Andrew Sookrah, SCA
ANDREW CHEDDIE SOOKRAH
www.sookrah.ca
Sookrah is a raw colourist whose free brushwork is confident and powerful. His strengths can be seen in his strong sense of design, exquisite use of effective composition, confident presentation of bold colours… and in his figurative and portraiture work, his capturing the essence of the human spirit. His is a masterful expression of the unity of nature.
TEACHING:
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah teaches painting in watercolour, acrylic, oil and at Loyalist College (Belleville), the Richmond Hill (Markham) Art School and Luc Sculpture Art School (Toronto).
WORKSHOPS:
Andrew conducts 1-day, 2-day and 4-day painting workshops periodically.
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, the Society of Canadian Artists, the Ontario Society of Artists, the Portrait Society Of Canada, Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario and the Certified Graphic Designers of Canada.
He was born in Guyana in 1956. In Georgetown he attended Queen’s College where he was recognized for his artistic expression from an early age having won the school’s art prize in 1971. At age 16, Sookrah started working as a designer and illustrator at Ace Advertisers (Georgetown, Guyana), and quickly moved into the role of the company art director.
In 1974 Sookrah immigrated to Canada and attended multidisciplinary continuing education programs at the Ontario College of Art (OCA), George Brown College and Ryerson University. His beginnings in design and illustration opened a life of parallel passions. While continuing to paint and carve out his artistic existence, Sookrah involved himself in advertising and opened Engine Room Creative, a successful design development studio and advertising & marketing agency in Toronto. As the Creative Director of Engine Room, he has worked on provincial and national campaigns, as well as international campaigns in the US and UK.
Sookrah’s technical knowledge and might of communication lead him into fine art instruction for the past twelve years.
An active member of the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto for twenty-four years, Sookrah served many terms on the Club’s Art Committee and was the convenor of its 3rd Floor Sunday Figurative Painting Sessions for nine years. Over the years his work was included in various juried group exhibitions at the Club.
He regularly supports charitable auctions and foundations by donating work to assist in their fundraising efforts, including Gilda’s Club, Creative Art GEMS Auction, KidSport Canada, and the Roseneath Foundation, etc. He was also a sponsor of the Student Drawing Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) at City Hall for five consecutive years.
His body of work includes portraiture, figurative, landscape paintings and ceramic sculpture. Sookrah has presented his conceptual / multimedia work at Nuit Blanche in Toronto three times, including “Can Religious Beliefs be Identified From Examining DNA” in 2012.
His work can be found in Corporate and Private Collections in Canada and the US.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Born 1956, Guyana
Emigrated to Canada, 1974, Canadian Citizen, 1978
EDUCATION
1967 - 1972, Queen’s College, Georgetown, Guyana
1977 - 1984, Ontario College of Art (OCA), Toronto, Part time, Fine Art Advertising & Design (Various courses), George Brown College, Toronto, Part time, Fine Art, Illustration, (Various courses), Ryerson University, Toronto, Part time, Print Production Management (Various courses),
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2014 Raw Stimulations: Dingle, Ireland & Killarney, Ontario, Rawlicious, Toronto
2012 Interviews From The Third Floor Plus 2, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto
2008 Heat Rising In A Cold Place, Arctic Landscapes, Santaguida, Toronto
2007 Darkened Spaces Full of Light, Arctic Landscapes, Engine Room Creative Studio, Toronto
2005 Parallel States of Being 1, The Lodge, Amherst Island
2004 Interviews From The Third Floor, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2015 International Art Exposition, The Grand Palais, Carousel, Louvre, Paris
2015 The Canadian Landscape, Art Gallery Of Ontario Members’ Lounge, The Grange,
2015 IMPACT 2015, Neilson Park Creative Centre
2014 Art of The Real, Todmorden Mills Papermill Art Gallery, Toronto
2012 IN FEAR WE TRUST 2, Exploring the power of religious belief, NUIT BLANCHE, Toronto
2011 / 2013 Through The Eyes Of The Artist, Lakeshore Arts, Toronto
2009 Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) Summer Exhibition at the Win Henstock Gallery, Oakville, Ontario and the Pentimento Fine Art Gallery, Toronto
2010 Society of Canadian Artists’ On The Scene, Exhibition of Landscapes, The Leighton Art Centre, Calgary, Alberta
2011 Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) Continuum, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto
2008 IN FEAR WE TRUST, Exploring the power of political belief, NUIT BLANCHE, Toronto
2008 Spillage! Installation Art on Elm Street, Toronto
2009 Society of Canadian Artists’ Roots, Saint John Arts Centre, Saint John, New Brunswick
2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 Society of Canadian Artists’ Annual Open Juried Shows (38th/39th/42nd/43rd/44th),
2006 Annual Queen West Art Crawl, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
2006 ARCTIC QUEST Exhibitions:
- Win Henstock Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
- The Georgina Art Gallery, Sutton West, Ontario
- The Gallery on the Grand, Waterloo, Ontario
- The Linkway Gallery, TD Centre, Toronto
2007 Society of Canadian Artists’ Integration, Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH)
Awards
- First Prize, IMPACT 2015, Neilson Park Creative Centre
- Third Prize, Through The Eyes Of The Artist 2011, Lakeshore Arts
- Honourable Mention, Through The Eyes Of The Artist 2011, Lakeshore Arts
- Honourable Mention, Watercolours, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, 1981
- Best in School Art Prize, Queen’s College, 1971 (age 15)