This must be the place: meet Corbin Elliot

He’s come full circle. Once a festival-goer and volunteer at Up Here Festival, last summer he etched his place in our history with a stunning new mural in the heart of Downtown Sudbury. Meet the talented and good-hearted North Bay artist, Corbin Elliot.

Can you share a bit about your background and how you became an artist?

Art has always been that “thing” towards which I gravitate. My creatively nurturing Oma, an artist herself, always encouraged art as the activity of choice for my brothers and I growing up. When faced with the post-pubescent pressure of what to do with my life, I decided I could only survive by attempting to pursue the thing that I loved the most—visual art. Working towards my BFA at Nipissing University was helpful in allowing me to dedicate the time and focus to exercise my artistic strengths. After graduation, I was happy to be thrown into the midst of the art community with a curatorial internship at the WKP Kennedy Gallery in North Bay. I met many folks who would continue to inspire and support my own artistic efforts. Now, I shed tears of gratitude most days for the opportunities I’ve had to work as an artist. Getting to lead my very first mural for Up Here followed by the opening of my largest solo exhibition at the WKP Kennedy Gallery only a month later are some of my most relevant milestones amongst a very sentimental list.

Are there any particular themes or messages that you aim to convey through your art?

My art acts as a personal journalistic excavation in that it comes to realize and conceptualize the things my brain obsesses over. Naturally, in this way, my work conveys a lot of existentialism and responds to the question of “What are we doing here?” Fascinated by the concept of our mortality, matched with a spiritual understanding of our eternal existence, I undoubtedly stretch my mind beyond its capacity to answer this question. So, I settle with whatever symbolic interpretations of reality I can land upon through my artworks as tallied attempts. Exploring the encompassing topic of the human experience obviously sways between themes of darkness and light—grievances and joys—so I also take it as my duty to not shy away from what may be difficult to face. Rather, I show things in equal relation to one another as wondrous absurdities of life. Ultimately, I believe it is through this honest portrayal that we may find a sense of peace.

What has been the most challenging and memorable piece you've worked on and why?

“Everything You Wanted,” is modest in its size, a panel measuring roughly 20 x 24 inches, but was monumental to me as one of the most uniquely experimental approaches to my work at that time. In painting, I’ve been interested in pushing the boundaries of the surface and medium. I’ve delved into more sculptural applications of paint with acrylic modelling paste before, but in this piece, I crafted the entire panel from scratch so that I could have a snake element slithering completely off and then back onto the surface. It was stressful to anticipate whether I could actually bring my vision to life in that way, but the risk paid off with a piece I am most proud of in my portfolio.

What do you hope the audience takes away from your Up Here mural this year?

Life is weird, and that is a gift. Despite all of its flaws and absurdities, our presence is miraculous and deserves continuous celebration. Becoming who you are will always be a process. Our identities flow like nature; they break down and reform in a continuous fashion. We can only truly appreciate this beautiful, repeated metamorphosis so long as we choose to put our best foot forward, marching along together in this parade called life.

Is there any advice you would give to aspiring muralists or artists who are just starting?

Everyone has an intuition, so tune into yours. If something excites you, try it. If something feels beyond you, work towards it. We’re all students of this world, so know that you’re always learning.

Are you there yet?

This must be the place.