Holly Farell
Artist Bio Artist Work
Holly Farrell is a Canadian painter who lives and works in Toronto, Canada. A self-taught painter, Farrell has been painting professionally since 1995.
Artist Statement
"It is my hope that the experience of growing up in northern Ontario and the influences of small town life are evident in my work. Nostalgia drives my subject matter, Still Life being my main focus. I think of my Still Lifes as simple meditations of the places and people we have known - that there is a sense of the Portrait in each of my paintings - that many of us have had some kind of connection to that bowl, or that book, or that chair.”
Collections
TD Bank
Bank of Montreal
Louis-Dreyfus Family Collection
Wires Jolley Canada
Sony Music, Japan
Solo Exhibitions
2025
"Winter Landscapes", Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2022
"Based On The Novel", Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2021
"The Album Project", Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2019
“Nothing Begins Today”, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2018
“Then And Now”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2017
"Homely”, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2016
“Doll And Book Paintings”, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
2015
“Books”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2014
“Clowns”, Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago
2013
“New Paintings”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2012
“Book Shop”, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
2010
“Tammy”, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
“Even Closer”, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Toronto
2009
“New Paintings”, Chase Gallery, Boston
“Home and Sea”, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
“New Paintings”, Winsor Gallery, Vancouver
2008
“New Paintings” Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Toronto
2007
“New Paintings”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
“New Paintings” Garde Rail Gallery, Seattle
2006
“New Paintings”, Dundas Street West Studio, Toronto
2004
“New Paintings”, Dundas Street West Studio, Toronto
2003
“Childhood”, Dundas Street West Studio, Toronto
“Cutlery”, Dundas Street West Studio, Toronto
2001
“Bowls”, Dundas Street West Studio, Toronto
1999
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
1998
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
1997
“New Paintings”, Velvet & Vinyl, Toronto
1996
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
1995
“New Paintings”, Ossington Avenue Studio, Toronto
Group Exhibitions and International Art Fairs
2022
Affordable Art Fair, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
Sixty Years, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
Palm Beach Modern & Contemporary, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2021
Art Miami, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2020
20/20 Spirit Doubles, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2019
Scope Miami, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
New York Outsider Art Fair, Tanner Hill Gallery, New York
2018
Scope Miami, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
“Art Toronto”, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2017
“Scope Miami”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
“Art Toronto”, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
“The Still Life Show”, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
PREVIEW, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
2015
Scope Miami, Clark Gallery, Miami, FL
Art Toronto, Mira Godard Gallery, Toronto
“Expectations”, Cornell Museum, Delray Beach, FL
Paris Outsider Art Fair, Garde Rail Gallery, Paris
“Setting the Table”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
Outsider Art Fair, Garde Rail Gallery, NYC
2014
“Jealous Curator: Blog to Book”, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek
“Variations on a Theme”, Clark Gallery, Lincoln
Outsider Art Fair, Garde Rail Gallery, NYC
“Landscape”, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
2013
San Francisco artMRKT, Tanner Hill Gallery, San Francisco
“Beautifully Boring”, Tanner Hill Gallery, Chattanooga
Outsider Art Fair, Garde Rail Gallery, NYC
2012
Clark Gallery, Lincoln
Art Factum Gallery, Beirut
Sea Fair, Clark Gallery, Greenwich
ZIA Gallery, Winnetka
2011
ZIA Gallery, Winnetka
SOFA, Garde Rail Gallery, Santa Fe
Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta
2010
Aqua Miami, Garde Rail Gallery, Miami
Nancy Margolis Gallery, NYC
Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
Outsider Art Fair, Berenberg Gallery, NYC
2009
Art Osaka, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Osaka
Garde Rail Gallery, Seattle
Art Fair Tokyo, Megumi Ogita Gallery, Tokyo
Director’s Choice, Chase Gallery, Boston
Outsider Art Fair, Garde Rail Gallery, NYC
2008
Garde Rail Gallery, Seattle
Belgrave Gallery, St. Ives
Weiss Gallery, Calgary
Scope Basel, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Basel
Chase Gallery, Boston
2007
Scope Miami, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Miami
Clark Gallery, Lincoln
Scope Hamptons, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Hamptons
Scope Basel, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Basel
Winsor Gallery, Vancouver
2006
Scope Miami, Katharine Mulherin Gallery, Miami
Winsor Gallery, Vancouver
Clark Gallery, Lincoln
“Affair at the Jupiter Hotel”, Garde Rail Gallery, Portland
Folk Fest, Atlanta
Garde Rail Gallery, Seattle
2005
Clark Gallery, Lincoln
2004
Harbinger Gallery, Waterloo
“The History of Everyday”, VAC Clarington, Bowmanville
2003
Etobicoke Civic Centre, Etobicoke
Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton
2002
Elmwood Art Fair, Ottawa
2001
Prime Gallery, Toronto
Project, Toronto
“Arts 2000”, Canadian Royal Academy of Art, Stratford
2000
Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton
1999
Ciparis/Lennox Gallery, Toronto
1998
Etobicoke Civic Centre, Etobicoke
Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto
1995
Alexander Gallery, Toronto
1992 – 2009
Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Toronto
Bibliography
Creative Boom, March 2020
White Hot Magazine, ART TORONTO versus ARTBO, October 2018
Art Collector’s Magazine (Japan), August 2016
Vogue, Japan, July 2016
Art Brut, Expressively Inspired: The Desire To Create For Two Self-taught Artists, June 2016
Savant Garde, May 2015
Life As A Human, February 2015
Examiner, Artist Holly Farrell, article on book paintings, December 2014
Lincoln Journal, September 2014
Culture Catch, “Pushing Against the Boundaries”, May 2014
art ltd., (review), May 2014
Frankie Magazine, “Throwback Thursday”, March 2014
Examiner, “Toronto Artist Sends In The Clowns” (interview), February 2014
Chicago Tonight, “The Jokers Are Wild”, February 2014
Creative Block, Danielle Krysa, (artist profile), February 2014
Zinc, December 2013
Daily Beast, “Outsider Art Fair: 10 Artists To Buy Now”, February 2013
Arts Observer, “Outsider Art Fair”, January 2012
Tokyo Art Beat, (review), March 2012
Home Build Life Design, February 2012
Arts Observer, “Outside Art Fair”, January 2012
Eyes Toward The Dove, “Outsider Art Fair”, January 2012
Design Sponge, December 2010
The Daily Yomiuri, “Another Face For Tammy” (review), November 2010
Magenta Magazine, “Holly Farrell Even Closer” (review), Fall 2010
Blog TO, “Even Closer” (review), July 2010
Huffington Post, “Inside The Outsider Art Fair”, February 2010
New York Times, “OAF: A Survey of a Field Hard to Define”, February 2010
Frankie Magazine, (interview) September 2009
Art In America, (review), March 2009
The Boston Globe, “We Direct Your Attention”, February 2009
The Boston Globe, “This Week’s Picks”, May 2008
NOW Magazine, (review), March 2008
The Globe and Mail, (‘review’), February 2008
Seattle Channel, Gallery Hop, Garde Rail Gallery, 2008
Seattle Post Intelligencer, Regina Hackett, 2007
Enroute Magazine, July 2007
Seattle Weekly, (review), April 2007
Seattle Magazine, Editor’s Picks, May 2006
Toronto Star, “Still Life With Meditation” (review), December 2003
BRAVO! TV, “The Artist’s Life” (artist profile), November 2003
“Out To Brunch” (cookbook featuring 9 commissioned paintings), November 2002
Home & Garden Television, “Room Service” (artist profile), 2002
ARTnews, (artist profile), October 2002
The Globe & Mail, “Art Al Fresco: Up Close & Personal”, (artist profile), July 2000
Century Home Magazine, (artist profile), May 2000
Lola Magazine, Shotgun Reviews, (review), Summer 1999
Canadian Living Magazine, “Easy Painting”, June 1998
Toronto Life, (review), May 1998
Press
Click HERE to read an interview with Holly Farrell at Design Sponge Blog
Click HERE to read about Holly Farrell at the Curious Constellation Blog
Click HERE to read about Outsider Art Fair 2013: Everyday Objects by Holly Farrell on
Click HERE to see more images of paintings by Holly Farrell on the Gracefully Searching Blog
Click HERE to read the online feature artice about Holly Farrell on Poppytalk Handmade
Click HERE to read Gabrielle Blair's online feature about Holly on DesignMom
Click HERE to read the Oliveaux feature on Holly Farrell
Click HERE to see the online feature about Holly on Artodyssey
Click HERE to read The Jealous Curator feature about Holly Farrell
Click HERE to see the online feature about Holly on Scrapbook
Click HERE to read Armida Ascano's online article The Retro Inspired Works of Holly Farrell featuring Barbie nd Ken
Click HERE to read Artist Crush Holly Farrell on Elements of Style
Click HERE to read Holly Farrell and Vintage wallpaper on Hiving Out
Click HERE to read Loneliness and Loveliness: Holly Farrell on artsy Forager