Paul deGroot | Random Notes

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Paul deGroot, “Anxious Crowd,” 2024

oil on canvas, 42” x 57” (courtesy of the Gallery)

Opening Reception, Saturday, October 19th from 2 to 5 pm.

Paul’s work is rooted in the photorealist genre, though not in the strictest sense. The paintings, executed in oil, are usually based on personal photographs, chosen intuitively. The subject matter consists of everyday scenes, such as buildings, street scenes, vehicles, figures, etc., that are often perceived as ordinary or unremarkable in themselves. Although mostly painted monochromatically, colour always plays an important role in his work. 

Random Notes consists of a small group of paintings mostly created over the past two years - they are meticulous, skillful, detailed and thoughtful. The subject matter for the paintings are seemingly random but are scenes that held Paul’s full attention over the course of the months it took to paint them: cars, crowds, an orchestra, a Paris souvenir stand and portraits of other artists. Some of the paintings appear at a distance as highly realistic but as the viewer walks closer, the image dissolves into abstraction.

 Paul deGroot was born in the Netherlands but moved to Canada at an early age and is currently based in Calgary. He started art school at Kootenay College along with good friend Chris Cran. Both Paul and Chris then moved to Calgary to finish their degrees at  the Alberta College of Art, (now the Alberta University of the Arts), where Paul’s nickname became “the forger” because of the intricate pen and ink drawings and etchings he was making at the time. Paul continued to work in his home studio but did not exhibit until 2021 when had his first solo show at the Herringer Kiss Gallery which was a critical and commercial success. He has since been widely collected including three works by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, by the Calgary Stampede for the new BMO Centre and numerous private collections.