Grant Boland: Newfoundland Artist Blows Your Mind

A truly gifted artist, Grant Boland brings the canvas to life, with colour, line and form in his own masterful way. Each painting tells a story as unique as the person’s perspective who is viewing it.

Grant: “I grew up in Riverhead, St. Mary’s Bay. Some of my earliest memories have been of drawing or watching my father draw or paint. And because of my father’s interest in art (he was also an art teacher in school), there were always art history reference books and art materials around. There were also three working and successful artists with studios not far from me: Mary Pratt, Christopher Pratt and Scott Goudie. This was all proof to me as a child, that such artistic pursuits weren’t frivolous, and the thing I loved most was something I could build a life around. I love to work in all genres. My preference is to use unfinished narratives. This is where I leave the viewer with enough questions that they must complete the story in their own way.”

Grant: “My preference is to use unfinished narratives. This is where I leave the viewer with enough questions that they must complete the story in their own way. I’ve been painting almost my whole life, and its only within the last few years that I began to look at what I do as a business. This is partially because I enjoy what I do and it doesn’t feel like work to me. But it’s also because I left art school lacking the tools needed to begin my career on a solid footing. It’s interesting to see that business and engineering schools have begun to introduce the arts into their curriculum to make a more well-rounded school experience. Art schools need to start introducing business perspectives. If you look at any successful artist, it is clear that they both love what they do, and that they treat what they do as a business. An artist must take their passion and talents and use them to stand out and become financially solvent. No one else will do it for you.”