Robert LEMAYPrevious ArtistNext Artist

Light is the focus of all my work. I like the simple beauty of everyday objects. They evoke whole worlds and universes when placed upon a table. The flowers and fruits of still life recur over and over through the history of art because they are life affirming objects of contemplation. I’m interested in how we look at a thing, an apple, a swatch of fabric, drapery, or the light on a table, now, as compared to, say, how Cezanne painted an apple, or how Dali painted bread, or how Manet painted lilacs, or how Cotan painted a melon. My paintings seek to intensely look, to delve into an understanding of the nature of seeing, and to record a few of the infinite combinations possible on a table, well lit.

Born: 1961, Calgary, Alberta

Education:

  • 1984
    • Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.

Recent Group Exhibitions:

  • 1999
    • Denise Bibro Fine Arts, New York City,
      “New Talent Invitational”
    • Prairie Regional Art Gallery, Grande Prairie, AB
      “Six Degrees of Separation”
  • 1998
    • Muttart Public Art Gallery, Calgary, Calgary, AB
      “Still Life”

Selected Exhibitions:

  • 2000
    • Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB
  • 1998
    • Hollander York Gallery, Toronto, Ont.
    • Douglas Udell Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.
    • Muttart Public Art Gallery, Calgary, AB.
  • 1997
    • Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB.
  • 1996
    • Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.
  • 1995
    • Hollander York Gallery, Toronto, Ont.
    • Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB.
  • 1994
    • Douglas Udell Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.
    • Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB.
    • Hollander York Gallery, Toronto, Ont.
  • 1993
    • Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.
  • 1992
    • Woltjen/Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.
  • 1991
    • Wallace Galleries, Calgary, AB.
  • 1989
    • Woltjen/Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.
  • 1988
    • Woltjen/Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.
  • 1987
    • Woltjen/Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB.

Public Collections :

  • Alberta Art Foundation
  • Alberta Energy
  • Alberta Treasury Branch
  • Bennett, Jones, Verchere
  • Canada Council Art Bank
  • Canadian Embassy: Bejing, China; Canberra, Australia
  • Chevron Oil
  • Edmonton City Hall
  • Foreing AffairsInterprovincial Pipelines
  • Lethbridge Regional Hospital
  • Norcen Resources
  • Ocelot Energy
  • Shaw Communications
  • Suncor Energy
  • Westin Hotels

Awards:

  • Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant: l989, l990.
  • Alberta Foundation for the Arts Projects Grant, l996.

Bibliography:

  • (Anonymous). "Robert Lemay: Unexpected Views". Hospital District 24 Annual Report, (1988/1989).
  • Beauchamp, Elizabeth. "Summer Candid Pictures Can Lift Winter Mood." Edmonton Journal, (December 2, 1989).
  • Beauchamp, Elizabeth. "Artist Follows Cezanne's Example." Edmonton Journal, (May 11, 1992).
  • Faulder, Liane. "Time is Frozen in a Painter's Still Life Studies." Edmonton Journal December 8, 1993).
  • Ilcisin, Ken. "U of A Artist takes inspiration from old masters." Vue Magazine (October 25, 1996).
  • Mandel, Charles. "Still-life’s showing so conventional it's unconventional." Edmonton Journal, (January 26, 1996).
  • Morcos, Gamila. Entry in: Dictionnaire des Auteurs Francophones de l'Ouest, 1995.
  • Pilger, Rick. "Imagery." New Trail Magazine, (Summer, 1989).
  • Sosnowski, Vivienne. "87 The Year That Hardly Was." Edmonton Journal, (December 26, 1987).