Bear on Floe Sculpture

Biography of Dennisjames Partington partingtondennis@gmail.com 514 694-2488 Dennisjames Partington resides in Montreal since arriving from England in 1975. As a child in England was told he had no artistic ability, but he discovered his potential of creativity by showing a constant ability in designing mechanical objects. Later he found himself busy in making furniture, building construction and creating water gardens. Trained as a engineering designer, Dennisjames (DJ) was able over the years, to visualize, plan and achieve with success many engineering projects. Having a lifetime of acquired technical skills, he used them to create artistic works. Introduced to the Cedars Cancer Art Therapy group by a fellow cancer survivor in 2016, DJ was encouraged to participate in artistic projects. In this therapeutic environment, he rediscovered his keen interest and his broad artistic potential. Having cancer and depression, art created for him a pathway to cope, and to deal with the debilitating effects of those diseases. Art still enables him to experience a different place where his mind can focus on the here and now and not the future. Initially he applied his artistic skills into eclectic techniques . His efforts resulted in exploring many different media ranging from steam punk, reused recycled art, metal art, sketching and paintings. It was only later that DJ discovered stones and they inspired him to create minimalist sculptures that flowed out of his imagination. Rodin, Moore and Inuit sculptors are artists that motivate his creative process. It is by making sculptures that DJ can find an inner balance and a settled mind. DJ meets challenges through experimenting with different techniques' to carve stones. Through the medium of (non finito) he explores the representations of the female figures and of animals. In his imagination, another composition is always arising. An imagination that is stimulated by other artworks, by travels, by observations of the world around him. This is how artistic work became integrated in his daily life. As a self-taught artist, DJ participated in several collective exhibitions promoting art-therapy. Last year, he realized his first solo exhibition. It was a very gratifying experience to share and communicate his love for sculptures. (See attached exhibitions list). He conducted several art workshops in creating miniature sculptures with recycled materials.