Sky Glabush: Weight of Light

“ I want the painting to come at you like a breath, an opening, the overworking doesn’t mean that you see many things… I will work a painting until it’s dead but then all of a sudden, I’m making it alive, finding a thing within it.”- Sky Glabush

In his work, Glabush’s layered landscapes aim to tell a story, riffing on folk tales and narratives in order to tell it in a new way. His paintings address our sense of the sublime: placing the viewer in front of an epic sunset, an inky, star filled sky; as well as more contemplative environs, such as twilight filled forests, or flower fields at night. Glabush lets the painting come at the viewer like a breath, an opening into a newly elevated awakening.

This unique sense of painting is deeply formed by the artist’s own experiences living and working in a variety of places such as Saskatchewan, Belize, California and Amsterdam. Using a common or familiar subject as a roadmap, Glabush improvises within the original scheme, distilling and searching to find the form.

Oftentimes the negative space is filled with one color, a bright red or blue, which sand is then poured onto, obliterating the image. The sand is then layered in colors until the initial impulse disappears and something new emerges. This process of layering and color breathes a new sense of identity and self into a recognizable, common subject.

Rooted in modern aesthetics, Glabush as a painter and storyteller, reimagines his works historically. “Night Field” acknowledges a historical precedent like Van Gogh’s famous masterwork but with a fresh sense of gestural abstraction. Glabush seems to let go of the scaffolding of the image and works freely, in an open way. 

In “Weight of Light” we see an awe inspiring sunset radiating light in every direction giving a sense of consternation while at the same time layers of oil paint and sand give depth and gravitas to this otherworldly piece.

This deep historical knowledge, as well as his free-spirited upbringing, gives Glabush’s work a unique perspective to neo- Modernist aesthetics. Glabush says,“ I want the painting to come at you like a breath, an opening, the overworking doesn’t mean that you see many things… I will work a painting until it’s dead but then all of a sudden, I’m making it alive, finding a thing within it.”

Philip Martin Gallery is proud to present, "Weight of Light” an exhibition featuring new large-scale landscape paintings by Sky Glabush. These works, comprised of layers of oil and sand on canvas, imply a deep and meaningful relationship between the viewer and nature, fueling a sense of wonder in front of awe-inspiring phenomenon.

In his work, Glabush’s layered landscapes aim to tell a story, riffing on folk tales and narratives in order to tell it in a new way. His paintings address our sense of the sublime: placing the viewer in front of an epic sunset, an inky, star filled sky; as well as more contemplative environs, such as twilight filled forests, or flower fields at night. Glabush lets the painting come at the viewer like a breath, an opening into a newly elevated awakening.

This unique sense of painting is deeply formed by the artist’s own experiences living and working in a variety of places such as Saskatchewan, Belize, California and Amsterdam. Using a common or familiar subject as a roadmap, Glabush improvises within the original scheme, distilling and searching to find the form. Oftentimes the negative space is filled with one color, a bright red or blue, which sand is then poured onto, obliterating the image. The sand is then layered in colors until the initial impulse disappears and something new emerges. This process of layering and color breathes a new sense of identity and self into a recognizable, common subject.

Rooted in modern aesthetics, Glabush as a painter and storyteller, reimagines his works historically. “Night Field” acknowledges a historical precedent like Van Gogh’s famous masterwork but with a fresh sense of gestural abstraction. Glabush seems to let go of the scaffolding of the image and works freely, in an open way. In “Weight of Light” we see an awe inspiring sunset radiating light in every direction giving a sense of consternation while at the same time layers of oil paint and sand give depth and gravitas to this otherworldly piece. This deep historical knowledge, as well as his free-spirited upbringing, gives Glabush’s work a unique perspective to neo- Modernist aesthetics. Glabush says,“ I want the painting to come at you like a breath, an opening, the overworking doesn’t mean that you see many things… I will work a painting until it’s dead but then all of a sudden, I’m making it alive, finding a thing within it.”

Sky GLABUSH (b. 1970 Alert Bay, BC) received his BFA from the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK) and his MA from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB). In 2024, Sky Glabush’s work will be the featured in a solo exhibition at Museum London (London, ON). Glabush's work is currently the subject of “Weight of Light” at Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA). Previous exhibitions include “The Caged Lark,” Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); "Sky Glabush and Johannes Nagel," Cordonhaus Städtische Galerie Museum (Cham, Germany); “The Valley of Love,” Clint Roenisch Gallery (Toronto, ON); “Sky Glabush,” Projet Pangée (Montreal, QC); and “The Window is Also a Door,” Prosjektrom Normanns (Stavanger, Norway). Glabush's work has been included in exhibitions at Univeristy of Western Ontario (London, ON); Galerie de l’UQAM (Montréal, QC); and Rideau Hall (Ottowa, ON). Glabush is an associate professor of visual art at the University of Western Ontario (London, ON). Glabush’s work is included in such collections as National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON); Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Calgary, AB); Bank of Montreal (Toronto, ON); Colart Collection (Montreal, QC); Ivey Collection (Toronto and London, ON); MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, SK); McIntosh Gallery, (London, ON); Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon, SK); Museum London (London, ON); University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK). His work has been featured in publications such as Tate Magazine, Canadian Art, Toronto Star, and Globe and Mail. Glabush lives and works in London, ON.