RHYTHM and PLAY

Vas Farkavec

September 2014

Several of Farkavec's acrylic paintings are composed of unique colour combinations presented in amorphous or geometrical shapes. Some of those shapes morph into schematic portrayals of humans and animals sitting, standing or moving in a non-representational space. The expression of movement is enhanced in other paintings where rapid gesture drawings, executed in black ink, are embedded in the painterly composition. At first glance the drawings look like free-form scribbles born out of a child’s imagination. A closer look reveals a series of quirky bodies and faces, expressing mood and character. These loosely sketched drawings overlap and interact with the flow of random paint strokes, and add rhythm and whimsy to the composition. Farkavec’s creative openness and wicked sense of humor also comes to play in his fantastic series of futuristic architectural drawings of cities and high rises. Strange and bizarre, these cartoon-like scenarios of urban life evoke stories that relate to the human experience.

The playful and whimsical style of Farkavec’s paintings is also reflected in the titling of each piece, such as Leg-a-Sea or Sumo Ballerinas. This further reveals a poet who looks upon the world with humor and contemplation.

Born in the Ukraine, Vas Farkavec immigrated to Canada from the Czech Republic in the late 1970s. First he lived and worked in Winnipeg, then in Toronto, and for the last 12 years he has called Ayton in West Grey his home. There he works out of his studio as an artist and home designer.
www.farkavecart.ca