Biography - Biographie
RFM McInnis at age 23 with A.Y. Jackson - 1965
- Robert Francis Michael (RFM) McInnis
- Born 11 March 1942, Saint John, New Brunswick.
- Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts, (1961)
Saint John Vocational School,
Saint John, N.B. Teachers Fred Ross and D. Edwin Campbell.
- Newspaper Reporter and Photographer, Telegraph Journal and Evening
Times Globe, Saint John, N.B. (1961 - 1962).
- Royal Canadian Air Force photographer, (1962- 1966).
- Graphic Illustrator, Department of Transport,Ottawa,ON (1966-1967).
- Went by Train to Vancouver, B.C. as "Centennial Project", (1967).
- Head of the Art Department and Artist in Residence, Prince George
College, Prince George, B.C. (1968- 1971).
- Moved to Powell River, B.C. to paint. (1971).
- At age 30, moved to Toronto to begin serious art career (1973).
From the above, it will be seen that my twin interests in Art and Photography have always been intertwined, both as hobbies and as career moves. My art interests have generally leaned towards the figurative and landscape painting, where-as my photography has been toward historical interests, railways and prairie grain elevators.
My real art career began in Toronto in 1973, following immediately upon a failed marriage. Perceiving Toronto to be the centre of Canadian art, I seized the opportunity to jump in - sink or swim - into the art world I had always dreamed of. I've never looked back. Poverty level living and being frugal went hand in hand in finding a way to live by art alone. In Toronto, I began to stress the figure in my painting as the main theme. Along the way I met many people who believed in my work. They supported me by buying those early figurative pieces. Toronto was my baptism by fire. Many of the Toronto accomplishments later paid off by positioning me as a serious Canadian painter.
Calgary came next. It was the year before the 'Boom'' which began in earnest in that city in 1978. Having made myself known in Toronto, establishing gallery representation there, I felt safe in pulling up stakes and moving west for a second time. The prairies had always attracted me. The flat, dry, dusty, ochre land, grain elevators, and trains would become my new subject matter.
When I arrived in Calgary, the office towers were just beginning to rise. They needed landscape paintings for their office walls. Corporate art committees from these offices complexes were the buyers. With the boom was in full swing I was in the right place at the right time with my bold, brushy landscapes. Then, after four short years the boom was over. It ended as quickly as it had started. By then I was well established in Alberta too.
I met Françoise, and this was cause for me to move to Montreal. We moved to Ottawa (1983 to 1986} which brought me back to familiar eastern landscape, even as I continued to paint the figure. From here I was able to establish firm contacts and gallery representation in both the National Capital and in Montreal. This was my systematic plan for making myself known nationally but living regionally. But I longed for the western plains.
Edmonton became home for the next seven years (1986 to 1993). Here, I continued the "Women in Interiors" series I had begun in Toronto and had continued in Calgary and Ottawa. I also painted the more northern portion of Alberta but trees did not appeal to me any more here than they did in British Columbia or Ontario.
A one year sojourn to the picturesque Compté Charlevoix region of Québec (Les Eboulements, (l991) intervened, and it was while there that I attempted to bring renewed change to my painting. I was seeking more depth and involvement in my work, and less outside interference by being away from friends and outside influences. At Les Eboulements, I was living in a rural area in cultural and linguistic isolation, the ideal situation for a period of introspection. I began to make strides in what it was I wanted to achieve in my work. Returning to Edmonton, I realized it was time again to move on. My excitement for that city had waned. I was craving the tonal ochres and golds of the southern prairie and what they would mean to my new perspective on art and personal vision. I needed a place where I could apply “the lessons of Québec’’.
During a painting trip to the Fort Macleod area of Alberta, (l993), Françoise and I checked out a small homestead property, that was for sale. The views from the windows offered so much potential as painting material. The flat, yellow land in all directions, views of grain elevators to the north (Cayley) and to the south (Nanton); flat, farmland to the east; the Porcupine Hills to the southwest; and a clear view of the Rocky Mountains straight west, made the decision for me. In less than a month, we left Edmonton to take up residence on this picturesque 12 acre property that was to be our home for the next 12 years. Because of the appeal of the scenery, few figurative works were painted in the first years on this property.
Living rurally, models were at a premium. However, I did continue painting the figure at every opportunity. Having Fred Ross and Ted Campbell as teachers had steeped me in the figurative tradition and much of this aspect of being a "Maritimer" could not be erased. I carried it with me where ever I lived in Canada. I have always considered the figure to be my most serious work. It is through the figure that I do most of my research in the elements and principles of design, painting techniques, and advancing my personal vision and creativity.
Because we live in Canada, which is one big landscape country, painting the local scene will always be important. But I believe it is through painting the human figure that the greatest challenges lie.
December 2005 marked the end of Alberta’s centennial year. It also coincided with the time Françoise, a weaver, and I, decided it was time to end our rural living. Seeking greener pastures, new challenges, and the excitement of a new place in which to live, we chose Winnipeg, the city we knew least. No one knew me there and I knew no one in Winnipeg. I felt it would be a good choice where I would be able to work uninterrupted in a renewed efforts toward the figure.
In a city, models would be more readily available and there would be a different art culture to explore. Our motto for the plan was “Arrive and Discover”. For studio space we found an upper/lower duplex situation, ideally suited to our needs. It gave us the space we both needed for our respective studios. It also provided plenty of wall space for displaying art and weaving.
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RFM McInnis
Né à Saint-Jean au Nouveau Brunswick en 1942, il a étudié à Saint John Vocational School sous la tutelle de Fred Ross et de D. Edwin Campbell et est diplomé des Arts Appliqués.
En 1961, Robert McInnis quittait l’École des Arts pour s’engager en tant que photographe dans les Forces Armées Canadiennes. C’était ce qui se rapprochait le plus du domaine artistique et où en même temps il pouvait gagner sa vie.
Il fut journaliste pour le Telegraph Journal and Evening Times Globe à Saint-Jean; graphiste pour le Service des transports à Ottawa; artiste en résidence et en charge des Arts Appliqués au Collège Prince George en Colombie Britannique (1968-1971).
Ayant depuis habité et peint dans plusieurs provinces, il a eu l’opportunité de connaître l’histoire, les gens, les paysages et la scène artistique de chaque région du Canada.
En 1973, il arrive à Toronto, déterminé à “réussir”. Pour lui, ça voulait dire gagner sa vie en tant que peintre seulement. Il obtient la commission de reproduire certaines toiles de Tom Thompson pour le film “The Far Shore” réalisé par Joyce Wieland en 1974. RFM McInnis publie également deux livres - “Toronto We Love You”, The Brunswick House”, (Simon & Pierre) et “The Renagade’s Lament” (Fiddlehead Press); en plus de réaliser de nombreuses toiles de la ville de Toronto et des environs.
McInnis s’établit à Calgary en 1978 et peint une série de paysages représentant les prairies, tout en continuant l’exécution de son thème préféré ‘le figuratif au féminin’ commencé à Toronto. Il a la commande de peindre les portraits des chefs du Parti Progressiste Conservateur pour les locaux nationaux à Ottawa.
En 1983, il déménage à Ottawa avec son épouse et modèle Françoise Cardinal. Ils exécutent des voyages fréquents dans le Comté de Charlevoix au Québec, ainsi que dans le vieux Québec et ses environs. En 1984 vient la publication du ‘livre d’artiste’ “Steel and Steam”, édition limitée (Laurier St.James) contenant huit sérigraphies illustrant le thème de la construction du chemin de fer national, avec un texte de Pierre Berton.
L’attrait des prairies les ramène à Edmonton en 1986 où McInnis peindra le district historique Old Strathcona et les communautés environnantes pourvues d’élévateurs à grain. Ses toiles et photographies feront partie de l’exposition “Finding Our Way Home” en 1999 aux Archives Provinciales de l’Alberta.
Ils passeront une année sabbatique à Les Eboulements au Québec où il exécutera une série de toiles avec vues du fleuve St-Laurent, de l’Ile-aux-Coudres et de Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive pendant l’hiver 1991-1992. Ils ont le souvenir d’une journée fabuleuse passée en compagnie de Jean-Paul Lemieux et de son épouse sur l’Ile-aux-Coudre cet été-là.
Pendant son séjour à Les Eboulements, une équipe de tournage de la chaîne de télévision ‘Access’ de Calgary viendra faire un documentaire sur McInnis et son oeuvre figurative.
A leur retour en Alberta, Robert et Françoise dénichent une propriété historique sur 12 acres de terre dans le sud de la province, près de Nanton, où ils sont entourés de vastes champs, cultivés selon les années, de blé, d’orge, de lin donnant une fleur d’un bleu/violet magnifique, ou bien de canola qui sera en fleur d’un jaune vibrant à perte de vue. McInnis n’a plus à voyager, se contentant de peindre les vues à partir de sa propriété. A l’ouest, ils ont une vue inégalée des montagnes rocheuses. Durant ces 12 ans passés à la campagne et à peindre les magnifiques paysages l’entourant, les opportunités de peindre le modèle étaient rares. Ca lui manquait car il le considère comme son travail le plus sérieux. “C’est en peignant le modèle que je fais mes recherches et découvertes les plus importantes en ce qui a trait aux éléments et principes fondamentaux de l’art, des techniques d’application tout en formulant plus clairement ma vision personnelle et ma créativité. C’est là que je fais face à mes plus grands défis”.
Un nouveau livre est publié en 2005 - “A is Alberta” (Simple Truth) - 26 toiles illustrent par ordre alphabétique des endroits uniques de la province pour célébrer le centenaire de l’Alberta (2005). C’est également le temps de retourner vers la ville, de faire face à de nouveaux défis et de faire la découverte de nouveaux horizons.
Ils choisissent Winnipeg et y déménagent en décembre 2005.
