You would be on target if this painting felt like looking down from the air. It’s by artist Mike Fantuz, who draws inspiration from his extensive experience in aviation as an air traffic controller and pilot. (Above: Discovered Within, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 48 x 72″)
Born in Guelph, Ontario and raised in Calgary, Fantuz was always captivated by the world from above. He pursued a career as a pilot, flying skydivers in northern British Columbia before relocating to Newfoundland as an air-traffic controller.
In his Vancouver studio, Fantuz uses the palette knives of his late grandfather, Gastone Fantuz, an artist trained at the Banff School who was a draftsperson for the A.V.Roe company, where he worked on projects such as the Avro Arrow.
Well known known for the bold, thick application of paint on his striking, large-scale paintings, he is represented by the Christina Parker Gallery in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he is currently on exhibition in a group show.
Mike Fantuz’s website, here.
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