David Sharpe is the sole Canadian member of the American Tonalist Society, and his landscapes wade heavily into tonalist territory. Yet in practice Sharpe moves fluidly between tonalism, his own brand of impressionism and expressive non-representational abstraction. He describes his influences as “American, British, and Russian Impressionist Painters, with a special affinity for the American Tonalists of the 20th Century.” He’s a founding member of the Ontario Plein Air Society. He also leads “Painting the Emotional Landscape,” a popular painting workshop in which he teaches students to “to emote in their work…. to try and paint what they ‘feel’ about what they see -- not just paint what they see,” he says. “I attempt to teach them about how to convey mood, atmosphere, and an atmospheric ‘sense of place.’”

An Honors graduate in illustration from the Alberta College of Art and Design, David’s taught drawing and design at Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), Concordia University, and Capilano College in Vancouver. He has lectured extensively at Queens University, St Lawrence College, and Humber College, where he’s sat on the College’s Advisory Board. 

David’s home and primary studio are in Stratford, SW Ontario just west of Toronto, and he maintains a second studio in the Alberta foothills near the ranching town of Cochrane, Alberta. His work is represented by Village Studios in Stratford (Ontario, Canada) and Mountain Galleries in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, The Jasper Park Lodge, and Chateau Whistler. 

David is active on Instagram and Facebook and can be booked to teach from the “workshops” page of his website, www.sharpegallery.com.

Tonalism.com: Do you call or think of yourself as a tonalist? How or why / why not? 

David Sharpe: I guess I don’t really see myself as a strict tonalist in the sense that that’s the only way I paint. The mood and atmosphere of tonal paintings I’m naturally drawn to because, like the original Tonalists, I love the nuances of the low light of dawn and evening. I also love to paint other times of the day using the day's particular cast of light and shadow. But I must admit I’m drawn to the quiet times of day and to the artistic emotional inspiration that comes from seeing and feeling and trying to paint that. 

My definition of Tonalism is a work that has a quiet, almost contemplative feel to it. It’s basically keeping all your values all in a lower range where your highlights might be a 5. But nothing screams out at you.  And using a limited palette will always keep your colours harmonious. 

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