Tony Griffin

Tony Griffin was born in 1963 and grew up in the East End of Glasgow, where family and community were far more important than money or status. Art was encouraged in his family as a hobby, not as a career, but the extraordinary lives of ordinary people still inspire the artist today. While Tony Griffin was very young, his uncle attended art school and every time he visited his grandparents' house he would always end up in his uncle's room, which was filled with drawings, paintings and a wall mural which was periodically changed to depict different scenes. It was this Aladdin's Cave which first inspired him towards an artistic career. He took a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art and attended the Ontario College of Art, Drawing and Painting. His artwork today draws its inspiration from his surroundings and, in particular, from the seemingly insignificant or mundane, to create a sense of drama. Having a young family softens the urban reality of living in a vibrant city like Glasgow and he transfers this to his work, where he juxtaposes soft organic natural elements with hard-edged, flat and brightly coloured backgrounds. This dichotomy between figure and ground emphasises the drama portrayed in life. Tony Griffin uses mixed media in conjunction with computer software, but relies on basic drawing and painting skills to create the work, which ranges from large scale oil paintings to contemporary text and light pieces. Away from the easel, his hobbies include golf and music, where he plays the guitar and sings in a band.