Tulipmania

In Tulipmania, I re-examine 17th-century Flemish floral still life painting. I am drawn to this genre of painting for its inherent beauty and symbolism: flowers representing the life cycle, accoutrements pointing to scarcity, drama, the inevitability of death. For me, within each painting is contained a rich narrative that broaches questions from the mundane to the existential.

Though the themes are universal, the way I express them on the canvas is personal. I am colourblind, which means I have difficulty matching colours on the palette to their real-life referents. Early in my career, I attempted to paint my compositions using local colours. Over the years, however, I have come to view my colour blindness not as a deficiency, but rather as a difference. As a result, I use a hyperchromatic palette in lieu of a local one, creating bouquets and memento mori that, hopefully, build on the tradition of floral still life painting.

ABOUT MARK LIAM SMITH

Mark Liam Smith (b. 1973, Middlesbrough, En- gland) is a Toronto-based oil painter interest- ed in art-historic tropes, myth and narrative. He views his colour-blindness as a strength rather than a weakness by accentuating the use of non-local colours in his work.

Smith’s work has been exhibited in galleries in Montreal, Toronto, London, and New York, and at art fairs such as SCOPE Basel, Art Seattle, Papier in Montreal, and Toronto Edition. He has been granted the Emerging Artist Award by the Federation of Canadian Artists and two Ontario Arts Council grants. His art has been featured in Hi-Fructose, Booooooom, and Bi- zarre Beyond Belief Magazine, among others.

Blue Lobster - Oil on panel, 2021, 16” x 12” (SOLD)

Two Peaches - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12"

Two Tulips (Blue Shift) - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12"

Two Tulips (Red Shift) - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12" (SOLD)

Five Peaches and an Ostrich Egg - Oil on panel, 2021, 22" x 30" (SOLD)

Turtle and Ladybug - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12" (SOLD)

Pomegranate and Saffron - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12"

Beetle and Oyster - Oil on panel, 2020, 14" x 11"

Tulipmania - Oil on canvas, 2021, 20" x 24" (SOLD)

An Iris and an Apple - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12"

Small Sunflower - Oil on panel, 2021, 10” x 8”

UK Bowl - Oil on panel, 2021, 16"x 12" (SOLD)

The History of Drama - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12" (SOLD)

Scarab Beetle - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12" (SOLD)

Magpie and Diamond - Oil on panel, 2021, 10" x 8" (SOLD)

Homo Erectus, The First Painter - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12" (SOLD)

Peace Rose - Oil on panel, 2021, 10" x 8"

One Green Tulip - Oil on panel, 2021, 16" x 12"

The Judgment of Van Huysum - Oil on paper, 2019, 17" x 14", framed (SOLD)

Abundance - Oil on canvas, 2019, 40" x 30" (SOLD)

Photos from the opening by Corentin Mainix.