Cave paintings for a modern age
McGlynn’s colourful symbolism an obsessive self-portrait of the artist
Casey McGlynn — Not Your Mother’s Horse Where: Bugera Mathson Gallery, 10345 124th St. When: Opens Friday, 6 — 9 p.m., runs through April 18
Without knowing a thing about Casey McGlynn, the first glance at his work tells you he’s meticulous, terrific with colour and composition and — honestly — obsessive.
Mind you, a first glance is as long as you get before you know a lot about the 44-year old Toronto artist. In the same way 30,000-year-old cave paintings of horses tell us about those who made them, McGlynn’s works are self-portraits via the world around him. The canvases tell dozens of separate stories, collaged together to form one larger narrative.
Represented in galleries in Toronto, Vancouver and Seattle, his opening Friday at Bugera Matheson Gallery is his first in Alberta.
To walk the gallery is to experience pattern-recognition on the scale of a Saturday afternoon at Super-flea — except the market’s jarring and ugly contrast is soothed by his folk-abstract style. Pop rocks explode in your head: “I know that! I had that! I love that!”
On separate sheets of paper later collaged, McGlynn draws whatever occurs to him — animals, forms of transportation, rock logos, superheroes, flags, science fiction icons and numerous religious symbols, from pitchforks to Noah’s ark. “I was Catholic, even went to Catholic school,” he explains. “They kind of brainwashed me into not knowing about any other religions. You sort of resent that when you figure it out. I remember saying, ‘What do you mean the Pope isn’t for everybody?’ He’s God’s best friend!’
“Now I believe in the history of our lives.”
After discussing how much Star Wars meant to multiple generations, McGlynn laughs when asked about copyright. The number of Yodas in his work is numbing. “Legally you’re allowed to (use it) if it’s putting it in a different context — it’s art. I’m trying to say this is imprinted on every 10th kid’s head forever. It’s our bible. There’s so many of us out there; that’s what I’m saying.”
McGlynn stresses he isn’t intentionally drawing in a primitive or childish style. It’s just how he draws, without photorealism or polish. He laughs. “I was in illustration school when I was in Grade 13 and one of the teachers said to me, ‘What do your parents do?’ I said, ‘Work in factories,’ and he said, ‘You should see if your dad can get you in.’
“They told me, ‘Your stuff is so messy, you cannot be an illustrator. You’re not going to make it, buddy.’”
After that, he concentrated on music for awhile, but kept drawing, filtering and abstracting his passions. Seen an eon from now, he’s created hieroglyphics for our time.
“I just want to leave a lasting impression, and also give people comfort.”
Let’s explore a few of the recurring symbols in McGlynn’s work.