiskey, put my classic rock station on and simply relax - after that I find myself in the groove and I especially like to work, if I can four to five hours at a stretch - more often it’s two to three because of my vocation. 

Can you give any piece of advice to your fellow artists?

Man that’s a great question. Since I’m self-taught I tend to dig for answers as to how to do something... so I suppose it’s keep going, keep digging, asking, practice, practice, practice - but I’m sure people have been told that - you have to put in the time as that’s the only way most people will ever hone their craft unless you’re a prodigy of sorts. 

How do manage the need for perfection within your work?

Hmmm... I was once told by Roy Tabora (my mentor) when I had finished (I thought) a seascape.. he looked at it said “What do you think?” I responded said “I think it’s pretty good...” which he then replied, “Do you want pretty good or awesome?” I said “Awesome, of course...” I then spent the next three days redoing the sky portion four times until I thought it was “awesome.” I tend to be a perfectionist as I paint first for myself and really, Roy was only asking what I knew deep down to be true... it was “pretty good” but not what knew I could do if I strive to pull out of me what I knew to be there - I had to stop and confront the laziness in me - Roy has a way of doing that but in a nice way...

How do you process/come to terms with and even use other people's opinion of your work?

I try to remember that every person has their own way of doing art and art is so individual and reflective of that person’s soul. So, it is a vulnerable and sensitive thing to expose oneself to other’s opinion - I try to separate an honest assessment of technique from personality - hard to do at times but if an honest critique that distinguishes technique and knowledge of colour theory for example, from “gosh, you’re a bad artist” that’s easier for me to take. Also, I’m just figuring things out myself, I’m open to critique so humility is a given in my thought.

Is there an artist/s who inspires you creatively?

Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Sargent are all oldies but greats and so many others! More recently? Roy Tabora, Andrew Tischler, Butirsky, Gary Reed and Alvaro Castagnet, Herman Pekel and Joseph Zbukvic, to say the least. 

To view more of Phillip Gagnon’s work

Website

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