Fertilizer Painting by Ian McLean

I paint with oil. It is a medium with an enormous history but I like to coax and cajole and use it to render images that are at once irreverent and laden with subtext. I like moments in painted surfaces that can be alluring, impulsive, seductive, and irrational. I want the viscosity of the medium to reveal passages of control and chaos all the while evoking a sense of beauty and ambiguity in a sea of paint. My recent work explores relationships between social and natural worlds. The environments are sometimes familiar but are usually imagined places. At all times, these images suggest efforts to contain, control, manipulate, or avoid circumstances of nature as evidenced in highly groomed and domesticated environments. The implied narratives usually reflect a deep-seated desire for comfort or beauty or distraction. Based in Ontario, Canada, I have exhibited widely at several public and commercial galleries. I am a recipient of Ontario Arts Council Mid-Career Visual Artist Grants and my work is found in collections across Canada and internationally. I work as an art instructor.