The Success of Unity by Phillip Saunders
Location: Humber Polytechnic North Campus - LRC-BCTI Link Bridge
“The inspiration behind this mural is Love, family and education. This work takes a traditional approach to what I believe are the pillars to success, which are strong loving family support and the value of a good education in order to fulfill Passions, dreams and desires.
My process for creating this mural was inspired by moments in the timeline of success. There are in total seven vignettes or small murals, the murals are meant to be viewed from right to left. The first wall features family structures rooted in unity and love that foster healthy foundations and the second larger wall highlights the fruits of a strong foundation and the value of education. On this wall is seen the student body of Humber in various fields of interest ranging from science to sports. The entire mural is aimed at fostering a sense of joy and reflection, the colour palette consists of soft pastels contrasting against saturated tones to inspire and excite positive moods in the viewer.” - Phillip Saunders
Phillip Saunders Bio
Phillip Saunders is a multidisciplinary artist and arts educator based in Toronto, Ontario. His practice includes oil painting, charcoal drawing, mural making, and digital illustrations. Phillip explores two worlds in his art practice, his oil paintings contrast sharply against his mural works; his oil practice takes on a traditional realist approach reminiscent of the old masters, where his mural work take on a contemporary pop art feel.
As pertaining to Phillip’s mural art, he explores the interplay of how colours couple with feeling in his colourful portraits. His distinctive use of colour and abstract patterns portray a unique perspective of human emotion through color theory, with the goal of invoking joy, reflection and happiness in the viewer.
Phillip also takes a keen interest in aspects of classical realism, his oil paintings are primarily focused on the Black Body set in landscapes of ancient times. For the past 4 years, Phillip’s oil paintings have been exploring the realms of ancient Bantu spirituality and what is seen as sacred, in hopes of resuscitating past religious cultural imagery. His work attempts to bond the past and present through figurative expressions nuanced in West African igbo culture, which is exemplified in his most recent series "Hebrew Nuance". Although his work varies from canvas to street art murals and may not have the same aesthetic consistencies, his paintings are still linked through reoccurring spiritual overtones.
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