Finger presses the pause button on wooden cubes. Canadian Art Junkie is on a break. In the meantime, enjoy browsing the popular posts or use the categories list to discover new artists. See you in mid-October.

Over the last year, artist Maggee Day has developed a daily practice of drawing, making quick sketches of what catches her attention—a pile of toys, objects left on a table after friends have gone home, containers gathered while starting a garden. Gardener, 2026, Oil on canvas, Diptych, Each panel: 72” x 54”, Total dimensions: 72” x 108” Day's bold, new paintings are at Vancouver's Equinox Gallery in…

Nostalgic, ghostly and accurate, Andrew Valko's drive-in series is captivating. Memories anyone? See more on his website, here (Below - a sampling from his drive-in series click image to go to page) Andrew Valko (b. 1957, Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Canadian artist known for his meticulously detailed paintings and printmaking. He immigrated to Canada in 1968 and later earned a Diploma in Graphic Design and Applied Arts from Red River Community College in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

This title comes from the Instagram account that features photos of laundry on the line, a surprisingly satisfying place to browse. These are examples of some of the sketchbook pages that match its magic. (source) Sarah Quarella "saw the picture on @clotheslinespoetry page and knew I had to draw it.Clothes are always a challenge for me... I will keep practicing." …

Joe Coffey, "Visitation From a Valkyrie", oil on canvas, 2026, 40 x 57 in Joe Coffey (b: 1966) is a contemporary Canadian painter best known for his highly realistic yet theatrical paintings of animals. Ted in Orange, oil on canvas, 2022, 36 x 44.75 in "Rather than depicting wildlife in a purely naturalistic way, he uses animals as expressive characters that explore human emotion, personality, and storytelling," says Mayberry Fine Art, which represents him.

Wereldse Duinen, Soesterduinen with map pieces from around the world, 40 x 60 cm Anna Belleforte trained as an architect but her first loves were drawing and maps. So she eventually started creating imagined places with materials like old maps that have real histories.  Undeniably Connected, acrylic and acrylic-tinted paper maps (Canada) on canvas, 100 x 100 cm Human brains are hardwired to recognize patterns.

Wherever there are protests, there are artists telling the story. These sketchbook pages are a few examples of their interpretations. Sketch artists who capture protests on the spot have been a fact of life for decades. Above, from the 2014 immigration protests in Murrieta, California by Los Angeles artist Mike Sheehan. Above and below, Cathy Raingarden has numerous examples on…

Sahar Manri is a Toronto-based artist whose vivid, colorful paintings reflect her passion for animals and nature. Living in the Moment, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 x 1.5 in With a background in graphic design, art, and environmental planning, Manri creates vibrant depictions of animals in geometric forms. Above: One of the paintings in a series inspired by dogwalkers in a winter park.

Ailene Vrana MacDougall's mixed-media paintings draw inspiration from travel, architecture, her love of colour, and the emotional memory of place. Lisbon tram Working in acrylic, collage, graphite, oil pastel, and mixed media, MacDougall creates layered abstract compositions, viewable in a solo exhibition in Toronto this summer. Beach Through layered colour, circular forms, and transparent structures, her work explores the interplay between movement and balance.

Bucharest-based artist Cristian Blesnoc says his work lives somewhere between graphic design and illustration , "symbolic, a little rough, always intentional." His creative ideas begin in his sketchbook. I try to come up with things that seem off and weirdly pleasing... but I always feel that in the back of my mind I pull influences from a lot of the things I get as input...

Zhan Zhang is a Toronto-based artist known for the otherworldly quality of her soft sculptures. Pieces of my Minds, paper, 2025, 10.16 × 12.70 × 10.16 cm Zhang works with paper, fabric and found objects, producing unique cut-out art. Pieces of My Minds, Japanese Paper Version, 2025, 30 × 30 × 4 cm (Above, from Instagram and below from Instagram) See her bio on her website here On Instagram

The McCord Stewart Museum traces 150 years of Mount Royal Park’s history through 50 archival images drawn from the museum's collections. Alexander Henderson, Snowshoers on Mount Royal, 1879. McCord Stewart Museum, MP-0000.261.3 The park’s design follows the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted—the landscape architect also behind New York’s Central Park. Mount Royal has been a natural refuge at the heart of Montreal since 1876.

Florence (Mouette) Sabatier, a freelance illustrator and graphic designer in Montreal, captures personal memories in acrylic gouache. This one was in a stable on PEI where the deep red soil truly contrasts with the green of the land and the blue of the water. Being around horses always makes me so happy and it was so peaceful as well I’m glad to have a souvenir - …

Internationally acclaimed artist Joan Jonas is on exhibition in We come from the sea, an immersive multisensory installation that pays homage to the beauty, biodiversity, and vulnerability of oceans. Jonas performing in the immersive exhibition when it was in Venice The exhibition reflects years of research, performance, and filmmaking in the waters of Jamaica and Nova Scotia, and in aquariums around the world.

This exhibition of work by artist Pavlo Bovdur explores the quiet emotional landscapes that emerge after dark. Between Home and Nowhere, acrylic on canvas, 2026 36 x 48 in (91.4 x 121.9 cm) Snow-covered streets, empty roads, late night cafés, parked cars, glowing windows, rain, and drifting fog become more than familiar scenes; they become spaces where memory, silence, and imagination meet.

Lithuanian illustrator and art director A. Bran filled his sketchbooks with symbols, inspired by the 1966 classic "Design as Art," by Bruno Munari. The book became a bible after the Italian artist set out his ideas for visual, graphic and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use everyday - from lamps, road signs, typography, posters, books, to chairs.

This mosaic by Montreal artist Laurence Petit is Crépuscule de Janvier (Glass, Ceramic on Wood Panel, 2026, 24 × 24 in). It's part of Oeno Gallery's summer exhibition (see more here / see detail in video below) The finely cut glass and ceramic pieces that make up this work are rendered in a fresh, modern palette of blues, yellow, melon, pink and white.

Kaitlin Johnson is a contemporary Canadian abstract painter known for dramatic, colorful abstract and floral paintings. Above, Venturing into the Mulberries acrylic on canvas, 42" x 45." Soft and Saturated, acrylic on canvas, 24"x24 Her practice draws inspiration from nature, travel, and everyday observations, creating works that balance spontaneity, texture, and expressive colour combinations.

Shivam Choudhary's colour-saturated sketches provide a glimpse of his superb storytelling ability as a children's book illustrator and animator. "I love creating images that feel lived-in rather than polished, art that carries emotion, atmosphere, and a sense of presence," the India-based artist says. Choudhary says his inspiration comes from everyday experiences: "conversations, streets, music, films, old photographs, changing light, and the strange tenderness of being human."

Celebrated artist and designer Geoff McFetridge is on solo exhibition in Grasslands with new paintings carrying references to the landscapes of Western Canada. Grassland (for Alberta), 2026, Oil and gesso on canvas, 31.25" X 41.25" X 2.25" / 79.37 cm X 104.77 cm X 5.71 cm While rooted in observations of the everyday, the works in Grasslands carry traces of the vast horizons and spatial sensibilities of the Canadian prairies where McFetridge was raised.

There are some big Canadian names in this group show, including revered photographer Edward Burtynsky, painter and printmaker John Hartman, and the beloved Georgian Bay painter Ann MacIntosh Duff. The exhibition runs at the respected Toronto contemporary gallery through August 8, 2026. See more on the exhibition and all artists here. Above, a new painting by the multidisciplined Tom Wilson Tehohàhake (Bear, 2026, oil on panel, 48 x 72 1/4 in.) His…

Are you sometimes immobilized by the blank page? Carlotta Klee’s sketchbook exercises are simple and flexible activities that are motivations to take pen or brush in hand. She’s a talented illustrator. So, have a closer look at this Berlin-based atist's approach. Below: Cakes, made from blobs. See this Instagram reel explaining it. (She also runs a "Lazy Sketchbook" club here…

This is a prime example of how exhibitions can be more accessible, not to mention creative. Conceived in the spirit of a summer reunion, One in a Million marks the 40th anniversary of Expo 86 and looks back at a pivotal moment in Vancouver’s history: a city on display, full of optimism, spectacle, and public energy, just before monumental changes reshaped the landscape of the Lower Mainland, says Gallery 881.

Ukaliusat, 2019. Arctic cotton grass, 200 × 150 × 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist Bolatta Silis-Høegh Quillaniq is a groundbreaking exhibition showing contemporary artists from across the Arctic, the largest cicumpolar exhibition ever assembled. Hannah Tooktoo, Saimavik, 2025. Acrylic on canvas, 121.9 × 152.4 cm. National Gallery of Canada. Running through September, 2026, the exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada features works by more than 70 Indigenous artists from Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Siberia and Sápmi.

The creativity of artists who use sketchbooks, journals and even commercial datebooks to create calendars is always inspirational. These examples stand out. From A Wonderful Sheep Above, calendar-izing a beloved leather journal. See the whole story here. source North Carolina middle school art teacher Grace Boros creates monthly calendars like the one above. See the full reel on gracabo.art…

Vicki Smith, One and the Same, 40 X 36 in., Oil on Canvas  Toronto based artist Vicki Smith invites viewers into a contemplative world where stillness, presence, and self-awareness emerge through her luminous waterscapes and floating figures. Peace and Plants, 54 X 48 in., Oil on Canvas Works in her solo exhibition at Bau-Xi Vancouver are rooted in the belief that painting is a form of meditation.

One of the pleasures of daily art browsing in this country is the superb Art Canada Institute site, which produces full-length, downloadable books on Canadian artists, endless features and excellent newletters, like this one. See the full Art Canada Instistute newletter article here (PDF). The piece features examples of the sports related images of nine Canadian artists including one of my all-time favourite works, …

Who knew sardines were having a moment? Maybe it's the popularity of travel to Portugal, or rising consumer appetite for the tiny, epipelagic* fish.  These sketchbook examples show how artists are interpreting the trend. Story of a sardine, from artist/designer Abhijathajay based in Kochi, Inia Artist Remi Jeffrey-Croker Acreated "a sketchbook moment for all the colorful sardine cans and Portuguese tiles." View the…

This exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver traces the evolution of Gu Xiong’s artistic practice and the major influences that defined it. The artist in 2026 in front of his performance installation, Enclosures (1989-2026) Born in Chongqing, China and based in Vancouver, BC, Gu spent time as a labourer during the Cultural Revolution, faced challenges as a Canadian immigrant, built an academic career as a professor at UBC, and explored global migration—all the while committing to his artistic practice.

Tanya Besedina is a Latvian- Ukrainian-Canadian sculptor based in Toronto who works primarily with translucent porcelain and has a growing reputation for her mixed media installations. Above, from her Soulcases series, which combines sculptural porcelain art and vintage suitcases to explore identity, memory, and the spiritual journey of the soul. (Below, from the 2026 Artist Project, where it was a featured installation - more…

Crowds, and the closeup of faces, are an endless subject for artists, and these executions of the theme are today's inspiration. Cherie Altea, aka Jar of Salt A personal favourite (below), by an Inuk artist from Canada's North (Kinngait, the centre of Inuit art). The drawing was on exhibition at the Marion Scott gallery, here. Ningiukulu Teevee

Michele Macdonald's curiosity of colour and form adds unique dynamism to her glaze-making. "My ceramic work is wheel thrown and my glazes and slips are developed and made in my home studio,"Macdonald says. "The surface images are created with hand painting stained slips with a paper resists, then a matte glaze often with a wax resist and a glossy glaze on the interior."

Perfect for Canada Day, Charles Pachter (1942) is one of the country's most collected and beloved artists. His stylish Canadian images are instantly identifiable, especially his flags, moose and rural landscapes. Charles Pachter, Baywatch, 2012 Rendered with sharp colour and bold graphics, this is Pop Art in the classic sense, made within (and for) a specifically Canadian context - Heffel…

These are the colours that artist Alexia Winterhalter says she chooses "when it's too hot outside." The "tiny French artist based in the Italian mountains," as she describes herself, has a huge following - not just for her creative colour sketchbooks, but also for videos and her monthly postcard+sticker. "i’m so ready for summer," she wrote about this sketchbook set. "flowers and green pastures, the wind in my hair, birds chirping in the forest.

A solo exhibition by Naoko Matsubara (1937), the distinguished Japanese-Canadian woodcut print artist, is at Abozzo Gallery this summer. Floral Core 1/25, Woodcut print, 22.25 x 15.5 in Throughout her 70-year career, Matsubara has been driven by a passion for breaking new ground. Her renowned woodcut prints "speak through a joyful language of colour, exploring personal and art historical subjects," as the Art Gallery of Ontario put it for her solo exhibition there in 2025.

So many ways to sketch a shell. Mathematical shells (source) Shells in lavender sand (source) Natalie Ratkovski, for the drawing from life project "Sketch Falsh Mob 2017" From Donald Campbell It's always a treat when an artist explains, as Martin Blunt does above: "I spent a day and a half cleaning my old rapidograph pens that were gathering dust in a drawer.

Funk, style and monsters are the focus for Astro, a Montréal graffiti artist who started painting in the mid-1990s. His inspirations range from old-school New York graffiti, to European and Japanese cartoons. In addition to graffiti, he creates paintings and illustrations for various clients. He also has a colouring book (below) Colouring book by Astro (on Instagram) Astro (also known as Mr.

Artist sketchbooks are forever in use as portable, pressure-free spaces to brainstorm, plan compostions and record research. In this sketchbook, the gifted Indonesian artist Irene Suputra laid down plans for one of her exquisite embroidery works. (Instagram here and here) Now, take a closer look at Suputra's artisanship. Saputra (also known as Nengiren), is an acclaimed textile artist based in South Jakarta.

Now that road trip season is upon us, this new book about Canada's roadside food stands is getting lots of play. Wes' Chips, Arnprior, Ontario For 10 years, illustrators Chantal Bennett and Joel Kimmel have taken road trips around Canada searching for the best chip stands, interviewing the owners and celebrating these colorful food stops in drawings and paintings.

Artist Brian Barrer uses mixed media and photographic assemblage to express an ever evolving imagination. These often take the form of vibrant aesthetic experiences that fuse playful abstractions with the intensified realism of captured images - artist statement Above: Hitching A Ride Series, Bus, oil on board, 2025, 24 x 24" Hitching a Ride Series, Salmon, oil on board, 24 x 24 …

This is the re-launch of Sketchbook Saturday, with a visit to one of the series' favourite artists. Anna Rastorgueva is a Moscow-based commercial illustrator gifted with abundant creativity, especially in her sketchbooks. She created these tiny, unique works for the 2025 Inktober. They are all in the burnt sienna toned palette Rastorgueva has been using exclusively on Instagram since at least 2022 - also a demonstration of her colour creativity.

Peter Doig (b: 1959) is one of the most respected figurative painters of our time — and it's his depictions of Canada, where he grew up, that have become the most famous and financially successful. Target, oil on canvas, 38 5/8 x 49¼in. (98 x 125cm.) Painted in 2000 Target, painted in 2000, contains the nostalgia for a Canada of the mind that has so distinctly flavoured so many of Peter Doig's greatest pictures - …

A brilliant colour sensibility coupled with subtle surrealism are the hallmarks of Sean William Randall's work. Around to the Ground, oil on canvas, 2026, 40 x 40 " The Winnipeg-based artist is on exhibition in Meander at Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina through June 20, 2026. Selective Calm, acrylic on panel - 2026, 16 x 12 " Brash confidence is evinced in his work where one minute he demonstrates a profound love for Canadian landscape painting, and the next moment setting the tradition on fire by painting flaming wreckage streaking across the pastel prairie sky - Slate Fine Art Gallery…

This installation by sculptor and industrial designer Lilly Otasevic draws inspiration from the indigenous Wampum belt. Titled Curtain Call, on the wall of the Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, it is also a reference to the wavy curtain of a theatre. Built of marine-grade aluminum and finished with metallic car paint, the installation is 45 feet long, 13.5 fee high and 6 feet in depth.

The audience in Cannes was in tears at the premiere of Tangles, the animated film which triggered a 7-minute standing ovation at the 2026 festival. Tangles is an acclaimed adult-animated biographical drama directed by Vancouver's Leah Nelson and adapted from Canadian Sarah Leavitt's graphic memoir about the Alzehimer's journey of her mother, from the diagnosis of the disease in her doctor's office (video clip below) through her death.

Indigenous multimedia artist Sonny Assu is a member of the Ligwiłda’xw people of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations on Vancouver Island, increasinly recognized as one of Canada's pre-eminent contemporary artists. From A Selective History exhibition, here Assu says the impetus behind his work is "to bring to light the dark, hidden history of Canada's actions/inactions against the Indigenous people. I often infuse my work with wry humour in an attempt to foster a dialogue; to speak to the realities of being an Indigenous person in the colonial state of Canada."

The Canadian premiere of ANCHORBALL: A Curious Art Journey happens this summer at the Royal Botanical Gardens, a massive exhibition featuring 18 large-scale Pop Art sculptures. Anchorball is the internationally known professional nickname of Ken Kelleher, an American contemporary sculptor and artist known for creating monumental public art, installations, and digital art (Tommy Toucan, above, in Shanghai is one example, more…

The revered Canadian artist Takao Tanabe turns 100 this fall, putting renewed focus on his serene landscapes, painted on his home ground of British Columbia and as he travelled the world. The Audain Art Museum is currently running Vistas: From Takao Tanabe’s Travels, including Machu Picchu (1990-2012), above. Takao Tanabe, Inside Passage 1/04: Malacca Strait