Ken danby bobby orr biography

His brother, Marvin, four years his senior, displayed natural abilities and interest in creating art as a teenager, which he later set aside. Ken credits Marvin's early interest with inspiring his own. Their parents were very supportive when Ken's artistic skills expanded throughout his elementary years at Cody Public School, Ken Danbywhere he became known as "the school artist", and they soon became aware of the serious degree of his interest.

When he was ten years old, in Grade Six, he informed them that he wanted to become an artist, and that a guidance teacher had advised him of a school called the Ontario College of Art, where he could study art. Eight years later, inhe enrolled. Despite certain anxieties for their son's future, Gertrude and Edison resolved to continue their support for Ken's ambitions as he was unwavering in his determination.

Even when he quit the college two years later because of the college's emphasis on abstract art, he did so with a belief that it was the right decision for him. He spent the following three years experimenting with his art before settling on photorealism, inspired by the work of Andrew Wyeth, an American photorealist. His first one man show in sold out, setting an example that was often repeated.

Private, corporate and museum collectors responded enthusiastically to Danby's work and Danby was recognized as one of the world's foremost photorealist painters. Danby's work has been the subject of several books ranging from reference publications to biographies. When asked to identify his favourite work, his answer was consistently "my next one.

Your browser is too old. To use this website, please use Chrome or Firefox. Award winning Canadian artist Ken Danby collapsed and died while on a canoe trip Sept. The canoe party immediately summoned for help and attempted to assist him. Danby was taken by an air ambulance, which lowered two paramedics to the remote location, but despite that response, they were unable to save him.

He was born in Sault Ste. Marie inthe second son of Gertrude and Edison Danby. He always credited his brother, Marvin, four years his senior, for inspiring his interest in art. Retrieved 11 September Cuhaj; Thomas Michael 9 April Canadian Coin Digest. Mysteries of Ontario. Toronto StarMurray Whyte, Dec. The Hamilton Spectator. New York Times.

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Ken Danby. In some respects, he was the Canadian equivalent of popular American realist Andrew Wyeth. He staunchly remained a landscape painter when the subject was disparaged as a legitimate subject for serious art. It has since reacquired legitimacy. Although he made limited edition silkscreen prints, many of his images were mechanically reproduced in large-volume poster format.

His images adorned calendars and plates, not to mention such household items as wastepaper baskets.

Ken danby bobby orr biography: A self-taught artist born in

The sheer ubiquitousness of some of his images — At the Creasefor example — tended to turn them into banal visual cliches. In this respect, he shared much in common with Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman. Danby remained both defiant and unapologetic. A point can be made that Danby was unduly denigrated by the fine art establishment.

He mastered the temperamental technical demands of egg tempera, in addition to unforgiving watercolour and oil. Like Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, whom Danby knew and commemorated in paint, he gave iconic expression to Canada, both its landscape and its people. He painted the majesty of the Canadian Rockies and Niagara Falls, as well as southern England, Tuscany and the Caribbean where he vacationed.

But no landscape was closer to his heart than the landscape around his home, a beautifully renovated 19th century mill located just outside of Guelph. The Grand River and Elora Gorge remained recurrent images. Danby had no interest in mounting the pedestal of high art. He happily accepted a commission to produce images of Canadian Olympic athletes.

Danby remained an engaged resident in the larger community. He was celebrated in his hometown and he was embraced by Guelph. He once led a local crusade against a landfill site. Like many a good Canadian, Danby loved hockey and paid tribute to the sport through portraits of some of the greats including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky. I talked to Danby a number of times.

I visited his home, soaking up its pastoral splendour. I visited his studio, bustling with assistants working like bees in response to the commercial demands of his art. Danby was always a gentleman. Personable, with a sense of humour, he answered questions with thought and care. He was a serious artist and he was serious when discussing art.

But its simplicity points to something more complex.

Ken danby bobby orr biography: Danby, a long-time Wellington County resident,

Even when he explored other subjects and themes, he never abandoned landscape — even when contemporary landscape painting was dismissed by critics. Confident and defiant, Danby always stuck to his brushes irrespective of what the critics said. His reward has been the financial success that accompanies popularity with the public and collectors. Carrier Art Gallery are more a refocusing and reappraisal than a departure for Danby.

A little biography puts the new work in context. Danby was born and raised in Sault Ste. Although he returned home regularly, the landscape of northern Ontario remained curiously absent from his art, in contrast to the landscapes of southern Ontario and the Caribbean where he and his wife vacation. He suspects his reservations about depicting the North is connected to the tradition established by the Group of Seven and others.

Anyway, we all take for granted what is in our own backyard. I became excited and wanted to explore the imagery in more depth. His renewed interest in the North coincided with his designation as a Champion of the Great Lakes Heritage Coast, one of many public honours bestowed on Danby. I made many trips to Georgian Bay and Lake Superior, both on land and on the water.

Ken danby bobby orr biography: Danby later completed works on other

They are visual revelations that result from a process of absorption and distillation with the objective of making images more meaningful for viewers. It take nerve to tackle such a well-known image. That he makes it his his own is testament to his technical skills. The exhibition has only one egg tempera, in addition to two serigraphs and 22 watercolours and studies.

Rainbow Study is one of two watercolours Danby completed in preparation of Niagaraa large oil painting of the Canadian Falls. The studies were done so he could determine whether to include a rainbow over the falls — which he eventually incorporated in the major work. Since the oil was unavailable, Danby produced a digital print especially for the exhibition.

The fact that Danby decided the rainbow was essential raises the question of whether his work can be interpreted within a spiritual framework. Such a question might be disconcerting to an artist more comfortable discussing hockey than religion. However, the works on view raise the possibility of being animated by a spiritual impulse.

Of course rainbows are a natural phenomenon that can be scientifically explained. They also comprise a theme in the tradition of 19th century sublime landscape art. The inclusion of a rainbow might well be justified for formal or aesthetic reasons. Rainbows, however, have long been interpreted as religious imagery with their accompanying metaphorical and symbolic associations.