Wilf Perreault

Wilf Perreault SOM (born October 6, 1947) is a Canadian artist and sculptor.
==Introduction==
Wilf Perreault is in a class of artists known primary for a single subject—in his case the humble urban back alley. A prolific artist, with a career spanning over 40 years, Wilf Perreault has wandered up and down back alleys recording a thousand fleeting impressions in a thousand memorable images. The effect has been cumulative. Recording alleys at every time of day and in every season, he has produced a living four-dimensional portrait of a familiar, but overlooked world — one that lies just beyond our back doors. 
==Biography==
Wilf Perreault was born on the family farm halfway between Albertville and Henribourg, twenty-five kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to parents Armand and Eveline Perreault (née Nobert) in 1947. His family emigrated to Canada from Europe hundreds of years ago and lived in Albertville, Henribourg, St Denis, and Prud'homme. In 1949, Armand Perreault moved his family to Saskatoon in 1953.
His work is both a record of how his city has changed over the years and serves as a reminder, a re-imagining, of what we all embrace in a community, from the mysteries of our neighbours, to the warmth, safety and nostalgia of our childhood. They are a celebration of a landscape most often overlooked by the majority of people who pass through them. Memory and nostalgia play a large role in both Perreault's practice and the viewer's experience of the work; a major contributor to their charm. These secret cities reveal intimate local knowledge, and are frequently recognized or mistaken for specific spots, an effect of their evocative resonance.
Wilf finds comparisons between his career as a teacher and his art stating: "Teaching is a bit like painting back-alleys. It's taking an ordinary subject and turning it into something beautiful: taking students who aren't turned on to art and seeing the lights go on for them once they discover art. It's really something wonderful."
==Awards and Press==
Wilf's work has earned him a large and growing number of exhibitions. , commissions and awards in and outside of Saskatchewan. In 1989 he was chosen to represent Canada and was awarded a Silver Medal in Les Jeux de la Francophonie in Maroc, Africa—a juried exhibition of work by artists from 42 countries. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2016, and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee medal in 2022
Wilf Perreault's paintings are in many public and corporate galleries, as well as private collections. 
The highlight of his remarkable career so far has been Wilf Perreault: In The Alley, a Retrospective Show organized by the Mackenzie Art Gallery which started September 27, 2014 and was held over till February 1st, 2015. It covered over 40 years of work and over 40 pieces of art, plus many of his popular silkscreens. 
His paintings resonate with many people on a personal level. Canadian poet Robert Currie cites him as an inspiration. When his painting "There is Light on the Horizon" was featured on Twitter account "Canadian Paintings", the +13.9K likes and +2200 re-tweets warranted a mention in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Category:1947 births
Category:Canadian people
Category:Artists
Category:Sculptors