Spotlight: Peterborough Artist Lyall Brownlee

Peterborough's Lyall Brownlee—whose bio on his Twitter page reads "I like to draw pictures and paint on things and write stuff and ride skateboards"—explains to PtboCanada in his own words how he got started as an artist (scroll down to see some of his works below) and what his inspirations were growing up:

"When I was a kid, I always spent a lot of time drawing. My interest in art was first really stoked in high school though—being kind of quiet, I guess I tried to express my individuality through my 'weird' drawings. I was pretty into skateboarding and through that culture, I was introduced to a lot of the 'lowbrow' art that was going on.

Juxtapoz Magazine was founded about this time in the mid-90s and I loved it—what I was exposed to in Juxtapoz and skateboard graphics/ads, etc. formed my early ideas about art. Now that I am older, I've developed a greater appreciation for art history and such but I still read the magazine every month and my 'flat' aesthetic still hints at those graphic influences for sure.

Some of the artists that have had an influence on me are Ed Templeton, Jim Houser, Dalek, Barry McGee, Margaret Killgalen, Jeremy Fish, Chris Johanson, Mark Gonzales, Porous Walker and Matt Furie.

I've been showing my paintings for the last five years or so in Peterborough, Toronto and Vancouver. Things are busy in my studio as work is currently underway for a new solo show in Peterborough."

[Living Vicariously Through Unicorns; @LyallRB]

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They Say Wizards Can't Be Trusted - Acrylic on wood platterUntitled - Acrylic on woodStephen Sleeps Alone - Acrylic on wood panelUnicorns Lie - Acrylic on wood panelUntitled - Acrylic on canvasMy Other Ride Is A Tall Ship - Acrylic on canvas