The Common Roof locations in Barrie, Collingwood and Orillia are a little brighter thanks to a recent donation by Cambridge, Ontario artist Bill Schwarz. A total of 12 paintings were donated to help brighten and lighten common spaces at the three social purpose real-estate building locations.
“This is such a wonderful way to brighten up our collaborative spaces and bring some whimsy into our common areas. Everyone coming into our buildings will benefit from the uplifting and cheerful pieces of art,” says James Thomson, President, and CEO of The Common Roof. “After months of conversations and getting input from our reception staff to determine where they would be displayed, we are thrilled that they have finally made the journey to Simcoe County.”
The Common Roof is a collaborative space where not-for-profits come together in a common space and with a common purpose to best serve the over 10,000 clients they see collectively every year. Schwarz created the art pieces in custom sizing to accommodate the vision of where they would eventually be displayed.
“When I first came upon The Common Roof, it struck me that its name was reflective of its values of collaboration and integration which matched my style of architectural painting,” says artist Schwarz. ”My inspiration comes primarily from the urban landscape and architecture of all sorts; it feels like my paintings were meant to find their way to Simcoe County!”
About Bill Schwarz
Art helps Bill find equilibrium between what he was trained to do and what he wants to do. As a lawyer, Bill looks at facts and studies detail in order to find the core of an issue. In his practice, what may often appear simple may be much more complex.
In his art, Bill likes to do the opposite. The world around us – landscape, architecture, people – is a complexity of planes, textures, and colours. Bill likes to make this intricacy simple. What he sees undergoes an inner transformation; it is reshaped and crystalized into something elemental. Bill’s art is a quest for balance between the detail he perceives and the simplicity he wants to achieve.
Bill paints with inspiration, interpretation and imagination in watercolour, acrylic, casein, and oil from his studio in Cambridge, Ontario. To see more of Bill’s work visit www.kirkwoodwagnergallery.com or follow on social media Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.