Josh Connell - BOQ spotlight

Josh Connell (b 1980) is a self-taught artist living in Quinte, Ontario. He primarily uses charcoal and graphite to draw images with photographic precision. Connell uses his art to explore the human condition.

Hope (48cm by 70cm) is rendered in charcoal. Connell prefers not to accompany his pieces with any explanation; just the image and title, allowing for the individual to bring their own authentic experience to the work: “With all the disorienting chatter in the world today, I find it refreshing to observe a piece of art and out of the silence form my own thoughts and opinions.”

Hope is one of his larger drawings and took about 80 hours to complete: “Every once in a while I reach a new level of understanding when it comes to the amount of realism I am able to create. At these thresholds I find the time it takes increases as I reach a greater mastery of technique.”

Content created in collaboration with the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board