Andrew Cheddie Sookrah is a Toronto-based painter, sculptor and fine art instructor
REPRESENTED BY
Westland Gallery / The Art Exchange, London, Ontario
RECENT PAINTING EXPEDITIONS
Algonquin, 2020
Artist In Residence, Out Of The Northwest Passage, Arctic with Adventure Canada, September 2019
Hangzhou, China, 2018
Sable Island, 2017
Pelee Island, 2017
Shanghai, Suzhou, China, 2016
Nanzing, China, 2016
Haida Gwaii, Canada, 2016, painting, kayaking, camping expedition
Gros Morne, Newfoundland, Canada, 2015
Dingle, Ireland, 2014, 2015
Arctic Quest, Canadian Arctic, Greenland, 2006
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.
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah 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. Today he conducts workshops and teaches painting techniques in oil, acrylic and watercolour at various institutions including including McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Richmond Hill Art School and The Lodge on Amherst Island.
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.
Sookrah regularly donates work to charitable auctions and foundations including REACH, Gilda’s Club, Creative Art GEMS Auction, KidSport Canada, and the Roseneath Foundation. He was also a sponsor of the Student Drawing Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) at City Hall for several years.
Sookrah’s work is 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
2019, 2016 Westland Gallery, London, Ontario
2016 Gallery on the Lake, Buckhorn, Ontario
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
2020 All Things With Imagination, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 The Artist Project, Toronto
2020, 2019 The Westland Gallery, London, Ontario
2019 Views from the Pine Collage, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
2019 The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto
2019 The Rosedale Art Fair, Toronto
2018 Open Water, CSPWC, (Winner, Currys’ Art Prize)
2016 3Rd International Art Festival, Nanjing, China
2016 Opening of Wang Jianhua Museum and Cultural Exchange, Suzhou, China
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 (Winner, Best in Show)
2014 Art of The Real, Todmorden Mills Papermill Art Gallery, Toronto
2013 / 2011 Through The Eyes Of The Artist, Lakeshore Arts, Toronto
2012 IN FEAR WE TRUST 2, Exploring the power of religious belief, NUIT BLANCHE, Toronto
2011 Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) Continuum, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto
2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2004 Society of Canadian Artists’ Annual Open Juried Shows (38th/39th/42nd/43rd/44th),
2010 Society of Canadian Artists’ On The Scene, Exhibition of Landscapes, The Leighton Art Centre, Calgary, Alberta
2009 Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) Summer Exhibition at the Win Henstock Gallery, Oakville, Ontario and the Pentimento Fine Art Gallery, Toronto
2009 Society of Canadian Artists’ Roots, Saint John Arts Centre, Saint John, New Brunswick
2008 IN FEAR WE TRUST, Exploring the power of political belief, NUIT BLANCHE, Toronto
2008 Spillage! Installation Art on Elm Street, Toronto
2007 Society of Canadian Artists’ Integration, Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH)
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
Memberships (Elected)
- Society of Canadian Artists (SCA) Honorary
- Ontario Society of Artists (OSA)
- Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC)
- Portrait Society of Canada
Memberships
- Art Gallery Of Ontario
- The McMichael Gallery
- The ROM
TEACHING:
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah teaches painting in watercolour, acrylic, oil in his studio as well as at The Barrie Art Club, The McMichael Art Gallery (Kleinberg), the Richmond Hill Art School (Markham), The Town Of Richmond Hill, Luc Sculpture Art School (Toronto) and ARTiculations, (Toronto).
WORKSHOPS:
Andrew conducts 1-day, 2-day and 4-day painting workshops periodically.