Gordon Boyd

Gordon Boyd is one of the current Resident Artists participating in the City of Mississauga’s Resident Artist Program at the Living Arts Centre.

Gordon Boyd
Glass

About the artist

Gordon Boyd was born and raised in Northern Manitoba, growing up inspired by the colours of the landscape around him, he began painting and drawing at a young age. After being introduced to glass in 2015, moved to Ontario to study the craft, enticed by the beauty and difficulty inherent in the medium. While completing his Bachelors of Craft and Design at Sheridan College, Gordon began working in a variety of studios learning how to care for and build the equipment, using his free time to continue his exploration of glass.

“My inspiration comes from my struggles with mental health. As an individual with OCD, my thought process often seemed foreign to those who had a more neurotypical way of thinking. As I grew I learned to hide this, mask my compulsions, and keep my obsessions hidden to match my peers and society. As I moved through life, battling the depression that grew alongside my OCD, this idea that my inner self didn’t match the person the world saw became stronger as the two versions of myself drifted further apart.

My art centers on this juxtaposition of our inner selves and outer appearances. Something I explore through the process of glass engraving, literally carving away the layers of a piece to reveal what’s truly inside. Glass has the wonderful ability to be both transparent or opaque, it may reveal all of itself to you, or hide its contents, much like we as people do. A piece is created with layers of colour, and those layers can be cut or carved away, exposing to us the truth of the piece.

In this way, the work becomes more than what it was before through the loss of part of itself, much like we do. Each piece invites viewers to delve beneath the surface and engage with their own emotions and experiences. My goal with this work is to encourage people to explore these ideas, to explore the beauty of one’s inner self, regardless of the pain or loss which may have shaped it.” – Gordon Boyd

Heavily inspired by the works of early abstract painters like Kandinsky and Rothko, Gordon has spent the last six years using engraving and carving techniques to create bright and beautiful works of blown glass. Colour and texture are staples in his work, with a heavy focus on fine details and vibrant colour schemes.

Gallery