william meire's 'Face of Canada'
History – William’s ‘Face of Canada’ project started at the end of 2009 with lead up to the 2010 Olympics. He started a small Oil portrait series he called ‘the great Canadian’s’. His intention at that time was to honor the Great Canadians that had directly affected his life. He started with the ‘Group of Seven’ for obvious reasons and created these first small portraits in his direct, Candid style using old photos as his reference. Many of these small, original Candid portraits will be on display this Canada Day at Canada Place.
Olympics Inspiration - As William’s ‘group of seven’ portraits were nearing completion the 2010 Olympics came to Vancouver and William was overwhelmed with the incredible feeling of Canadian National pride he felt. When Team Canada won the final hockey game to end the 2010 Olympics, William was at Granville and Robson being automatically moved along with the throng of euphoric Canadians. The feeling in the streets of Vancouver was so incredibly positive and William was suddenly overwhelmed with the idea for the complete ‘Face of Canada’ project! It was in this proud, powerful energy that William decided to commit his life and all his artistic energy to honoring the most important Canadians of all time.
William’s 'Face of Canada' was now to be dramatically expanded from Canadian’s who directly affected William’s life to all the very greatest Canadian personalities of all time. Research began and William was very surprised and impressed with the immensity and scale of important Canadian’s who have helped define and shape our nation. He discovered Sir Frederick Banting who created Insullin and has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide. The strongman Louis Cyr who could pull a locomotive with his teeth and reportedly bared the weight of twenty men on his back. Recent heros such as Terry Fox who ran across our country and raised over 500 million dollars for cancer research.
Scientist and Humanitarian David Suzuki. The studio mogul Jack Warner of Warner Bros. “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford, one of silent film’s most important actresses, was a Canadian! Then he found out all of the Pop culture personalities and rock stars that were Canadian. Jack Kerouac, leader of the ‘Beat’ movement, Neil Young, Rush’s Geddy Lee, BTO, Brian Adams. Sports greats, Nancy Greene, Wayne Gretzky, Donovan Bailey, Bobby Orr. Jazz Legend, Oscar Peterson! Movie Stars Keanu Reeves, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, Rachel McAdams. Pop Icon, Pamela Anderson. Female vocalists Sarah Mclachlan, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Nelly Furtado. TV greats Raymond Burr, Lorne Greene, Michael J Fox. Comedians, John Candy and Jim Carrey. TV Network anchors, Peter Jennings and Morley Safer. And the list goes on and on!
As William's research continued, the list of internationaly well-known Canadian personalities in all categories hit over 500! What a project! Now this was a dream life project for any artist and, without even telling a soul, William started painting the Face of Canada with a life goal of painting every single notable Canadian in his candid portrait style. As 2011 marks the 144th birthday of our nation he decided on that number as an initial goal to create by Canada Day, July 1st 2011. Over 100 paintings of William's Face of Canda project will be on display under the sails on Canada day at Canada Place July 1, 2011.
My Path
"Striving for Artistic mastery is the one and only path for me in this life. I am a father, a son and a friend but without my painting, I execute none of these other personages well. If there is a day when I don’t draw or paint, I feel deficient; as if I forgot to do something very important. I believe that I’ve been given a chance – my life – to do this one thing well. I’m here to create works of art; to paint each day as if it is my last.
I’ve travelled the globe studying the Masters in the hopes of unveiling lessons to which I am yet unaware. Looking close and deep into a canvas created by Rembrandt, Turner, Monet, Sorolla, Singer Sargent or Fechin, I see the progression - the passing on of knowledge from artist to artist - from century to century. I drink in the lessons each successive work is willing to reveal. It sometimes takes hours in a trance like awe before the lesson absorbs into my mind. Other times the process is instantaneous. Once I find these subtle teachings from the past I work them out in my studio until, after sometimes dozens of destroyed canvases, I figure out what these Master Artists had discovered all those many years before.
When I incorporate this newly discovered lesson into my next work, the added knowledge invariably leads me to yet another brand new vista of possibilities. New colour combinations, a new way to use the knife or brushes, a new under-painting absorption rate or revealed effect. This new Key may last me for a day or for a year but once it is exhausted I must return to the Masters of the past for yet another small Key to push my work to the next level. I go off on each journey with the constant dream of adding something new - something great - to this timeless school of human artistic endeavour."
William Meire
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