Casey McGlynn

I Will Stay In Here For A While is part of Casey McGlynn's body of work from his 2021 exhibition, Landing In The Crow's Nest. Says the artist, his work documents "going through big changes in life and trying to record the process clearly[...] I am exploring the idea of change; going back to a home of origin; realizing those foundational relationships in life [and] seeing if you are where you want to be in life." 

Like many artists, Casey McGlynn first began exploring his creativity as a child, drawing for hours, already beginning to develop what would become his robust, recognizable visual language. McGlynn’s paintings, often including collaged elements, are honest, vulnerable, and dynamic, often depicting himself or those close to him through representative symbols like whales, birds, elephants, horses, and a large man in red. The artist balances his angst with humour, shares stories from his life, and often includes written words that read like diary entries on his canvases. Inspired by the early punk rock scene in Toronto, ON,  and a musician himself, it’s easy to see the connection McGlynn feels to punk’s rejection of the mainstream. But McGlynn’s rebellion is approachable, posed as a question he continues to explore in his sensitive work.