Sky Glabush: The Caged Lark

"These new paintings use the structure and motif of 'landscape' in the same way I might use the structure of a face, or a flower. Structure as a kind of archetype - a kind of architecture.” – Sky Glabush

Sky Glabush's exhibition, entitled ”The Caged Lark," after a sonnet written by Gerard Manley Hopkins in 1877, features large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings completed over the course of the past year. The poem, “speaks about a bird that sings. The bird has to do with the imagination and with a beautiful song in the face of destruction,” Glabush writes.

Manley's poem implies a deep and meaningful relationship between humans and nature, one in which nature forms a true home for the human spirit, fueling our imagination, and our sense of beauty. This idea plays a profound role Sky Glabush's work. 

Glabush's paintings address our sense of the sublime: they place us in front of awe-inspiring phenomenon - an epic sunset, a crashing wine-dark sea; as well as more contemplative environs, such as spring meadows, dark forests and mountain vistas.

In addition to evoking our sense of the sublime, Glabush's paintings also ask questions about how we depict the sublime, and the sense of personal vision in painting.  The power of the human hand, a sense of mental recording and visual improvisation is paramount as we consider his work.

At the same time, we witness a unique sense of painting, one formed by Glabush's own experiences living and working in variety of places such as Saskatchewan, Belize, California and Amsterdam.

“My paintings are very much rooted in painterly language or history, but I come at it in my own way.”

“This emerged through my own working, and in trying to let go of certain ways of working. It took me twenty years of working to get to that stage where I could let go of the scaffolding of an image, and work in an open way."

Philip Martin Gallery is proud to present Sky Glabush's first exhibition at the gallery. Entitled "The Caged Lark," after a sonnet written by Gerard Manley Hopkins in 1877, Sky Glabush's exhibition features large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings completed by the London, Ontario-based artist over the course of the past year.

Manley's poem implies a deep and meaningful relationship between humans and nature, one in which nature forms a true home for the human spirit, fueling our imagination, and our sense of beauty. This idea plays a profound role Sky Glabush's work. Glabush's paintings address our sense of the sublime: they place us in front of awe-inspiring phenomenon - an epic sunset, a crashing wine-dark sea; as well as more contemplative environs, such as spring meadows, dark forests and mountain vistas. "One title I’ve been thinking of for the show is 'The Caged Lark,' Glabush writes. "It’s from a poem by Hopkins called the “The Caged Skylark,” which speaks about a bird that sings. The bird has to do with the imagination and with a beautiful song in the face of destruction."

In addition to evoking our sense of the sublime, Glabush's paintings also ask questions about how we depict the sublime, and the sense of personal vision in painting.  The power of the human hand, a sense of mental recording and visual improvisation is paramount as we consider his work. And, at the same time, we witness a unique sense of painting, one formed by Glabush's own experiences living and working in variety of places such as Saskatchewan, Belize, California and Amsterdam.

Glabush says, "These new paintings use the structure and motif of 'landscape' in the same way I might use the structure of a face, or a flower. Structure as a kind of archetype - a kind of architecture. My paintings are very much rooted in painterly language or history, but I come at it in my own way. This emerged through my own working, and in trying to let go of certain ways of working. It took me twenty years of working to get to that stage where I could let go of the scaffolding of an image, and work in an open way."

Sky GLABUSH (b. 1970, lives London, Ontario) received his BFA from the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), and his MA from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Glabush’s work was recently the subject of the exhibition, "The Structure of Painting," at Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA). Recent solo exhibitions include Clint Roenisch Gallery (Toronto, Ontario); Galerie Zink Waldkirchen (Waldkirchen, Germany); Projet Pangee (Montreal, Quebec); and (Prosjektrom Normanns (Stavanger, Norway). His work has been included in exhibitions at the Univeristy of Western Ontario (Ontario, Canada); Museum London (London, Ontario); Galerie de l’UQAM (Montréal, Quebec); and Rideau Hall (Ottowa, Canada). Glabush is an associate professor of visual art at the University of Western Ontario. Glabush’s work is included in such collections as National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario); Museum/London (London, Ontario); Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Calgary, Alberta); and University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). His work has been featured in publications such as “White Hot Magazine,” “Canadian Art,” and “Border Crossing.” Glabush lives and works in London, Ontario, Canada.

In accordance with Los Angeles County Covid-19 protocol, Philip Martin Gallery is currently open by appointment only. To make an appointment, or to get additional images, or information please email info@philipmartingallery.com, or call 213-422-9286. Philip Martin Gallery is located at 2712 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 in the Culver City area of Los Angeles between Venice Blvd. and Washington Blvd., just south of the 10 Freeway.