Encre et Chine collé sur papier de Chine, 2022
Cascade was originally painted from direct observation, with tears in the artist’s eyes, as he gazed into Cascade Mountain in Banff National Park. The ink-painting was later carried around the world in a backpack, accumulating layers of ink. An image of Cascade is published at the beginning of “Nocturne 11” in Holyoak’s Book of 19 Nocturnes.
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.