|
John
Kasyn loves to paint old buildings. For almost 30 years,
he has explored the back lanes and front streets of
Toronto searching for subjects. His extensive collection
of photographs provides valuable documentation of
buildings that no longer exist, of neighbourhoods
changed forever by the wrecking ball. His canvasses
provide authentic architectural detail and loving
attention to the character of the structures.
John
Kasyn was born in Poland and came to Winnipeg in 1938.
It was clear from the beginning that he loved to draw.
While he was in public school, the Board of Education in
Winnipeg sent him to the Winnipeg Museum for Saturday
morning art classes. It was the beginning of a career
that eventually led him to a love of the old houses and
buildings in the Toronto area. Kasyn studied at the
Ontario College of Art and the Central Polytechnic in
Toronto. He spent almost seven years drawing the human
figure but it was always old homes and buildings that
appealed to him the most. For many years now, they have
been the subject of his work. He has accumulated an
extensive portfolio of photographs documenting many of
the old structures in the Toronto area, many of which no
longer exist. His paintings, mostly oils, are authentic
in every detail. Kasyn received the Gold Medal at the
Annual Exhibition of the Canadian Society of Painters in
Watercolour of London, Ontario in 1966. He is a member
of the Ontario Society of Artists in Watercolour.
Kasyn's
work has been shown in exhibitions in Toronto, Hamilton,
Ottawa, Windsor, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. He
also paints for auction houses such as Sothebys and
Hodgins, where his work is much sought after.
Kasyn
paintings are included in many public and private
collections in Canada. They are valued not only for
their artistic merit, but also for the nostalgic
documentation they provide of historic buildings in
Toronto.
|
