Halifax Artist Mark Grantham

Mark Grantham - Nova Scotia Artist

In our post-wedding haze, we almost completely forgot about one of the best local features of our attempt at a Local Wedding – artist Mark Grantham.

We met Mark at the Seaport Market (@hfxseaportmrkt) back in February and fell in love with his NS inspired watercolour prints.  We decided to purchase post cards to use as wedding invites. Rather than choose a single image, we went with a mix of our favourite NS destinations.  Mark himself was lovely. He happily obliged us by bringing in extra ‘summer’ shots as we raided his collection three weeks in a row.

Jenna Conter recently reviewed Mark’s work in the Metro Halifax.  Below is her article on his newest collection, titled Reverie.

Artist Turns Mundane into the Truly Magnificent:
By Jenna Conter (@jennaboutown) (Originally published in the Halifax Metro)

A cool $120 million shelled out for Edvard Munch’s The Scream, $87 million for Mark Rothko’s Orange, Red, Yellow — I guess what recent art auctions have taught us is when you can’t rely on the stock market, the best place to secure a return on your investment is to dive wallet-first into the art world.

Unfortunately that level of financial success is always achieved post-mortem, a sentiment local artists, like Mark Grantham, try not to harp on.

“It amazes me to think that so often it’s work from painters who didn’t have the popularity during their lifetimes,” he said. “It’s a little unfortunate.”

Grantham sits beside me at Studio 21, where a preview of his latest collection, Reverie, will take place on Thursday night inside gallery one.

Grantham first dabbled in art when he was young. Hellbent and educated to lead a life as an architect, Grantham feels fortunate to be able to support himself through his art.

“I feel so grateful to earn my living with the same activity I did as a kid for fun,” he said. “I know there are a lot of artists that can’t.”

Grantham’s work sheds an interesting light on the mundane and ordinary — literally.

“My work often has to do with quality of light — it might be a particular street and the sun is just right — that’s what captivates me and makes me want to paint,” he said.

Grantham’s heart is filled with passion while his brain works on the business. A long-time Seaport Market favourite, Grantham sells smaller prints and postcards of his original work.

“Not everyone has the money to purchase an original, so to make my work more accessible I’ve adapted and have always supplied the public with smaller reproductions,” he explains.

The sale of his works will commence at noon this Friday at Studio 21 Fine Art.

Exhibition

Mark Grantham’s exhibition Reverie previews on Thursday and runs until June 18 at Studio 21 Fine Art.

There are 16 new works in Grantham’s 17th annual solo exhibition.

The works range from Canadian rainy city scapes to sun- drenched countryside scenes to snow-filled shots of suburbia.

To see the original article, with photos, click here.  Want to see the art in person? There are still a few days to catch his most recent exhibit at Studio 21.

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The Local Traveler

Two travellers' tales of finding adventure on the East Coast. This blog is dedicated to the best parts of travel, and to discovering, celebrating and promoting things to do in our corner of the world, and sometimes beyond. We especially love craft beer, day trips, romantic escapes, local food & hidden gems. Join our community on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and share tips and photos of your favourite East Coast adventures.

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