Biography - Bill McCann

Bill McCann lives in Ottawa and spends his summers in the South Shore of Nova Scotia. He is a self taught artist and works in oil and mixed media on canvas, board and paper. He is committed to experimenting with colour, different media, a multitude of ideas, characters, and format to remain fresh and engaged. Vivid colour plays a central role in his work. His portraits of the famous and the obscure (those with whom he is intrigued), capture personality through blocks of contrasting colour and often bold brushstroke.

A strong colourful narrative is often a signature of his work. He views many of his paintings as short stories: ruminations on love, sex, anger, aging, surprise, embarrassment, conceit, etc. His characters are often in amusing and/ or disquieting social, physical or emotional situations where the viewer's imagination is challenged to decipher meaning and complete the story.

His works are in collections in Canada, The United States, Italy, France, Australia and the Middle East. Work is also in the Canadian Library of Parliament, The official Residence of the Canadian Consul General in San Francisco; and the Shirley Greenberg Women's Health Centre in Ottawa.