Shaun Downey

Home: Toronto, ON
Title: Sarah In Red and Blue
Media: Acrylic on wood panel
Dimensions: 20 x 20 cm
Website: www.shaundowney.com

Artist Statement

Sarah is an accomplished make up artist and fellow painter. I’ve always admired her dedication to her pursuits, and to the constant effort required to maintain a vintage aesthetic in her appearance. In this portrait I’ve tried to represent the sensitivity of her talents, balanced with the strength and determination she’s utilized to succeed in her creative life.

Biography

Born in 1978, Shaun spend his childhood in Oshawa, Ontario, before eventually studying Classical drawing and painting at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto, and Illustration at Sheridan College in Oakville. He first exhibited his paintings in 2003 at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and has since maintained a successful career, exhibiting his paintings in Canada and abroad.

In 2010, Shaun’s painting “Blue Coco” was accepted into the BP Portrait Award, and international portrait competition exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London England. The painting was also chosen as the lead advertising image, appearing on subway posters, catalogues, and a massive banner hung on the front of the National Portrait Gallery. Following a highly praised group exhibition in 2011 at the Robert Mclaughlin Gallery, Shaun’s painting “On the Stairs” was purchased for the gallery’s permanent collection in 2013.

Following successful solo exhibitions with Galerie de Bellefeuille in 2015, and with Bau-xi Gallery in 2017, Shaun had his premier U.S solo exhibition with Arcadia Gallery in 2018, widely considered one of the premier figurative galleries in the world.

Education

1998-2001 – Studied at the Academy of Realist Art Toronto
1999-2002 – Graduated from Sheridan College from the Interpretive Illustration program

Solo Exhibitions

2006 September Seventh, Ingram Gallery, Toronto.
2008 Superheroes, Fairy Tales and Naked Chicks, Ingram Gallery, Toronto.
2011 Blue Coco Fest, Engine Gallery, Toronto
2015 Recent Works, Galerie de Bellefeuille Montréal.
2017 Out of Town, Bau-xi Gallery, Toronto.
2018 Reflections, Arcadia Contemporary, Pasadena, California.