About
Peter Harris is a Toronto, Canada based artist who has explored themes involving the urban landscape in his oil paintings for over 25 years. His obsession with cities and urban life has been a constant in his work and life, as he transitioned from small town living as a child, to living in a mid-sized city as a youth, to finally living and working in the downtown core of Toronto.
His work portrays the common elements of the city: parking lots, building, gas stations, restaurants, subways, etc. These often overlooked aspects of the urban environment are presented as an opportunity to re-examine the spaces we inhabit. Painted in a crisp, realist manner, his paintings are recognizable for their depictions of urban settings at night, absent of people.
Peter graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1997 with a degree in Fine Arts, and in the years since has exhibited his work in cities across North America, including Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Vancouver and New York City. His work can be found in private collection in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Chronology
B. 1974, London, ON
1988 - 1993
Attended Saunders Secondary School, London, ON. Studied Fine Arts and Architectural Drafting
1993
Winter of 1993, travelled to Bertram, Texas to stay with artist Grandmother, Doris Nelson. Painted en plein air from the Texas landscape and worked in studio developing still life techniques in oil paint.
Summer of 1993, attended series of open life drawing sessions offered at London regional Art Museum. Saw works by Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, Paterson Ewen, Tony Urquart at museum.
1993
Attended University of Waterloo, studying Fine Arts. Studied with Art Green and Tony Urquart.
1996
Summer of 1996, Peter stayed in Waterloo working independently on a new series of drawings, completed between 3rd and 4th year of classes at University of Waterloo.
1997
Graduated from University of Waterloo, with Honours BA in Fine Arts, Studio Specialization. Remained in Kitchener-Waterloo area pursuing a career as an independent visual artist.
1998
After graduating, found first studio at Globe Studios in Kitchener, ON and began to develop a body of work using found vintage magazine images.
2000
Sunday Dinner Series, Solo Exhibition at the Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener City Hall, Sept, 2000.
Consisting of 52, 1 foot square paintings, each painting featured a different "Sunday Dinner" meal, sourced from vintage magazines and cookbooks the artist found in used bookstores in Kitchener.
2000
Urban Planner, Solo exhibition at Robert Langen Gallery, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON. Oct., 2000
First exhibition of figurative works, combining imagery touching on urban themes, mapping, and abstraction.
2001
Moved from Globe Studios to larger studio in Lang Tannery Building, 151 Charles st, Kitchener, ON.
2001
Group exhibition, Arts On King, Toronto, ON
New series of paintings developed and shown, building on abstraction and combining with nature based imagery.
2004
Development of diptych series combining developing interest in urban landscape scenes, nocturnes, and infrastructure.
2004
Joined the Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
2005
Developed new "Lost Highway" Series, with larger-scale oil on canvas paintings of empty highway, focusing on the intersection of man-made infrastructure and the surrounding landscape.
2005
Awarded first Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant for painting.
2006
The Spaces Between, Solo Exhibition at the Robert Langen Gallery, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON
Featured paintings of urban landscape, night scenes, Chinatown series.
2007
First solo exhibition at the Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto.
2009
First exhibition in the United States, at the Oxford Gallery, Rochester, NY.
2009
Second solo exhibition at Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto. Featuring many new night paintings, streetcar and other urban inspired paintings.
2011
Awarded first Ontario Arts Council mid-career project grant
2011
Solo show at Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto. Featuring many nocturnes and urban landscapes.
2012
First versions of paintings that include historical examples of Canadian Art inserted into architectural space are developed.
2013
Solo exhibition at the Mira Godard Gallery, 2013. Featuring early Chinatown paintings and other nocturnes and paintings of the urban landscape.
2013
Solo Exhibition at the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, 2013
2014
Solo Exhibition, "Night Shift" at Galerie d'Este, Montreal
2015
Solo exhibition, "New Canadian Landscapes", Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa.
2015
Solo Exhibition, "New Canadian Landascape", Kawartha Gallery, Lindsay, ON.
2015
Solo Exhibition, "Night Watch", Mira Godard Gallery
2016-2017
Created a suite of 3 solo exhibitions combining the historical artworks of Edward Hopper placed in to contemporary Canadian architectural settings.
Conversations with Hopper, Galerie d'Este, Montreal, QC
Hopper's Shadow, the Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Evening with Hopper, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto, ON
2017
Uncommon Place, exhibition, Gallery 19, Chicago
2018
Solo Exhibition, "Undisclosed Locations, Galerie d'Este, Montreal, QC.
2019
Solo Exhibition, "Machine for Living", Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto, ON
2020
exit bonaventure
2022
IN transit MG
2022
between here and ther I tan
2023
art gallery hamilton
2023 - 2024
arcadia contemp