Our friend Claude Breeze has an exhibition on at Yumart, here in Toronto. It opened yesterday. We’ve known Claude since the early 80s when he was our painting instructor at York University. I’ve actually been aware of Claude’s work since before I ever met him, back in my high school days, when I saw his Canadian Atlas paintings.

Claude Breeze at the opening of his current exhibition at Yumart

It was great to see Claude’s new work. He continues to be one of the most prolific artists I know. You can see images of his new pictures here. Much of Claude’s recent work is based on manipulated digital photos, printed on canvas and in some cases collaged. In some of the ones in the Yumart exhibition, Claude has added some sort of crayon and charcoal and in some cases acrylic paint to the printed image. There are also a couple works painted completely in acrylics. These are smallish works – the one in the photo with Claude might be the largest. There’s a remarkable variety of imagery at play, often with a dark or surreal edge about it. Check out the show. Yumart is at 401 Richmond.