Paul Brandejs
Paul Brandejs was born in the Czech Republic, immigrating to Canada as a child. He studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts, where he was granted several scholarships that enabled him to study with Ilda Lubane. Lubane had a profound impact on Brandejs’ work.
After studying Fine Art at the Ontario College of Art, he spent a year in Florence, studying under Canadian figurative artist Tom LaPierre.
Paul is based in Toronto and is a member of the Artists’ Network and Gallery 1313. He sits on the board of Artist’s Network. His work in included in private collections in Canada, U.S.A., France and Czech Republic.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Postmodern art has a fixation on absolute contrasts; photography and painting, abstract and representation, and conceptual and practical. My study is a dismantling of these conventional categories through the integration of elements found within sculpture, painting, and photography.
The sculpted canvases are handmade and unique to each artwork. The structural forms fragment the frame and instill movement, disrupting the conventional geometric configuration of wall-mounted artwork.
Each piece is a deconstruction of the surrounding environment, as the structural form of the canvas abstracts the natural lines within. My investigation into the tradition of Canadian art, the unadulterated beauty of the physical world, and resonating passing memory, results in an attempt to communicate the grandeur and fragility of nature.
Paul Brandejs was born in the Czech Republic, immigrating to Canada as a child. He studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts, where he was granted several scholarships that enabled him to study with Ilda Lubane. Lubane had a profound impact on Brandejs’ work.
After studying Fine Art at the Ontario College of Art, he spent a year in Florence, studying under Canadian figurative artist Tom LaPierre.
Paul is based in Toronto and is a member of the Artists’ Network and Gallery 1313. He sits on the board of Artist’s Network. His work in included in private collections in Canada, U.S.A., France and Czech Republic.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Postmodern art has a fixation on absolute contrasts; photography and painting, abstract and representation, and conceptual and practical. My study is a dismantling of these conventional categories through the integration of elements found within sculpture, painting, and photography.
The sculpted canvases are handmade and unique to each artwork. The structural forms fragment the frame and instill movement, disrupting the conventional geometric configuration of wall-mounted artwork.
Each piece is a deconstruction of the surrounding environment, as the structural form of the canvas abstracts the natural lines within. My investigation into the tradition of Canadian art, the unadulterated beauty of the physical world, and resonating passing memory, results in an attempt to communicate the grandeur and fragility of nature.
$300.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
26x13x2.25"
Hutě — Sketch #2 is one of the sketches in the Hutě series I'm working on triggered by my trip to the Czech Republic last August. And as I walked through through the decommissioned steelworks, just outside of Ostrava a city in the north of Moravia, I decided to capture the memory from my childhood. I recall when the night sky would turn red as the steelworks were throwing out the red hot slag. Looking at what is now a museum and entertainment center I decided to capture that memory.
$300.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
26x15x2.25"
While walking through the decommissioned steelworks, just outside of Ostrava a city in the north of Moravia, Czech Republic, I ran across this magnificent derelict building calling to me from the times gone by. I recall, from my childhood, when the night sky would turn red as the steelworks were throwing out the red hot slag. And as I walked through what is now a museum and entertainment center I decided to capture that memory. This is a Sketch/study for a future painting.
$6,500.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
67x48x6"
The fourth painting in the "Hutě" series of my fragmented memories of remembrance of my childhood. Coming upon this huge derelict structure, in the huge industrial heritage site with its abandoned furnaces, I wondered what ghosts were roaming behind the dark windows.
The sculpted canvases are handmade and unique to this artwork. It is Mixed Media through the integration of elements found within sculpture, painting, and photography. The two media used are acrylic and digital printing.
$5,000.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
49x54x4.50"
"Hutě—Let it flow" is the second painting from a series I’m working on, called “Hutě”. It is the memories from my childhood when I was growing up in the Czech Republic in north Moravia in the city called Havířov. What I remember vividly are the nights when the steelworks were throwing out the red hot slag and the night sky glowed red and orange through my widow, although this was 10 to 15 kilometers away. This painting, just like the previous one, is Mixed Media, photography, and acrylic on shaped canvas. Size: 54 x 49 x 5 inches, 137 x 124 x 13 cm.
$5,000.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
49x54x5.50"
"Hutě—Delivered" is the third painting from a series I’m working on, called “Hutě”. It is the memories from my childhood when I was growing up in the Czech Republic in north Moravia in the city called Havířov. What I remember vividly are the nights when the steelworks were throwing out the red hot slag and the night sky glowed red and orange through my widow, although this was 10 to 15 kilometers away. This painting, like the previous one, is Mixed Media, photography, and acrylic on shaped canvas. Size: 54 x 49 x 5.25 inches, 137 x 124 x 13 cm.
$5,500.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
61x53x5"
This is the first painting in a series I’m working on, called “Hutě”. It is the memories from my childhood when I was growing up in the Czech Republic in north Moravia in the city called Havířov. This was a city built for miners and steel workers that were employed in the region. What I remember vividly are the nights when the steelworks were throwing out the red hot slag and the sky turned red and orange in my widow although this was 10 to 15 kilometers away. This one is called, Hutě — Hutě-Come in, it's Open. It is Mixed Media, photography, and acrylic on shaped canvas.
$5,500.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
61x42x5"
This painting is my next step toward a minimalistic approach to my work. I'm looking at my photo and cutting it down to the main subject, the lone tree. As support, I wanted just pure clean, and flat color. To achieve this I had to airbrush my background. Due to the size and airbrushing, I had to work outside in my backyard. This ended up being challenging. Usually, I'm not worried about things falling into the paint as I work outside a lot, but this time I needed a clean environment. I was amazed at the amount of my dog hare that was in the air and at one point my dog managed to walk across the canvas as it was drying on the ground. Thankfully I was able to take out the prints and with 20 more coats, there is no trace of my dog's handy work—just mine.
$3,000.00
Acrylic and photography on sculpted canvas.
24x46x4"
If you are in nature, this crane is our companion. Sometimes seen majestically soaring across the river or just sitting patiently in hiding waiting for a meal. Hiding in Plain Sight is another piece in my Companion Series.
$4,000.00
Photography and acrylic on sculpted canvas.
41x34x4.50"
The inaugural piece of The Companion Series was inspired by the family dog.
The moments that you are forced to leave a pet behind are the hardest. Even though your return is imminent, the feeling of longing is reciprocated.
$3,500.00
Acrylic and photography on sculpted canvas.
27x44x4.50"
This is a tribute piece to Emily, a rescue with a gentle soul and a heart of gold who became a central part of the family. Very much missed, she is never forgotten.
$3,500.00
Acrylic and photography on sculpted canvas.
28x44x4"
Inspired by our pet’s mischievous nature of walking on my unfinished canvases. I attempted to recreate the paw prints in a controlled manner through repeated experimentation and bribery (cat treats). The impressions left on this canvas reflect the impressions our companions leave with us.