Full name
Simon Raskina
Title
Painter
Location
Toronto, Canada
Biography
Art drives me, challenges me, picks me back up and smacks me in the face. I use my artwork and paintings to spread optimism and a positive mental attitude among my viewers. I believe in creating colorful, thought-provoking artwork using very simple themes. I have been inspired throughout the years by many artists, from Oskar Kokoschka to Bob Ross to Jack Kirby. Whether it is the intensity of my brushstrokes or the soft blending of my landscapes, my consistency can be found in my technicolor pallet. I create art because of the ones I love, to inspire future generations and to spread a positive message.
Toronto-based artist Simon Raskina creates displays of majestic color through his detailed paintings of familiar and exotic subjects. His work focuses on the enduring natural beauty of landscapes and animals, with applications of kaleidoscopic brushstrokes and smoky textures to produce a picturesque quality. Although working in a realistic style, Raskina's compositions contain an idealized palette that tends towards fantasy and neon opulence. This effect, however, only adds to the naturalistic style and the overall sense of positivity and unrestrained energy in his works.
Raskina's stylistic choices are glued together with the use of blended acrylics and attention to the figurative aspects of the paintings. His representations of animals, for example, use descriptive brushstrokes and details to embody energetic measures of emotional depth. By characterizing his subjects in this way, Raskina shows a more experimental side, allowing elements of playfulness and chance into the picture. In contrast to some avant-garde art, Raskina's work is explicitly created with a positive message in mind, which is particularly reflected in the harmonious palette and the real sense of personality in each work of art.
Simon Raskina was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where he continues to live and work today.
Awards
2023 |
Bronze Award
, Camelback Gallery - International Art Gallery
Amazing Animals 2023 International Juried Visual Arts Exhibition |
2023 |
Bronze Award
, Camelback Gallery - International Art Gallery
Shades of Blue 2023 International Juried Visual Arts Competition |
2023 |
Honorable Mention Award
, ART SHOW INTERNATIONAL GALLERY
6th ANIMAL art competition |
2022 |
Bronze Award
, Camelback Gallery - International Art Gallery
Portraits 2022 International Juried Painting Exhibition |
2022 |
Silver Award
, Camelback Gallery - International Art Gallery
Shades of Green 2022 International Juried Visual Arts Competition |
Exhibitions
June 2023 | Essence (Group), Twist Gallery, Toronto, Canada |
May 2023 | Academy of Realist Art Spring Salon 2023 (Group), Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada |
Feb 2023 | Amazing Animals 2023 International Juried Visual Arts Exhibition (Group), Camelback Gallery, Online |
Jan 2023 | Shades of Blue 2023 International Juried Art Exhibition (Group), Camelback Gallery, Online |
Nov 2022 | Portraits 2022 International Juried Painting Exhibition (Group), Camelback Gallery, Online |
Aug 2022 | Fan Expo Canada 2022 (Group), Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada |
April 2022 | Shades of Green 2022 International Juried Visual Arts Exhibition (Group), Camelback Gallery, Online |
April 2021 | 3rd Into the Wild Art Exhibition (Group), Fusion Art, Online |
Sept 2019 | Fan Expo Canada 2019 (Group), Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada |
Mar 2019 | Empowering Change Tour (Solo), McKay Art Centre, Toronto, ON |
Jan 2019 | Empowering Change (Solo), The Robert Mclaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Canada |
Nov 2018 | RAW Toronto presents: OVATION (Group), Fountain Blu Night Club, Toronto, Canada |
Nov 2018 | Pine Ridge 19th Annual Juried Art Show (Group), McLean Community Centre, Ajax, Canada |
Sept 2018 | Siblings (Solo), Coast Collective Art Centre, Victoria, Canada |
Aug 2018 | Fan Expo Canada 2018 (Group), Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada |
Jul 2018 | Tabletop & Gaming Expo (TGX) (Group), Sandman, Mississauga, Canada |
Apr 2018 | Phantasm 2018 (Group), Holiday Inn, Peterborough, Canada |
Mar 2018 | Loving the Process (Solo), McKay Art Centre, Toronto, Canada |
Mar 2018 | HotLeads Miniature Convention (Group), Arden Park Hotel, Stratford, Canada |
Feb 2018 | RAW Toronto presents ENVISION (Group), Mod Club, Toronto, Canada |
Dec 2017 | One with Everything: 25th Annual Members’ Exhibition (Group), Station Gallery, Whitby, Ontario |
Nov 2017 | RAW DENVER PRESENTS SAVOR (Group), City Hall, Denver, CO |
Aug 2017 | Fan Expo Canada 2017 Artist Alley (Group), Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada |
June 2017 | RAW TORONTO PRESENTS VERSE (Group), The Mod Club, Toronto, Canada |
May 2017 | 2nd Annual Animal Kingdom Online Juried Art Exhibition (Group), Fusion Art, Online |
March 2017 | Fusion Art’s Colors Online Juried Art Exhibition (Group), Fusion Art, Online |
Jan 2017 | Fusion Art’s 2nd Annual Landscapes Online Exhibition (Group), Fusion Art, Online |
Dec 2016 | Pencil Studio Grand Gala (Group), Pencil Studio, Markham, ON |
May 2016 | Elixir of Nature (Group), Agora Gallery, New York, NY
http://www.art-mine.com/artistpage/simon_raskina.aspx |
January 2016 | RAW Natural Born Artists FUTURES Showcase (Group), The Mod Club, Toronto, Canada
http://www.rawartists.org/ |
2015 | Paint-A-Smile Art Night (Group), Paint-A-Smile Art Nite, Markham, Canada |