May 5 – 19, 2012
Opening: Saturday, May 5, 2 – 4 p.m.
Bau-Xi Gallery
340 Dundas St. W
Toronto, ON, M5T1G5
T: 416.977.0600
E: toronto@bau-xi.com
www.bau-xi.com
Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5:30, Sun 11-5:30
The Bau-Xi Galleries in both Toronto and Vancouver are thrilled to be exhibiting concur rent solo shows by renowned Canadian painter, Joseph Plaskett. Plaskett’s newest still life oil paintings will be on display at both locations from May 5th – 19th, 2012. An Opening Reception will be held at both galleries on May 5th, between 2 and 4 p.m.
Approaching age 94, I am slowly coming to an end. I no longer paint ever ything in sight as I used to. The human figure is sadly lacking. There is the odd bit of landscape, but it is now still life that dominates my art. The word I choose to describe the quality of a still life is intimacy. I am closer and closer to the small world surounding me and its surroundings. I make constant discoveries. Of course I repeat myself – every artist does, in a sense, but I constantly make new discoveries. This describes the excitement and joy in which I work. I am as in a theatre. The curtain is drawn. I am on stage and must act. My aim is Beauty, or Joy. My work is closer to comedy than to tragedy. I like to introduce qualities such as wit or humour. Strangely, the closer I get, the more difficult it becomes. But enlightenment comes without too much conscious thought. It comes as a surprise. I marvel at having done something that has never been done before. Joseph Plaskett, 2012
Joseph Plaskett is considered to be one of Canada’s most talented and established painters. In 2001, Plaskett was awarded The Order of Canada for excellence in the field of visual art. Since the 1940’s, he has had over 65 solo and group exhibitions, with paintings in major public, private and corporate collections, including the National Gallery of Canada. He has exhibited with the Bau-Xi Gallery, both in Vancouver and Toronto, since 1973. His chosen subjects have always been intimate expressions of everyday life – interiors, still life, and portraits of friends and models. This show will exhibit Plaskett’s most recent still life paintings.