Drawing and painting founded the solid friendship of local artists Oliver Arthur and Dylan Humphries, whose collective work is hanging at Cowan Office Supplies.
“We’ve been tight friends since the third grade. Art was a hobby we shared.”
Early inspiration came from the masters who created the superheroes, and it was a natural evolution to draw from cult favourites such as the gonzo-style American illustrator Robert Crumb.
The friends continue to paint together, and while neither is a stranger to having their art displayed, this is the first time they’ve shown in tandem. Arthur says the work is a bit of a “mish-mash” of both their paintings.
He credits Humphreys with having enough energy to keep them both productive.
“Dylan is driven. He makes a point of self-marketing,” says Arthur.
They favour acrylics and other media that can be used safely indoors. He says his own work is in major transition.
“I’m moving more to abstracts, which are completely non representational. It’s a big thing for me. There are no borders, no limits. It’s a bit daunting,” says Arthur.
Arthur says the early influences that comics had on both of them persist, and he recognizes them in the strong shapes and lines that characterize his paintings, even as his style shifts.