Gary McKague
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Raku Artist Gary McKague was born in 1945 in central Manitoba in an area called the Interlake. His interest in art has expanded over the years and includes painting and sculpting. Formal training in art came at Forum Art Institute in Winnipeg where he mastered painting flesh tones under the late Nikola Bjelajac. He also studied with clay artist Jordan Van Sewell, who passed on skills in the art of working with clay and stretching the boundaries of conventional art. Recently, McKague was presented with the Most Innovative Gallery Product Award at the Uniquely Prairies juried art show in Edmonton, Alta., McKague has stretched traditional artistic rules and boundaries for dealing with paint and clay. His work in mixed media defies many of the previously held beliefs about combining clay with other media such as metal. Most recently, his work branched into the ancient medium of Raku, where he explores the mystery of the Inuit culture with his studies of the Inukshuk and other northern images.
His commissioned pieces are displayed in collection across Canada, including the prestigious Press Club in Ottawa and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in Toronto. Private collections are held in countries such as New Zealand, Japan, Saudi Arabia, England and Sweden. He currently works year round at Northern Lights Studio [1] in Winnipeg Beach, Man.
