Gary Faulkner, Ajax artist and art enthusiast

(My November 2011 article for the Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser)

Ajax visual artist, art gallery director and baritone soloist, Gary Faulkner’s early life was the farthest thing from the arts. His original training and work life was concentrated in the fields of data processing and financial investment counseling prior to retirement from the work-a-day world in 2001. Since then, he has taken numerous painting workshops, has involved himself in a variety of arts organizations, taken on the volunteer directorship of the new Silverstone art gallery in Pickering and makes himself available for singing engagements that include private parties, fundraisers, church recitals and variety shows.

However, the seeds of involvement in the arts were planted early, with his father being a well-respected Toronto commercial artist; with Faulkner’s maintaining of a life-long interest and engagement in pencil sketching; and with his having taken early voice training with an opera teacher that led to periodic singing gigs and the mastering of a wide variety of musical genres. And soon after retirement, he began taking classes with master painters and involved himself with local organizations: Ajax Creative Arts, the PineRidge Arts Council and the Durham West Arts Council; plus the assuming of the directorship of the Silverstone Gallery last November.

Faulkner’s interest in supporting artists and their activities is tinged with missionary zeal. He is inspired by the generosity artists show each other, with the way they share techniques, resources and marketing strategies. And his voluntary involvement with Silverstone is driven by his desire to support the careers and aspirations of his compatriot Durham Region creative souls. “Creating a painting you feel good about is one of the most joyful experiences one can have,” he enthuses.

And with his own art, Faulkner focuses on the landscape, initially working in watercolours, but soon switching to acrylics. He does some sketching on location, but also carries a camera to record reference for studio paintings. Recently, he has moved to oils and has taken to painting lake scenes, with the rendering of water surfaces as a major personal challenge.

This Society of Canadian Artists member invites everyone drop by Silverstone Gallery and also to watch for the Spring 2012 Wild at Heart Studio Tour (for which he is a committee member). You can see his work at Silverstone or connect with him at gadalor@sympatico.ca