The Watcher (Original), 2020

Johnathan Ball  

Johnathan Ball is a multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in the mediums of painting and photography. Neo-futuristic abstract expressionism best describes the genre of Johnathan's work; colorful and evocative, his paintings create powerful visual discourses about the relationships we form with pop culture and its most iconic characters.

A self-described sci-fi nerd, Johnathan grew up in the era of Star Wars and Star Trek, and remains fascinated by documentaries about science, space and the future of the universe. As a teenager, he was a dedicated comic book collector and an active graffiti artist. His work has been inspired by such painters as Jean Paul Riopelle, Francis Bacon, and Salvador Dali. As such, the lines in Jonathan's paintings are both rooted in abstract realism, as well as reminiscent of the angular forms of graffiti and the detailed penmanship of a graphic illustrator.

Johnathan's work has been profiled in numerous publications, including Toronto's Where Magazine, Where Essentials, and ART News. Televised press includes features on CityTV Morning and CP24. In 2012, he was interviewed for Space TV's Inner Space talk show series. In 2010, he received the Emerging Artist Award from the Ontario Arts Council. He has donated work to the Canadian Foundation for AIDs Research, the Bailey House New York, and others including those for fellow artists.

Johnathan is currently represented by the Liss Gallery in Toronto, Canada, where he lives and works.