"I have been concerned with painting since I was 17yrs old. I have found it to be the most engaging occupation and sphere of thought and action for me. The subject of my work has always been “Painting Itself” to some greater or lesser degree. Living in Alberta, which has a reputation for quality of light, has been of great significance to me. I assume it is to the many other artists who reside in Alberta or Saskatchewan. Seasonal change inevitably affects my palette. The marks and shapes, colors and scrapes and patches; the opacities and transparencies, and scale changes, are the stuff that I try to make sense of. This, in the rectangular arenas that are the canvases. Ultimately, I suppose I am looking for a harmony of parts. Some times the harmonies are gentle, sometimes harsh. The paintings have an emotional charge."
-Phil Darrah, 2025
