Alan Glicksman’s work exemplifies what happens when a doodle transcends the margins of mindless scrawl into the realm of a full-fledged artistic obsession. For over 40 years the artist has been dedicated to a practice of mark-making that has culminated in a prolific number of drawings, paintings, and sculptures which exalt and explore his process. He regards his work as an extension of his experiences and individually, each piece is like a journal entry that forms an autobiographical narrative Glicksman’s process is to begin each piece with a single mark and build the image intuitively until an overall sense of harmony is achieved. What emerges are richly layered and bold graphic compositions that pulsate with frenetic energy. Part-animal, part-human hybrid creatures spring forward from his imagination and are combined with lines, shapes, symbols, and text. Although they possess the same carefree expressive qualities that are associated with children’s art, the works are permeated by evidence of deeper psychological tensions.

Recorded on December 16, 2020 this conversation with Alan Glicksman and Assistant Curator Shannon Bingeman discusses Glicksman's exhibition The Process of Becoming on view at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery October 2020 - January 2021. 

Take a virtual tour of this exhibition on our Digital Portal.

source: media release