We Can’t Paint

© George Steeves

George Steeves is the type of Canadian photographer, like Fred Herzog (previously mentioned here), who is relatively anonymous in Canada. In fact, his last major exhibition, before the 2007 show at the Mount Saint Vincent University Gallery, was in 1989 at the NSCAD’s (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) Anna Leonowens Gallery. Steeves’ portraits are intimate studies of his subjects and often include a trace or even a full exposure of Steeves in his role as photographer. Before I show the small selection of his work (only a few of the small selection of images I could find on the internet) I want to discuss very briefly some of my thoughts on this continuing issue of anonymity in Canadian art.

I understand that limited exhibition opportunities or lack of funding can hinder a specific artist’s exposure. These are perhaps some of the most frequent reasons that artists remain unknown. However, with the relative democratic position that the internet takes on images, and even content, I find it surprising that many of these “unknowns” have decided not to utilize this powerful tool.

There may be more to this topic than I can touch on in this blog, but nonetheless photographers like Herzog and Steeves, and even their peers, need to wake up and start spreading the word. This is the exact reason I started We Can’t Paint, a tool to showcase artists who I believe are not only great, but need to be seen within a medium that has been relatively unexposed and unexplored itself. Oh, and the best part…none of it cost me a thing.

Here is a brief selection of Steeves work:

© George Steeves

© George Steeves

© George Steeves

© George Steeves

© George Steeves