CASEY MCGLYNN | I AM THE HORSE
All Seeing Horse, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 60 inches
As he approaches 30 years of exhibiting his vernacular, street-influenced paintings in galleries and museums in Canada and the United States, Casey McGlynn returns to one of his earliest metaphors in his new collection I Am the Horse. Grazing and at rest, the horses appear in herds and as silhouettes, their interiors filled with a cacophony of symbols and color that bristle with a fervent, raw energy.
In several brightly colored, large-scale canvases, the artist delights in a dense visual palimpsest, with abundant references to aliens and spaceships, apartment buildings, tent encampments, animals (especially work horses), and blob-like human beings. The overall achievement is wonderfully idiosyncratic, as the paintings resemble giant panels of borderless comics.
I AM THE HORSE (Artist Statement)
When I was twenty five I did a painting of a sheep that changed the course of my life completely
I discovered my artistic voice with the image of the four legged animal
Those early works were also the first pieces I had ever sold and made me realize a career in painting was not only possible…it was happening unintentionally
Recently in a interview for a short documentary I make the declaration “I am the horse” in my work
The horses I paint are stocky solid working animals
I am a working class artist I grew up with factory workers for parents and I identify to the ethos of the working class
I am the horse
-- Casey McGlynn
Left to Right: Herd in Yellow Field, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches, Herd in Red Field, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Casey McGlynn’s paintings, often including collaged elements, are honest, vulnerable, and dynamic. Inspired by the early punk rock scene in Toronto, and a musician himself, McGlynn's connection to punk’s rejection of the mainstream is evident. Nevertheless, McGlynn’s rebellion remains approachable, posed as a question he continues to explore in his sensitive work.
McGlynn holds a Diploma from Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, ON. His work is shown across North America, including at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO; Alabama State Council of the Arts, Montgomery, AL; and SOFA Exhibition in Chicago, IL. McGlynn has received multiple awards, and was a guest lecturer at several universities including at Brock University, St. Catherines, ON.