Brent McIntosh

The heightened emotion palpable in Brent McIntosh’s large-scale landscape paintings can be attributed to his intensive, expressionistic process. The Canadian artist completed an MFA at York University in 1982. Since then, he has honed an energetic technique, applying acrylic paint with a palette knife rather than a brush. Slashing and carving at the surface of the canvas, McIntosh makes abstract marks that evolve into realistic depictions of nature. McIntosh’s schematic approach is buoyed by his skill with color, visible in the 6-foot square painting Grasses and Water, MC1 2240 (2020). Subtle shifts in pigment contribute a dazzling effect to the pastoral scene. McIntosh’s work has been exhibited in gallery shows across Canada and New York and is held in many private and public collections, including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the University of Toronto.