Gregg Allan McGivern

Gregg Allan McGivern is a Toronto based, prolific, Multi-Disciplined artist with interests in Painting, Drawing, Assemblage, Metalsmithing, Model Making, Textile Art and notably Wood Burning. He is known as an experimental artist and combines these disciplines as well as constantly utilizing various substrates, materials and mediums to create art. He is an outsider, self-taught artist and considers himself a serial artist, as he usually creates 5 to 10 pieces in a group. He has sold over 2000 pieces mainly to local collectors as well as others, in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Gregg is a senior member and instructor at Workman Arts and belongs to variety of art organizations and websites.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Way back in high school my art teacher told me that if I never take art again that he would pass me. So for the last thirty or so years I had no interest in creating art, however, I did enjoy and appreciate viewing the masters. Then about 15 years ago, after many years of meditation and exoteric spiritual teachings, I had somewhat of a spiritual awakening that resulted in opening up my crown and sacral chakras that are energy systems of the body that govern different characteristics. The sacral chakra is known for creativity and now that it was fully open my creativeness was overflowing. My spiritual awakening was somewhat of a textbook experience that lasted very strongly for over three months and apparently, as the Kundalini was forced, I ended up with a chronic pain disorder that eventually placed me on a disability pension Most of my life I have had clinical depression and addiction issues and now I found myself passionately attached to something positive that somehow had balanced my addictive personality and opened up a huge stagnant area of my life, that being a deep appreciation and yearning to create art in many forms.
After my wife had purchased some cheap dollar store paints and canvases, I started painting like crazy and found myself with my first body of work. To my surprise people were interested in purchasing the pieces, so shortly thereafter, I had my first art show. Two years later I sold my first "real" painting to a collector in Paris, France and that is when I felt like a true artist. So after 15 years and over 2000 pieces of art created and most pieces sold on a yearly basis by street busking, real and online galleries, I find myself living somewhat a life of a bohemian visual artist and loving every minute of it.