Barry Scanlan - Art

I am currently working on approximately ten paintings concerning local environmental issues and losses, water quality issues, corporate and political apathy and abuse, genetic engineering, global warming, and more. One example of a local corporate abuse is the Polymet Mine proposed near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The impetus for this project came about when I became a member of the foundation Art to Change the World.  https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/mission/

The specific purpose of the non-profit Art To Change the World is to create opportunities for partnerships to defend human and civil rights and to protect the environment and build a safe and nurturing community for all people who seek to live a considered life and meet at the intersections of art and natural and social sciences. The foundation will partner with artists, educators, scientists, change makers and supporters to pursue funding and advancement of social practice art exhibitions and events. The purpose of these events and exhibitions is to  provoke discussion, reflection and action on a wide variety of topics.

My paintings will be shown at the Squirrel Haus Gallery in south Minneapolis in October 2018 along with approximately 20 other artists with various social justice themes. http://www.squirrelhausarts.com/

An art collector in De Pere, Wisconsin has purchased my painting Grumpy's Northeast. This painting is a tribute to Grumpy's Bar, which is a small dive bar located within the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. The bar has been around for seemingly centuries. It's a great place to hang out, get a beer or what have you. 

My series of paintings depicting steel workers (three paintings) has been accepted for a portrait competition at the Squidink Gallery. This is an online gallery. 

Art opening on Friday night at the Artless Bastard (which I think is one of the best gallery names ever).

My Painting "Resettlement in Newfoundland" has been selected for the Broken Hearts Show at the Artless Bastard Gallery https://www.artlessbastard.com/ in De Pere, Wisconsin. The show will open on February 2. If you live in Minneapolis and want to get away from all the superbowl hoopla going on that weekend, you should go to De Pere! 

The painting is on a gallery canvas, 36 X 48. It covers a wall nicely.

An art collector in Evansville, Indiana has purchased "Bear with a Martini." This collector is what I would call a connoisseur, an expert on the matters of taste, when it comes to martinis. This painting is 20 X 20 on a gallery canvas.

At the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis there is an amazing painting called "A Guy from the Urals" by Vasilii Andreyevich Neyasov. The painting is of a steelworker, the builder of Communism who lived to serve his motherland. I liked this painting so much, I wanted to have my own. For my painting I used my son as a model, standing in a similar pose. 

My painting is untitled, although I could just as well say it is my son. The painting is a mix of acrylics with sand and pumice, on a gallery canvas with all four edges painted. 

Colette was a force in the early 20th century. She wrote novels, performed on stage, was a journalist, and pushed the envelope on society's mores and norms. She was interesting, thoughtful, and I like to think she might be fun at a dinner party. 

36 X 36, acrylics, pumice. $550.