Steve R. Coffey
Steve R. Coffey has always thought of the prairies as a place loaded with visual intricacies. He has discovered there is simply no light throughout his travels like that of the Canadian prairies. Further describing his relationship with the light of the Canadian prairies, Steve states:
"I feel that a human being is both dwarfed and defined within this light. I use human elements as both a romantic and metaphorical signal. Not for a sense of aloneness but rather as an individual existing under the vast sky. My paintings are mental snapshots. I'll see something that strikes me, file it away in my head and draw on it as I return to my studio. These files I call 'Memory Polaroids.'"- Steve R. Coffey
For many years, Steve R. Coffey has been an essential part of the Canadian art and music scene. He has curated travelling art shows, created large-scale public sculptures, taught college, and conducted many workshops and art residencies. After completing his formal training in 1990 with an MFA, Steve practiced formalist metal sculpture. Ultimately, he gave in to his love of drawing and representation. Steve was intrigued by the immediacy and challenges of oil paint. He started exploring the medium full-time in 1995. Coffey has mainly exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Asia and is represented in Canada and the United States by many well-known art galleries. In addition, his artwork hangs in numerous private and public collections.
West End Gallery respectfully acknowledges that our gallery is situated on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples, including the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, and Inuit.