John F. Marok

John F. Marok’s small geometric paintings, crafted meticulously with a palette knife, invite viewers to meditate upon the interplay of color and shape. Contemplating these artworks stimulate unique visual experiences that result from Marok’s explorations into the nature of perception. They challenge us, through subtly mesmerizing rhythms and patterns, to reflect on how we discern proximity and distance by blurring the lines between what’s close and what’s far. These small abstract paintings transcend mere optical illusions; they are images that foster expansiveness of mind, tranquility and calmness.

Born in Montreal in 1960, John F. Marok is a nationally recognized artist. A graduate of Concordia University in Montreal (1982), he specialized in painting and studied under such luminaries as Guido Molinari, John Fox and Tom Hopkins. He is the recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), as well as grants from the Canada Council and Quebec’s ministère de la Culture. His work has been exhibited across the country and has been collected by several museums including le Musée du Québec, Musée d’art Contemporain in Montreal, Canada Council Art Bank in Ottawa, Calgary’s Nickel Arts Museum and the Agnes Etherington Arts Centre in Kingston. Marok’s paintings hang in many private collections, as well as in the collections of the University of Ottawa, the University of Quebec, McGill university, the City of Ottawa and the City of Gatineau. For the past 30 years, Marok has lived and worked in Wakefield, Quebec, a quaint little village in the Gatineau Hills, where he paints full-time.