ARTICLE

THE GWARTZ COLLECTION

Alt text: An acrylic painting of Gord Downie on a canvas measuring 48x48 inches (121x121cm), created in 2020. The painting captures the iconic Canadian musician and frontman of The Tragically Hip in a dynamic pose, with his head tilted back and arms outstretched as if in the midst of performing on stage.

We first met Paul Ygartua in 2004 at an annual craft show in Toronto. He was in the process of completing a 4×4 painting of the reggae legend, Bob Marley, which we instantly admired. Paul’s incredible talent and technique to compose his works are captivating. We found it fascinating how he used large brush strokes along with unconventional colours and shadowing to create the facial form of the portrait of this music icon. Paul’s command of the use of colour and form is brilliant, not only in his portraits but in his wide range of styles and genres.

We then commissioned Paul to create several more music Icons for the office to present a music theme for our patients. (Mick Jagger, James Brown, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Robert Plant, Jimi Hendrix, Jazz musicians, still life flowers, etc)

As the years moved forward, we continued to especially appreciate that Paul is more than just a portrait artist and obtained several landscapes, large abstract works, as well as more music legends. ( Portofino, Horse race, Abstract yellow, jazz musicians)

Paul’s works and themes are so varied and versatile by changing the brush style of the subject from fine detailed to wide brush strokes and curvilinear to geometric. This is his true passion to be innovative, creative and provoke the intrigue of the viewer.

Our most recent acquisitions include a portrait of the late Canadian music legend, Gord Downie at his last concert with the Tragically Hip in Kingston Ontario, as well as a full-length classic Jimi Hendrix guitar pose with splashes of colour, and another John Lennon portrait in a more impressionist style. These have further contributed to our appreciation of Paul’s acumen, skill and mastery of his art form.

Mark and Florence Gwartz

Oakville, Ontario