Maxim Grunin Paintings

I Want What I See, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011

City Park Trail - contermporary Canadian landscape by Maxim Grunin

"City Park Trail" takes the viewer into a picture space, reminding of a park trail. This piece is made with the use of broad paint application. Brush, palette knife and paint spills create a vibrant surface that the viewer would want to examine up close. Subdued dark purples, grays, browns, greens and black make up the shadow areas of the piece. Subtle grades of orange-brown, brown-green, gray, ochre and highlights set the mid-tone and the light in the painting. "City Park Trail" is 36" X 24", acrylic, 2009.

"and the city" - painting by Maxim Grunin

and the city, 24"X24", oil on canvas, 2009 (sold)

It is a brand new day in the city and you are here, somewhere, with me... I live in Toronto, Canada. My reality unfolds in this modern city where technology and people are intertwined. Influenced by the immediate environment I tend to bring it's elements into my work. The image, the paint and the graffiti become combined in my painting in order to satisfy my search for the visual language reflective of the human condition. "and the city" is romantic, hopeful and poetic.

Contemporary still life painting

Morning Coffee, 24"X36", acrylic on canvas, 2009, gallery wrap

"Morning Coffee" is a decorative piece created using an abstract layer of smeared acrylic paint, overlaied with classical realistic painting. A horizontal canvas with black, blue, purple, gray and orange-brown background creates tonal and color contrasts. Paint marks are expressively broad and intertwined, add an impression of movement. Complementary palette continues in the still life of a coffee cup and a plate with croissant painted over the background. "Morning Coffee" is available for purchase on eBay at a great price.

Maxim Grunin - Biography

I was born in Russia in 1975 and attended art lessons since childhood. I hold masters in Fine Art from the University of Waterloo.


 

Award Recipient Maxim Grunin MFA

In 2007 I was nominated to receive an Honoris Causa. The recipients of this award are selected by The National Ethnic Media And Press Council of Ontario. Every year one or more people are nominated for the award by every ethnic community media office. The candidates have to have a history of contribution to their community. I was picked by the Russian media due to my close to 8 years involvement in private art education. Newcomers and art students of Russian background often lack the information on how the Canadian fine arts education works. I shared my personal experience via media interviews, documentaries and articles. As a result many enthusiastic students of Russian background enrolled in art programs throughout our province. When I came to Canada in 1992 there weren't many resources on what a competitive fine arts portfolio was or what were the steps to getting an undergraduate or a post graduate degree in art. Canada was a new country with new rules.

Displaying paintings on the wall

Woods At Sunset, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X30" gallery wrap

What is the best way to install a painting in a room? Paintings come in various sizes and configurations. They are generaly rectangular shaped. Some pieces can be arranged together to form a larger picture. For example two panels that go together are called a diptych, three are a triptych and so on. Many spots around the room can be suitable for hanging a picture. A wall above a couch in a living room, empty spot in a kitchen or a dining room. You, the owner of a painting will have to do some interior designing and have fun with it. Here are some things to keep in mind once the right spot for hanging a painting is found.

Lighting is responsible for how full of colour and brightness the piece will be when caught by a viewer's eyes. Acrylic, oil and paintings/drawings on paper that have to be encased in a frame with glass will all look better on a wall adjacent to the one with a big window in it. If a painting is placed on a wall directly across from a bright window it will reflect the light. This will result in unwanted shine and glistening on the surface of a painting. Direct light also grays out the colours in a painting therefore considerably reducing the vivid qualities of any piece. Avoid displaying a painting on a wall that gets bright sunlight. Direct light will contribute to quick fading, yellowing and aging of a painted surface. Galleries and museums often install moderate strength, overhead spot light above a painting to increase it's brightness. This approach makes any artwork look to the best of its visual potential and the most glamourous. Many rooms come equipped with pot lights or tracking lights that can be directed to give additional lighting to a piece.

The distance between paintings and the hight at which they are positioned on the wall is also important. Anyone looking at a painting shouldn't be distracted by other artworks placed too close. This setting will not allow the viewer to fully appriciate an individual piece. Allow generous spacing between the paintings. In this case "less" is "more". The hight of the painting on the wall is related to the hight of a human body, the average hight of the very people who will be looking at the art. Normaly the middle of the painting should be on the eye level of an average person. This is not often possible in the home setting, that is why it is possible to elevate a painting a little higher on the wall than the museum instalation would require.

Consider thinking of how the paintings work together when they are hanging on the walls of a room. Do they match, complement each other, go well with the furniture? Do change them around to get a different perspective. You may find that the new configuration is better and if not you can alway go back to the way it used to be.

Paintings collect dust and other bits of dirt when they hang on the wall. Like most other objects they need to be dusted and whiped with a damp rug every so often.

by Maxim Grunin MFA