There is an undeniable melancholy to the work of Chris Evitts. Indefinite edges, dusky landscapes and strange figures seen as if through smoky lenses evoke the moment between waking and dreaming. But there is a kind of dark humour, too, from this artist who also worked as a butcher.

A graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design, he says he’s always been a bit weird, but also a happy person who manages to work out any anxieties through his art, not only painting but also prolific sketch work. He doesn’t paint from life or do studies. “I sit down til something emerges from the grey mush between my ears” with one image propelling the next.

In The Hills | Artist in Residence