Fluevog Calgary is thrilled to welcome local artist Brendan O’Callaghan to The Underground Gallery! Showcasing a series of beautiful oil paintings titled Weathered By Past Storms, Brendan delves into his personal journey of adversity, resilience, and healing, starting from an early age. Brendan’s work will be on display from December 2024 to January 2025.
Exhibition: December 2024 – January 2025
Address: Fluevog Calgary | 207 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB
About Brendan O’Callaghan
Website | Instagram
Brendan O’Callaghan is a Canadian artist based in Calgary, Alberta. His artistic journey began at fourteen when he started creating oil paintings of still lives. His early work earned him acceptance into the Alberta University of the Arts, where he expanded his creative pursuits into video art. Brendan graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Media Arts, and furthered his passion for video production by earning a Diploma from the Toronto Film School.
Despite his accomplishments in media arts, Brendan ultimately returned to oil painting, dedicating himself to developing a unique artistic style. He now creates hyperrealistic, surreal landscapes that serve as a deeply introspective exploration of his life experiences, particularly his journey as a childhood cancer survivor. Today, Brendan continues to refine his technique and evolve as an oil painter, driven by his ambition to become a full-time professional artist one day. His work is a testament to his resilience and a deeply personal narrative of healing and self-discovery.
About Weathered By Past Storms
Weathered By Past Storms explores Brendan’s journey through adversity, resilience, and healing. From surviving leukemia as a child to facing subsequent challenges like grief from divorce, career changes, friendship losses, and addiction, each phase has left its mark. Yet, instead of succumbing to the weight of these experiences, he has used them as a catalyst for introspection and growth.
In his artwork, Brendan harnesses the metaphor of storms to convey the raw and complex emotions tied to these events. The storm’s surreal qualities echo the way trauma and suffering can invade the mind and body. Through the act of painting, Brendan does not just document his pain; he confronts it. Brendan gains the self-awareness needed to pursue new opportunities and, more importantly, to continue his personal growth and healing.
