“Glenn was very attuned to how the eye worked, his key theory being that the eye sees everything that is not front and centre in a blur, and that this sort of side-vision was what compositions ought to be constructed for” Jalleen Grove a student of Howarth’s

How often are the aesthetics of a gas station made apparent?  In this painting Howarth provokes his viewer to look at a site that is most often disregarded as ugly.   Howarth’s characteristic selection of the unexpected round frame is inviting, and perhaps befitting. This unlikely shape suggests to his viewer to look with a new frame of mind.  The primary colours of the gas pumps and the light immediately pop from the wet and sombre seen.

How does this urban scene relate to the subject of wealth?  What do we see and what do we choose to ignore on the streets of Victoria: garbage, strangers’ conversations, advertisements, rain? The gas station at Rock Bay and Bay Street is no longer there. Look into the history of the site. How has the site changed?

Howarth lived and worked throughout Canada during his lifetime; giving him the benefit of learning and understanding our regional differences and commonalities. “Gas Pumps at Rock Bay and Bay Street,” is an illustration of downtown Victoria but it could easily be a depiction of almost anywhere.  The works’ message speaks to the nationwide problems that our exhibition discusses. 

Glenn Howarth (1946-2009) was born in Vegreville, Alberta. He moved to Victoria to study fine arts at the University of Victoria. He graduated in 1970, and remained in the city to work as an art critic for the Victoria Daily Times and to continue making his own art.  In 1978, he became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.  He moved to Nova Scotia to teach at Acadia University and became the head of the Visual Art Department. Ultimately, he chose to move back to Victoria, where he taught at the University of Victoria, Victoria College of Art and from his own studio in Brentwood Bay.  He also penned “pictophile” a monthly article that explained art techniques. Glenn Howarth was a well known figure in the Victoria arts community and when he passed away in 2009 it was a great shock to the many people who were affected by his teaching, his involvement in the community, and his art work.

For further information check out the Official Glenn Howarth Website http://www.glennhowarth.ca/