As part of the complete $11-million renovation, original works of art have been installed throughout the public spaces in the St. Regis hotel. In total, the collection comprises over twenty-two pieces from five different artists. The selection of work tends toward the abstract, springing from a variety of sources and serves to simultaneously integrate and compliment the spaces adding depth, colour and atmosphere throughout the Hotel.

The five artists featured at the St. Regis are Canadian, American and British with a range of cultural heritages and influences from native and Hispanic to Asian and Irish. Whether you take the time to examine and contemplate this art or whether you enjoy it in passing, we believe that it helps create the ideal environment for every stay.

Born in Arizona but rich ethnic heritage, he always identified with the spirit of the American Southwest. This unique identity became evident even as he produced his first paintings. “As an Arizona native, I possess an innate awareness of the quiet struggle and fragile balance of the Sonoran Desert. My abstract style expresses the harmony in the desert’s chaotic emotion of line, color and form. Emotion is the soul of my work; inspired by the natural and man-made architecture of the Arizona landscape”.

Born in Cork, Ireland, of Canadian and Irish parentage, she spent her days immersed in the wild scenery of the west coast of Ireland. Her self-taught approach to her art has been through the act of painting itself—trial and error, struggle and reflection. She says “For me, painting is both calm and explosive, coming from the gut. My work is done in acrylic, with rags, palette knifes and by hand. Initially, large blocks of colour are laid down in a slow, rhythmic manner. I move around a lot when I paint and use generous amounts of pigment straight from the jar, allowing the vibrations of colour to activate my creativity. As the layers build, so does my energy and the density, interconnectedness and movement of the paint.”

Simon was born in Colchester, in Essex, England, to a family of successful artists.  After training at the Colchester School of Art and the City and Guilds of London Art School, Simon developed his craft while working as a freelance illustrator and graphic artist. Simon’s painting techniques are inspired in part through close contemplation of the paintings of the Old Masters, with particular attention to the mood and atmosphere invoked by the quality of aging suggested by their faded, cracked, and heavily varnished surfaces. Frequent sketches from nature are a primary resource that is later translated into a more abstract and interpretive vision of the landscape.

Growing up in New York City to a mother who was a docent at an art museum and who kept her enrolled in “every manner of art class”, a career in art was almost inevitable.  Liz gravitated toward her deep love and appreciation for nature as a primary source of inspiration. Early in her career, Liz revelled in exploring the glory and diversity of flowers while currently, the sky and ocean with their endless color combinations and layers of transparent color are her inspiration for her vivid, elegant abstractions. Liz says that her favourite time to work is late in the evening when everyone has gone home and the phone has stopped ringing. “I crank up the music and let go.”

Born in Manhattan, Kansas, Jodi moved several times during her childhood and spent five years in Hong Kong.  Jodi’s influences are as diverse as her nomadic childhood and touch the color palettes of nature, magazines, meditation, galleries, museums and literature.Jodi describes her work as a spontaneous blend of harsh and soft applications of paint – applied fast and furiously – coupled with slow and deliberate layers to create a contemporary urban feel. The subtle layers and rich depths are an invitation into an ethereal mystique, revealing unexpected details that delight and entertain.

For complete information and extended biographies about the artists featured at the St. Regis Hotel, please visit www.dcdart.ca.