Brooklin resident & Canadian Artist Don Chase by Meghan Hurley
 as published in the Brooklin Town Crier - October 2005 issue.


Don Chase is one of Canada's foremost native artists with his unique style and the use of explosive fluorescent colours that overwhelm the senses.

His Brooklin based studio is the site of experimentation with different mediums that always result in modern art in its finest.

"I've painted on various surfaces including concrete blocks. From there I went onto paper, and from paper I went to traditional canvas and that is the most popular. Paintings on a textured surface has a matte finish and absorbs light incredibly well, giving off next to no glare. Work done in this style tends to have a soft feel enticing the person viewing to fall deep inside the images," Chase said.

Born in Port Hope in 1938 to Ojibway parents, Chase's Native heritage has created a unique genre of his own.

"When I first started, I began to lean toward native work and started to explore their style of work. Being a native person there is a native flavour to my work. I am an artist first, and a native second," Chase said.

His work also reflects on spirituality, which helps to reach out to the person viewing his art.

"I try to create a spiritual connection with the person viewing my work. It's not necessarily a religious thing, but I want to interpret my inner most emotions that live inside all of us. I'm compelled to express how I feel and present it in a bold manner. I think that makes for interesting art work," Chase said.

To present his ideas in a bold manner, Chase uses bright colours and unique images to set his work apart from other artists.

"I have fun working with colours more than trying to be a super painter. I like to use bright colours and flowing lines. A strong line is the first thing I try to get and then comes the bright colours. It's my own thing and that's why I really stick with it. I like it and as long as I'm doing my own thing it will be me telling the story," Chase said.

Many artists get their inspiration from their surroundings, but Chase uses his imagination to create his work.

I am good at looking at anything and using my imagination, my confidence shows in my work when it’s what I want to do. If I want to paint something from out of my head, I can recall certain details of shapes and forms. My expressions are often windows of my soul," Chase said.

From oil and acrylic painting, bronze reproductions, to his dramatic cast paper sculptures, Chase has done it all.

His talent has taken him across the country displaying his pieces in a number of art shows and exhibits. His works have been exhibited in a number of art galleries in and around Toronto, as well as the Canadian National Exhibition.

To arrange a personal viewing appointment, please contact Don Chase at 905-556-0355.

"The world we live in is made up of many elements, some very similar and others drastically different. These elements can be combined to make poisons that kill and potions that cure.

To make good or evil a man must himself create these instruments and facilitate their use in such ways he sees fit.
Man himself is also made up of elements, the only thing that differentiates the man from the elements of the Earth are the spirits that live inside him."

"Our all mighty Father, the world that holds our spirituality, can only connect to man through the elements of the Earth, our Mother. The Spiritual Father and our Mother Earth, are together the creators of life and all that is.

It is the bond between the two that determines the outcome of our lives and the way the world unfolds before us. It is this belief that inspires my work."

"Don Chase"