Encre et Chine collé sur papier de Chine, 2022
À l’origine, Holyoak a peint Cascade en observant directement, les larmes aux yeux, la Moutain Cascade au parc national Banff. Cette peinture à l’encre a ensuite été transportée dans un sac à dos à travers le monde, accumulant des couches d’encre. Une image de Cascade est publiée au début de « Nocturne 11 » dans le livre Book of 19 Nocturnes de Holyoak.
Jim Holyoak’s art practice consists of drawing, ink-painting, writing, bookworks, and large-scale drawing installations. He received a BFA from the University of Victoria and an MFA from Concordia University (Montréal), and studied with master ink-painter Shen Ling Xiang, in Yangshuo, China.
Holyoak’s drawings have been exhibited widely in Europe and North America. In parallel to his solo practice, he has orchestrated numerous collaborative drawing projects, often with fellow artist Matt Shane, and sometimes involving hundreds of people drawing together. In 2025, Holyoak will release a graphic novel, Book of 19 Nocturnes, as a paper edition, an e-book, and an audiobook. Holyoak is presently based on the traditional, unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes peoples, in the town of Nelson, from where he teaches remotely at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.