“The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. And my heart soars.” Chief Dan George

STATEMENT

As a contemporary impressionist, I use Chigiri-e in a new and innovative way that reflects my deep love of the Canadian west coast. My minimalist landscapes are created from exotic paper and not paint. Through thick textures and richly engrained colours, I’m inspired to share the natural mystic beauty of my Gulf Island home. Marc Baur

BIOGRAPHY

You might say I was born into the arts. My father, Albert Baur, was a successful artist, who studied with Frederick Varley of the Group of Seven and taught at the Ontario College of Art. Lynn Baur, my mother, was an award-winning sculptor and one-time noted fashion designer, who spent many years in television, heading up the costume departments of the Canadian Broadcast Corporation in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that I have split my creative efforts between the performing and visual arts. For thirty years I worked within the film industry as an accomplished actor, writer, producer, award-winning acting coach, and artistic director of a prominent college for the performing arts.

As a visual artist, I studied graphic design at the Vancouver School of Arts, which transitioned into Emily Carr College of Art. After which I opened in partnership, Duo Graphic Design and then my own art shop Baurhaus Graphics. Over the next few years, I worked my way up to Art Director at WMS Publishing and developed a presence within the newspaper industry.

In 2010 I became utterly devoted to my fine art and explored the technique of Chigiri-e, the ancient Japanese art form of creating with paper. When I moved to Bowen Island in 2011, a rare jewel in the Salish Sea, I was inspired by the natural beauty of British Columbia’s rain coast. Now a resident of Salt Spring Island, I strive to share through my work, the great love I have for the Canadian west coast and the Gulf Islands.