Andrew Cheddie Sookrah is a raw colourist whose free brushwork is confident and powerful. His urban settings in particular show his strong sense of design, exquisite composition and bold colours. Above: Heading to Bloor West Village, 36 x 36,” acrylic on canvas.
Sookrah is influenced by his background in graphic arts and advertising. His body of work includes portraiture, figurative, landscape paintings and ceramic sculpture. He is also a fine art instructor.
Born in Guyana in 1956, he worked from the age of 16 as a designer and illustrator in Georgetown, becoming company art director before immigrating to Canada in 1974. He attended multidisciplinary continuing education programs at the Ontario College of Art, George Brown College and Ryerson University.
In Canada, while continuing to paint and carve out his artistic existence, Sookrah opened Engine Room Creative, a successful design development studio and advertising & marketing agency in Toronto. As its Creative Director, he has worked on provincial and national campaigns, as well as international campaigns in the US and UK.
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah’s website, here.
His Instagram, here.
A workshop to be run by Sookrah this spring at The McMichael, here.
A 3D gallery of Sookrah’s works, here.
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Stunning! His Yonge/Dundas is exactly right — the stark grey of the square, and the throb of life around and through it…
Throb of life, you’re right he’s captured it for Dundas Square exactly. Good point.
Very interesting, his art, but also that he is in design/advertising.
Yes, I have always found it fascinating that so many artists have design-graphic-ad backgrounds. All but one of the famed Group of Seven made their living that way – the exception being the monied Lawren Harris.
It’s like writers/authors. Most don’t make money on the sales of their books. They make money by teaching classes, etc.
Such a beautiful and unique style!
Unique and so refreshing, totally agree.
Fabulous.