Click on image to see a larger version of the artwork.
Scroll down for image descriptions, artist statement and biography.
Transformation # 1 & Transformation #2
Image Description:
Two diptychs with two squares each. One diptych is on top of the other.
The top left square is painted grey with horizontal streaks of black. The top right square is grey with large streaks of off-white, eclipsing most of the grey. The bottom left square has horizontal white stripes with each alternate stripe being a different colour: blue, yellow, and red. The bottom right square is white with randomly placed stripes of yellow, green, red, and blue in different sizes.
Artist Statement:
Transformation #1:
The darkness can be a scary place, but eventually beams of light start to shine through.
Transformation #2:
Colours begin to form and connect as the brain continues its journey to healing.
Artist Biography:
Robby Jewers is an artist and writer.
He grew up and went to school in Cobourg ON and later worked as a personal trainer at local gyms. In 1997, Robby moved to Toronto to pursue his personal training career, where he worked at various fitness facilities including the Sky Dome.
In 2000 Robby decided to pursue his passion for art and was accepted into the prestigious art stream at the Central Technology School of Art in Toronto. Robby travelled to cities all over Canada, the US and the UK to further his education, craft, and painting technique.
Robby has been awarded several honours for his art work and his paintings are in collections of owners in Canada as well as the US. Most notably, Robby had the privilege of selling one of his pieces to Kenneth Thomson.
Robby recently moved back to Cobourg after suffering cardiac arrest that left him dead for 20 minutes. His brain did not get enough oxygen, resulting in anoxic brain injury.
Doctors were not sure if he would ever walk or talk again. With the help of therapists and a year in hospital Robby had to learn everything all over again including walking and talking.
“Following my heart attack and brain injury, I lost my creative voice for both my writing and painting. With the help of therapists I was finally able to connect with my writing again. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so when I couldn’t create pictures, I started using words. It was able to re-connect with the creativity of telling stories and that enabled me to approach my painting again. Picking up a paint brush was like a best friend who you haven’t seen for ages coming back into your life. All of a sudden, I have a new lust for life. Painting is now a need for me, like air.If there came a day when someone said I couldn’t paint anymore, I’d be lost.”