Rick McCarthy _ Lot #15

Sahar K. Boluki Fine Art Gallery

Title: Orchids

About this piece: This piece, identified as "Untitled" (2010) by Rick McCarthy, is an intensely vibrant and expressive drawing of orchids executed in oil pastel on Tiepolo paper. The artwork is dominated by a focal cluster of brilliant red and orange blooms that command the center of the composition. McCarthy uses bold, energetic lines and a thick, tactile application of oil pastel to define the form and texture of the petals. The vivid flowers contrast sharply with the dark, heavily scribbled background of black and deep green, which serves to enhance the brilliance of the reds. The overall impression is one of raw energy and lush, passionate color, capturing the exotic beauty of the orchids with a dynamic, almost abstract force.

Dimensions: 39.3" x 27.5"

Medium: Pastel on Cardboard

Date: 2012

Born in Montreal, Quebec, in September, 1941, Rick McCarthy lives in Toronto. A graduate of Ontario College of Art in 1963, Mr. McCarthy also pursued post-graduate studies in printmaking. He speaks with his own voice, boldly and distinctly, and expresses an aspect of the Canadian psyche seldom noticed by others. Without being like Emily Carr, he has the same provocative individuality in his manner of painting that she displayed. His works are entirely contemporary, and indeed his attention to the aesthetic properties of the process of painting are, in my view, well worth close and concentrated attention.