Jason McLean

Van Der Plas Gallery is pleased to present I’m as Normal as Blueberry Pie, a solo exhibition chronicling the recent paintings and previous works by Canadian artist Jason McLean. Alongside select preceding artworks from the past two decades, twenty new pieces will make their gallery debut, demonstrating the evolution of McLean’s illustrative iconography.

Sources of inspiration and creative processes have remained consistent for McLean over time. However, the recent works showcased in this exhibition delightfully depart from other renderings that trace the inner workings of his mind, as depicted in earlier “mind-maps." Though the new mixed media works and illustrations maintain McLean’s signature humorous visual lexicon and meticulous detail, the concepts portrayed in pieces such as Bonus Direction, appear more condensed, with the imagery appearing to be reluctant at first but eventually obliging to unfurl. With the show’s title gesturing to the earliest work on view, the exhibition signifies a moment of introspection and artistic growth. In I’m as Normal as Blueberry Pie we meet McLean as he contemplates his past, illustrates the obstacles of his present, and charts a course for the future.

Jason Mclean (b. 1971, London, ON, Canada) records his daily experiences, observations, and personal stories in a range of media, likening his work to a ‘mental map.’ His pieces are housed within the permanent collections of significant institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the National Gallery of Canada. Over his 30-year career, he has held numerous national and international solo exhibitions in galleries and institutions. I’m As Normal As Blueberry Pie marks his fifth solo exhibition with the Van Der Plas Gallery.