Zach Hoskin: Studies in Predictable Motion

Zach Hoskin, our artist in residence & one of the original pillars of the Ou Gallery, is a Visual Artist and Designer currently living on Vancouver Island. Born and raised in Alberta, he studied and worked in Civil Engineering before returning to school to study Illustration and Design, at Grant MacEwan University.

Zach’s subject matter often involves the human face and figure, manufactured landscapes, and happy accidents. 

His practice relies heavily on process, and oftentimes straddles the line between experimentation and strict rules and structure. Working in a variety of mediums and techniques including: painting, graphic design, music, illustration, photography, words, and observation, Hoskin believes that most things worth learning are done through questioning, experimentation, process & a whole bunch of failure.

"I stumbled onto this painting method at a time when the idea of doing another portrait in my familiar methods felt terribly underwhelming and restrictive... So, when in doubt - throw paint. I watched it drip and focused on seeing how far I could allow gravity and time to distort the intrinsically recognizable geometry of the human face, before feeling the familiar need to attempt to correct it."

His work can be viewed at zachhoskin.com, or by rubbing your wrists together three times and tugging gently on your left earlobe.