Andrew Mirth

Andrew Mirth is a Calgary based artist who was born in Edmonton in 1982. As an adolescent, Andrew loved to work with his hands and took a liking to drawing and stone carving. In 2000, he left Edmonton to study sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design. While there, his work began to focus on pen and ink drawing, and creating kinetic work out of found material he would scrounge from the world around him. “I was limited to my feet and my bicycle to get around, so I got good at finding ways to drag my materials back to the studio from greater and greater distances” Andrew said. “Working in this way gave me practice in unconventional mediums and uncommon logistics”. After graduating, Andrew moved to Vancouver and got a job working as a labourer in a small construction firm. His years there got him started in the trade of cabinetmaking and carpentry. Keeping true to his mandate to create with discards, Andrew started making millwork out of the discards from his projects, re-purposing old furniture, and still worked extensively on his drawing. In 2011, Andrew and his wife and 2-year-old son moved back to Calgary to re-establish closer to family. While in Calgary, he started developing a body of sculptures that highlight the characteristics of the designer cabinetry he was building for people. He continues to work fervently on his sculptures, drawings and functional woodworking projects.

"My process begins by gathering the discarded woodwork from my surroundings which meets the criteria of being decorative as well as functional. I select based on visual appeal, and relevance as examples of contemporary interior design colour, finishes, function and profiles. I want to display these materials out of their regular context, informs that bring attention to the shape of the medium as a crucial aspect of the overall sculpture. All of the pieces have been re-surfaced to varying degrees using popular colours for home décor. Some of the paint finishes are only touched up and original to the sourced material, and some I applied on raw surfaces. I am fortunate enough to be involved in many woodworking projects, and have access to such beautiful discards"