Portfolio: Patrick Thomas Canning Q&A
September 2017
NQ: Where and when were you born?
PTC: I was born on a sheep farm in the tiny Hamlet of The Highlands in the Codroy Valley area of the province 30+ some odd years ago.
NQ: Where do you hang your hat today?
PTC: I’m shacked up in the Rabbittown part of old St John’s: I’m mostly a downtown rat when I’m not in my house.
NQ: Where did you study?
PTC: I got my BFA from Sir Wilfred Grenfell College awhile back now, have since found out I’m pretty good at teaching myself new techniques and computer programs; the internet has most of the answers you need.
NQ: What’s been a significant milestone of your career to date?
PTC: “Career” is a strong word, “milestone” is also loaded. The completion of my experimental film A Cagematch With Benefits was the largest most satisfying project I’ve nished to date. The surprise popularity of my illustrated Birds of Newfoundland book was also significant.
NQ: Which artists have most strongly influenced your work?
PTC: Jean-Paul Riopelle, Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer, David Lynch, Steve Reich, John Adams, Bjork, Edward Burtynsky, Matthew Barney.
NQ: What NL artist do you wish more people knew of?
PTC: Victor Lewis is the best.
NQ: Describe your artwork in three words.
PTC: Partially effective therapy.
NQ: What’s next for you?
PTC: Various commissioned pieces, an illustrated book of aquatic invertebrates of Newfoundland and Labrador, an absurdist creation myth of the universe short lm project; I’m co-founding a St John’s-based music collective; I’m releasing a couple new albums of original music, a new painting series and a few other things.