Op art, once popular in the 1960s, is riding the retro trend with the trippy work of emerging Canadian artist Rhys Douglas Farrell. His paintings create optical images and illusions through colour and shape, making detailed use of colour theory and paying particular attention to how line and shape affect our perception. More than mere nostalgia, Farrell’s deft geometric forms comment on the mentality of today’s digital world in which we are all forced to swim.
Recently, Farrell is experimenting with cutouts in the supports to allow the surface of his paintings to continue in an interaction with the wall. Farrell graduated from ACAD in 2015 with a BFA in Painting; he was awarded an ACAD painting scholarship in 2012. Farrell also took on the role of Representative for the Painting Department, and became Director of Quoin Gallery, the student art gallery at ACAD. Signed with a gallery when still a student, his first solo show was deemed a “Must See” by Canadian Art Magazine. Farrell’s work was also featured recently in a seven page spread in Branded Magazine, and is now featured in several private and corporate collections.
Solo exhibitions include: Optic, Herringer Kiss Gallery, HK INCUBATOR (2015); P230 1-5 P260 1-5, Marion Nicoll Gallery (2015). Group exhibitions include: Origin, 22nd Century Social Club, Museum of Contemporary Art (2012); Fridge Worthy, Alberta College of Art and Design (2014).
Rhys Douglas Farrell “Mirage”<
12″ x 20” Acrylic and Aerosol on Board
Silent Auction Lot #111
Fair Market Value $500