Brent Laycock
Brent R. Laycock was born in 1947 in Lethbridge, Alberta, and was raised on a prairie farm with a view of the Rockies on the western horizon. After completing an MFA degree in painting at Brigham Young University, Laycock returned to his native Alberta, Canada, to establish his career as a visual artist. This career has now spanned three decades, and his paintings have been exhibited and collected throughout the world.
Laycock works mainly in watercolour and acrylic and explores landscape themes from his southern Alberta surroundings and travels abroad. His uniquely personal style still reflects the reality of the landscape interpreted with loose, lyrical brushwork. In addition to the landscapes, he also enjoys painting dynamic, close-up floral compositions.
Brent Laycock was selected for membership in several of the most prestigious Canadian art organizations such as The Alberta Society of Artists, The Society of Canadian Artists, the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Each of these organizations has often included his work in their juried exhibitions.
His early career included working as an graphic artist for the Calgary Board of Education and for Freeman/Yipp Advertising Ltd. During those early years, he also maintained a private fine art studio practice, which eventually became a full-time occupation in 1981. He has pursued a busy exhibition schedule with various commercial and public galleries in Canada and the USA and is now represented in many public, corporate and private collections.
His watercolors are among the group of Canadian paintings that were presented to Her Majesty's Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in 1986. In 1991, the Albert Government presented one of his watercolors to Queen Margrethe of Denmark.
Some interesting creative milestones have been the commissions to paint images for two Canadian postage stamps, and to create indoor and outdoor murals. His work has been included in many books and publications, including the cover of Reader’s Digest.
The art book Waterton: Brush & Pen presents a selection of over 100 paintings of Waterton Lakes National Park by Laycock accompanied by essays by writer Fred Stenson.
His graphic artwork includes the design of many art catalogues, logos, and advertising campaigns. He has won awards for his logo design.
Over the years, he has also been actively sought out as a teacher and workshop presenter for many art groups across Canada.
Education1974 Master of Fine Arts (Painting), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
1972 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Printmaking), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Selected Recent Solo ExhibitionsWallace Galleries, Calgary: 2005, 2001, 1999, 1996, 1994, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1987
West End Gallery, Edmonton: 2003, 2000, 1998, 1995, 1993, 1990, 1988
Hollander York Gallery, Toronto: 2006, 2002, 1997,
Gust Gallery, Waterton Lakes National Park: 2003, 2001
West End Gallery, Victoria: 1995
Whitten Gallery, King City, (Toronto): 1993, 1991, 1987
Springville Museum of Art, Springville, Utah: 1993
Buschlen/Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver: 1990, 1988
Solo Shows from 1974 to 1985 at Gold Design Fine Arts, Calgary; West End Gallery, Edmonton; Sullivan Galleries, Salt Lake City, Utah; Assiniboia Gallery, Regina; Gustafsson Galleries, Toronto; Martin Gerard Gallery, Edmonton; James Ulrich Gallery, Calgary; The Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge; Lefebvre Gallery, Edmonton
Selected Group Exhibitions:2007 Water Source of Life, 20th Annual Art of Nature Show, Kerry Wood Nature Centre, Red Deer, Alberta
2007 Diversity, SCA 50th Anniversary Exhibition, Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Toronto
2007 Common Ground, Alberta Society of Artists and Manitoba Society of Artists, Touring Show
2006 Mentors in Our Midst, Leighton Centre, Calgary
2006 Common Ground, Alberta Society of Artists and Manitoba Society of Artists, Touring Show
2006 ASA 75th Anniversary Tribute to Life Members, UofC Calgary
2005 Spring Grandeur, SCA Annual Member's Exhibition, Gallery on the Grand, Waterloo, ON
2005 ASA Volunteer Exhibition, Red Deer Public Library
2005 Memory & Identity 75th Anniversary Exhibition, ASA, Alberta Tour: Lethbridge, Crowsnest Pass, Calgary, Grand Prairie and others.
2005 Unlimited Potential,CSPWC, Homer Watson Gallery, Kitchener, ON
2005 Flower Power Hollander York Gallery, Toronto, ON
2004 SCA 37th National Open Juried Exhibition, Salle Tudor - Ogilvy, Montreal
2004 SCA Members' Exhibition, Barber Gallery, Guelph ON
2004 Gust Gallery: Samplings - A Collection, Trianon Gallery, Lethbridge
2003 Inspired by the Landscape, ASA, Leighton Centre, Calgary
2003 Watermark, Alberta Foundation of the Arts, McDougall Centre, Calgary
2003 6th Annual Art Competition, Latter-day Saints Yesterday and Today, Museum of Church History and Art, Salt Lake City
2002 Open Water 77, Nova Scotia Public Archives, Halifax
2002 Alberta Watercolour Tradition, Extension Centre Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton
2002 In Search of the Human Essence: Mankind at the Beginning of the 21st Centur y, CSPWC, Triangle Gallery of Visual Arts, Calgary
2002 Visions of Wellness, Health Sciences Centre, Edmonton and travelling tour through Alberta
2002 Landscape Celebrations, Leighton Foundation Museum and Art Gallery, Calgary
2001 Booming Prairie: AFA Travelling Exhibition produced by Edmonton Art Gallery and ASA
2001 ArtCity 2001, ASA at Devonian Gardens, Toronto Dominion Square, Calgary
2001 ArtCity 2001, ASA at ArtSpace, Calgary
2001 70th Anniversary Millennium Show: ASA at the Leighton Centre, Calgary
2001 Southern Waters: CSPWC show at the South Sussex Art Centre, Leamington, ON
2000 A Brush with History: CSPWC 75th Anniversary Exhibition, Art Gallery of Mississauga
2000 Bridging a New Century, Alberta Society of Artists touring show: Red Deer, Stony Plain, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Calgary
2000 Kaleidoscope, Artists’ Circle Touring Show, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, National Gallery, Ostrava, Czech Republic and WG-Expozaal Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2000 Watermarks,CSPWC Roberts Gallery, Toronto
2000 SCA Juried Exhibition, Haliconian Club, Toronto
2000 Friends of the Leighton, The Leighton Centre, Calgary
1999 Canadian Prairie Watercolour Landscapes, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon
1999 SCA Annual Members’ Juried Show, The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto
1999 Triple Take, ASA, Muttart Public Art Gallery, Calgary
1999 A Touch of Spring, ASA, Leighton Centre, Calgary
1999 The Hanging Garden, West End Gallery, Victoria
1998 Third International Watercolor Biennial, National Watercolor Museum, Coyoacan, Mexico
1998 Open Water 73, CSPWC, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1998 Watercolour: Into the Second Millenium, Blackwood Gallery, U of T at Mississauga
1997 4th International Art Competition, Museum of Church History and Art, Salt Lake City, Utah
1997 Shared Visions, ASA, Artwalk, Mount Royal Village, Calgary
1997 Calgary, the Urban Landscape, Triangle Gallery of Visual Arts, Calgary
1997 Personal Selections, Harbour Gallery, Mississauga
1996 ASA 65th Anniversary Show at the Leighton Centre, Calgary
1996 Open Water, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1995 CSPWC at Roberts Gallery, Roberts Gallery, Toronto
1995 Open Water 70, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1995 Views, Museum of the Regiments, Calgary
1995 Spring Values, Muttart Art Gallery, Calgary
1995 The Prairie School of Painters, Buschlen/Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver
1994 Alumni 100: Centennial Art Exhibition, BYU, Provo Utah
1994 Artists in Bloom, Buschlen/Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver
1994 Not a Diploma Show (RCA), John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1994 SCA Annual Members' Exhibition, Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke
1993 Blocking the View, The Works Festival, Edmonton
1993 Open Water, CSPWC, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1993 Orchid Show, Muttart Conservatory, Edmonton
1993 My Name is Tom Three Persons, Tour of Alberta cities
1992 Fusion International Exhibition, Shizuoka Prefectural Museum, Japan
1992 Alberta Society of Artists: Sixty Years, Edmonton Art Gallery
1992 Grand Scale, Manulife Centre, Edmonton
1992 Best Foot Forward, Beaver House Gallery, Edmonton
1991 2nd International Art Competition, Museum of Church History
1991 and Art, Salt Lake City
1991 State of the Art, Beaver House, Edmonton and Triangle Gallery, Calgary
1989 Open Water, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1989 Towards a New Canadian Mythology, "Works Festival", Edmonton
1989 Second Impressions, Alberta Art Foundation, Edmonton
1989 Art for All, Edmonton Art Gallery
1988 SCA Annual Juried Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1988 Western Icons, Muttart Art Gallery, Calgary
1988 Art Is Our Game, ASA Touring Show to Calgary, St. Albert, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Medicine Hat
1988 Wintershow, Olympic Arts Festival, Calgary
1987 Art for All, Edmonton Art Gallery
1986 Calgary Wilderness Show, Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary
1986 CSPWC 61st Annual Open Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
1986 No Safety Net, ASA, Muttart Gallery, Calgary and Front Gallery, Edmonton
1985 Hot Watercolor Show, SCPWC, Harbourfront Gallery, Toronto
1985 CSPWC Diamond Jubilee Show, Okeefe Centre, Toronto
1984 ASA/OSA Collaborative Exhibition, Touring Alberta and Ontario
1984 Sharing Visions, ASA Intercultural Exchange Show touring Japan
1982 Image 81, OSA 109th Annual Juried Exhibition, Touring Alberta and Ontario
1982 Calgary Corporations Collect Realism, Muttart Gallery, Calgary
1981 CSPWC Annual Juried Exhibition, Toronto
1979 Salute to Canada, Birmingham Festival of Arts, Alabama
1978 Festival 78, Commonwealth Games, Edmonton
1977 ASA Juried Exhibition, Glenbow Museum, Calgary
1977 SCA Juried Exhibition, Signal Gallery, Montreal and McDowell Gallery, Toronto
1977 Mormon Festival of Art, BYU, Provo, Utah
1976 What's New?, Edmonton Art Gallery
1975 National Invitational Exhibit, Springville Museum of Art, Utah
1974 Graphex Two, Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, Ontario1973
Awards2006 Province of Alberta Centennial Medal for Service in the Arts
2005 Antoinette (Toni) Stevens Award & Medallion for Best Painting, SCA, Spring Grandeur, Annual Members Exhibition, Waterloo
2005 Third Prize, International Artist Magazine, Flowers & Gardens competition
2004 Antoinette (Toni) Stevens Award for painting in acrylic, SCA, Guelph
2003 President’s Award, CSPWC for service
2002 Sam Black Award for outstanding transparent watercolour, CSPWC Open Water 77, Nova Scotia Public Archives, Halifax
2002 Bobs and Peter Haworth Honour Award for painting in watercolour, CSPWC, Triangle Gallery, Calgary
2000 Antoinette (Toni) Stevens Award for painting in acrylic, SCA, Toronto
1991 Watercolour presented by Alberta Government to Queen Margrethe of Denmark
1990 ASA Recognition Award for service to the Society Waterton / Glacier International Peace Park Logo winner
1987 ASA Purchase Award, Fort Calgary Show
1986 Watercolour selected for the CSPWC Diamond Jubilee Collection of Watercolours presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the Royal Collection of Drawings and Watercolours at Windsor Castle
1983 Crown Life Purchase Award, CSPWC 57th Annual Show,Verdun, Quebec
1981 H.G. Love Award (Freeman/Yipp Advertising) best logo design
1979 Alberta Energy Company Purchase Prize, ASA Annual Exhibition
1976 Award of Merit and Purchase Prize, Mormon Festival of Art, Provo, Utah
Publications2006 Waterton: Brush & Pen, Paintings by Brent R. Laycock, Prose by Fred Stenson, published by Fifth House Publishing Ltd. 129 pages.
2005 An Alberta Art Chronicle, Mary-Beth Laviolette
2005 Watercolour Gazette, Painting with Acrylics: Passionate Glads, pp 5-8
2003 International Artist Magazine, International Showcase of Prize Winners, p 16
2001 International Artist Magazine, Suggestive Dabs and Random Strokes, pp 100-107,April/May
2000 Alberta Society of Artists - The First 75 Years, Kathy E. Zimon, University of Calgary Press
2000 Magazin’ Art, Brent Laycock Nature Abstraite, 12, #4, Summer
2000 International Artist Magazine, Master Painters, Canada Showcase, June/July
2000 International Artist Magazine, What is Watercolour?, Spring
1998 Magazin’ Art Biennial Guide to Canadian Artists in Galleries (1998-99 and 1996-97 editions) reproduction, biography
1998 Oral History Interview, (with June Montgomery) ASA
1997 Treasured Moments, John & Monica Kurtz, reproduction, biography, letter
1996 Utah Art, Swanson (listing p. 234)
1994 Wallace Galleries 1995 Calendar
1993 FEESA 1994 Calendar
1991 Back cover, Selection (Reader's Digest French Edition), May
1990 Back cover, Reader's Digest, May 1990 issue
1986 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce 1986 Calendar
1986 Aquarelle! A History of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour 1925-1985, Sisler
1984 "Harmony on the Horizon" illustrated article in Skyword Magazine, June 1984
1977 Sunstone Magazine, Vol 2, No. 1, New Directions in Mormon Art
Art SocietiesBrent R. Laycock maintains membership in the following societies. Those with information and works by Brent Laycock that can be viewed on their websites are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Some of these societies require a juried membership application process to obtain membership, others are open to all who wish to pay the membership fee. In all cases, these organizations provide valuable services, professional information and valuable connections to other artists.
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
www.rca-arc.ca
*The Alberta Society of Artists
www.artists-society.ab.ca
*The Society of Canadian Artists
www.societyofcanadianartists.com
The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
www.cspwc.com
Canadian Artists Representation
www.carfac.ca
Visual Arts Alberta Association
www.visualartsalberta.ab.ca
Visual Arts Ontario
www.vao.org
Public CollectionsAlberta Art Foundation
Brigham Young University
Calgary Civic Collection
Glenbow-Alberta Institute
Queen Margrethe of Denmark
MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina)
Rodman Hall CSPWC Diploma Collection
Royal Collection at Windsor Castle
University of Alberta
Corporate CollectionsAberford Resources
Achievers International
Alberta Cancer Board
Alberta Energy Company
Alberta Foothills Pipeline
Alberta Government Telephones
Alberta Treasury Branch
Amerada Minerals
Amoco Canada
B.C. Hydro
British Petroleum
Burger King
Burns Fry Ltd.
Canada Northwest Energy
Canadian Air Lines
Canadian Fortune Resources
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Pacific
Canadian Utilities
Chevron Canada Resources
The Churchill Corporation
Conoco
Contemporary Art Collections
Cross Cancer Institute
Crown Life Insurance
Deloitte Haskins & Sells
Dover Park Development
Denison Mines
Esso Resources Canada
Enbridge Inc.
Fletcher Challenger
Geocrude Energy
Glencoe Club
Gulf Canada Resources
IBM
Imax Systems
Lacey International
Lethbridge Regional Hospital
Manufacturers Life Insurance
Marlin Travel
MBNA Bank of Canada
MediCentres
Merland Exploration
Milner & Steer
Nesbitt Thompson
Nortel
Nova
Pan Canadian Petroleum
Petro-Canada
Peat Marwick
Richardson Greenshields of Canada Richardson Securities
Royal Bank of Canada
Scarborough Centennial Hospital
Shell Canada Resources
Standard Life Assurance
Texaco Canada
Toronto Dominion Bank
Ultima Energy Trust
Vencap Equities
Vennard Johannesen & Co.
STATEMENTThe majority of my paintings are landscapes. Although I have experimented with many other forms and subjects, it is the interaction with the land that continually fuels my interest. Perhaps this passion comes from my background as a farm boy or perhaps it comes from just living where the sky, mountains, prairie and water have a continual impact in my perceptions. In the landscape I see the spiritual connection between ourselves and the divine. I only hope to transmit some of its power to uplift the soul.
Painting is really about understanding and feeling. The expression of feeling becomes a balancing act in which I attempt to give the work some life through spirited brushstrokes but still exert enough discipline over composition to give the piece unity. I like to allow accidental things to happen with the movement of the paint and brush so that the piece begins to take on a life of its own. After this rather loose and chaotic stage of carefree painting, I then face the task of bringing order and enough clarity to the composition to allow the viewer both an emotional feeling and some understanding of the subject.
With some work, especially the watercolors, I will paint outdoors use the real shapes and colours of the landscape. I do not finish the painting on site; however, but take it into the studio where I will work on it without reference to the subject matter. In this later stage, the solution of abstract design problems is my main concern. I hope that each painting will work on two levels; one making a statement about the subject matter, and the other working as a successful abstract composition.
It is often challenging to juggle the demands of representation with the needs of abstraction. Sometimes, viewers will notice that they can see the subject matter when they stand way back from the painting. They wonder how I painted it when I had to stand up close to it. I try to convince them that the painting can be enjoyed close up when one tries to understand and appreciate the interplay of small details in an abstract way.
I learned that music is often a very abstract form of art where the elements derive their meaning from the way they interact with each other. This is what I endeavour to do with my own painting. I see them as musical compositions where the rhythms, repetitions, melodies and movement are all involved in making a harmonious statement.
Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre
Weigle Educational Publishers
