40" x 36" Oil on Panel 2024

Nick Rooney (b. 1989 Canada) Obtained his MA in Painting from the University of the Arts London, at the Camberwell College of Arts in London, England. Much of his early career was spent focusing on the craft of oil painting developing a contemporary art practice deeply rooted in art history. His current studio work and research now look at the relationship between the reductive formalism of geometric minimalism and the complexity of classical realism. He has had the opportunity to exhibit locally and internationally, having been selected to participate in the Saatchi Gallery’s exhibition London Grads Now. Nick Rooney now resides in Calgary, Alberta (Mohkínsstsisi), where he maintains a studio practice and instructs at the Alberta University of the Arts. His work is widely collected in both private and public collections most notably the BMO Centre and TC Energy.

"My painting practice focuses on the dialectic between realism and abstraction. I a interested in how painting as a visual language can produce such seemingly contradictory results, the convincing illusion of volumetric forms, and the extreme simplification of flat shapes. The resulting tension of combining classical realism with a minimalist geometric shape creates an opportunity to examine how we attach meaning to the objects and wildlife around us. The more one looks, the more disorienting the experience. The subjects in my work are void of background they are denied a stable footing in space, pulling away from their historical setting and context. Further, its relationship to abstract shapes sets up a dialogue that can make us think about how we experience pressure, weight, gravity, and light.