Brian Saby

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Brian Saby graduated from high school in 1967 at the age of eighteen and within a few months decided to buy some paints and paper and try his hand at painting. He hasn’t look back.

In 1970 at the age of twenty-one he entered the Basic Design Course at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. One year later Brian entered the Fine Art Program from which he graduated in 1973.

In 1971 he accompanied sculptor Ed Zelenak to Washington D.C. for the summer where he and several other young apprentices worked with Ed helping him build and install a major fiberglass sculpture called ‘Traffic’. Directly after this period he worked in the studio of sculptor Don Bonham.

All through this time Brian continued to paint large-scale paintings. After graduation in 1973 he had his first one-person exhibition at the Polyglot Gallery in London, Ontario. He travelled throughout Spain, Morocco, France, Holland, Denmark and Great Britain in January 1974 to visit museums, his first look at Masters Paintings.

Brian opened a painting studio in 1975 after moving to Ottawa, Ontario. In the fall of that year he went to Mexico to paint and study the Mexican muralists. Upon returning to Canada he decided to re-locate in Toronto, Ontario where he painted and lived for 18 years. In October of 1979 he had a one-person exhibition of large-scale acrylic paintings at the Forest City Gallery in London, Ontario. He continued painting large-scale paintings throughout the eighties and in 1985 took up watercolour painting. During this time he met the painters Alex Cameron and David Bolduc and he remains friends with them till this day.

In 1986 meeting the painters Vince Mancuso and Mike Hansen, they began discussing ideas to form a painters co-operative. May 1990 was the launch of the painters cooperative ‘Event’, and a three-person independent exhibition was held. The ‘Event’ mandate was to exhibit outside of the gallery system as an artist run cooperative. Between 1990 and 1997 exhibitions where held and eventually ‘Event’ involved other artists. ‘Event 92’ exhibited David Bolduc, Alex Cameron and Richard Gorman along with the ‘Event’ group of Brian Saby, Vince Mancuso and Mike Hansen. These exhibitions were successful, not only critically, financially. They engaged the press and an immense number attended the opening exhibition.

Brian met ‘La Raza Group’ member Gerald Pedros in 1995. A Montreal based painters’ co-operative, ‘La Raza Group’ members include Gerald Pedros, Francis Caprani and Scott McLeod. In 1997 the groups, ‘Event’ and ‘La Raza Group’ merged to include Ed Zelenak in an independent exhibition in Toronto, Ontario.

Returning to London, Ontario in 1994, Brian Saby continued to reside and paint at his new studio. He joined the Thielsen Gallery in 1995 having a one-person exhibition in October 1996.

The winter of 1998 Brian had a one-person exhibition at the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre in St. Thomas, Ontario. The exhibition called ‘Without Consent’ dealt with anti-violence. It was a tremendous critical success and was widely attended by people of all ages and backgrounds.

In 1999 Brian once again decided to strike out on his own. He opened ‘700 Contemporary Art’ in London, Ontario. The gallery mandate was to exhibit and promote abstract art, primarily painting. Between April 1999 and September 2004 the gallery exhibited many unknown and known artists such as Aidan Urquhart, Ed Zelenak, Walter Redinger, Gerald Pedros as well as the work of gallery owner and artist Brian Saby.

March 2002 Brian had an exhibition called ‘Metamorphosis’ which consisted of 1000 multi-media works on 8 ½” x 11” copy stock. The works completely filled the gallery and attained much publicity including a stint on the ‘A’ channel, six o’clock news (London’s Local News Channel).

September 2004 Brian closed of ‘700 Contemporary Art’ so he could concentrate fully on his own painting. He set about completing over 100 large-scale paintings over the next four years.

Brian joined forces with the ‘La Raza Group’ once again in September 2007. He took part in painting a large-scale outdoor mural with artists from Argentina and Canada. The project was called ‘The Argentinean/Canadian Mural Project’.

In September 2008, along with ‘La Raza Group’ member Francis Caprani and local painter Ron Kingswood, they held a large independent painting exhibition curated by Gerald Pedros. The well- attended, large-scale painting exhibition was held in a historical bank building in downtown London, Ontario. The exhibition was called ‘3 Canadian Painters’. In May of 2009 a catalogue of this exhibition will be released and sent to galleries worldwide.

Brian did a painting residency in Stratford, Ontario during the month of October 2008. He completed seven large-scale paintings, two of which now hang in the Bell Building on Dundas Street in London, Ontario.

For five weeks at the beginning of 2009 Brian visited Costa Rica. He painted 40 watercolours that are now being dispersed to galleries FOR SALE.

Brian continues to paint and is represented in many collections worldwide. Thielsen Galleries in London, Ontario and Circle Arts in Tobermory, Ontario, represent him.

 

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