Bill Bragg, Kelowna

"I am a painter. On a two dimensional surface, using various implements I move malleable pigments to create images. I do not like the term 'artists' as it becomes a generic term for anyone who makes anything. I am probably an elitist in that I believe in traditions, standards and competency in art. I recognize that I may not meet my own standards. My images are about emotions, attitudes, relationships - things human. They are not about empty facility. I do not think of paintings as a verbal medium requiring or even desiring long and often obtuse explanations. I have left titles very open to interpretation as I insist that the meaning of the work is the prerogative of the viewer. Satire and social commentary often puzzle and seem to be less than serious. If then, my images do not reach you... I have failed."

Bill Bragg captures the essence of human experience in the contortions and gestures of his figures. His work celebrates the beauty and the difficulty of human existence.

Bill's work is the site of a constant dichotomy. It is sensitive, while at the same time brutal. It is quiet while at the same time loud and commanding. In life it is through these opposites that we begin to understand good from bad and light from darkness. Bill's paintings convey this dichotomy with subtlety and conviction. He is honest about what he does and this gives his work that authenticity ad integrity lacking in today's consumer society. His work offers the viewer tradition, quality and authenticity a generation of art viewers and buyers have not yet seen.

Bill Bragg resides in Kelowna, BC with his wife Carol and has been an active painter for the past thirty six
years. He began his artistic journey at the Ontario College of Art in the early 1960’s where he focused on
life drawing, painting, and print making. After a successful career in the Canadian museum field, Bill and
Carol moved to the Okanagan so that Bill could pursue his painting full time

Bill Bragg’s approach to painting evolved out of the Abstract Expressionist movement which dominated
the international scene throughout the 1940’s and 50’s. One of Bill’s most influential instructors was
Jock McDonald, a principal figure in Painters Eleven, an influential Canadian Painter group based in Toronto.

Bill’s painting has passed through many different approaches to abstraction, however, he always seems
to return to the figure as the basis of his composition. Although at times it may be difficult to define the
anatomy, the images emerge from the abstract evoking a sense of both familiarity and mystery. His colour
and texture suggest a distant era; one of romance and spiritualism.

Bill Bragg is represented by the Art Ark Gallery, Kelowna.