Besner, Dominic

Dominic Besner was born in 1965 in North Lancaster, Ontario. He began his studies of architecture at Algonquin College in Ottawa in 1988 and completed his baccalaureate in architecture at the University of Montreal in 1992. His architectural influence reflects his coloring and his construction of lines.

Dominic Besner is a Canadian artist known for his richly colored paintings. He brings us into his fantastic world, theatrical, filled with characters, urban landscapes and animals (horses, bulls, etc.) between figuration and abstraction. He uses a mixed technique on canvas (acrylic, oil pastel, structural mortar, china marker, spray paint).

“The eyes are the mirror of the soul. The eyes are my initial source of inspiration. I start the painting by sketching the gaze to then develop all around; it is these gazes that dictate the smallest component of my paintings”.

“I started printmaking. It was a revelation that had major consequences in the way I see my work, because it brought me finesse. The engraving led me, revealed me to the line. And made me explore the material with forms and depths that I did not suspect. Gradually the line imposed itself in my paintings. Decisive in my current approach. It allows me to enrich my plastic language and to purify my subject. My theatrical characters have disappeared. Now, I like to find something more human, more real. I am even more in touch with the environment that I now wish to present without artifice. There is also something very peaceful in my latest paintings. I went towards the simplicity of being. I reveal myself more in my painting».  Dominic Besner