Custom Work and Commissions

Want a custom piece? Email me or click the chat box. I work within your budget and collaborate with your vision and my style to get you the painting of your dreams. Email montinahussey@gmail.com.

Or CLICK HERE to see my base rates in the shop.  

Artist Statement 

I am Montina Hussey  (b.1989) I am a Toronto-based artist who graduated with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from OCAD University in 2016. For almost 20 years I have had a dedicated art practice making and selling originals and commissioned works of art.  My work has been described as The Group of Seven on acid. My landscapes and portraits are dynamic, and joyous, full of layers, with a highly saturated colour palette. 

My portraits are expressionistic, while my landscapes are impressionistic. My Abstract works are collaborations done with my son. My paintings explore subjects and emotions translated from my family’s mental health history, my Metis ancestry, and a deep desire to understand the aesthetics of the 1970s. My process is improvised, full of energy, and loose and unplanned. It is pure flow state creation.

My History and Present 

I was grateful to have been raised in a unique space. I  was raised in a valley by the woods outside Goderich, Ontario. The youngest of nine artistic siblings, I had to find a way to stand out amongst the booming wail of guitars and poetry, and at an early age, I found paint.  Grabbing my fate by the reins, I left home to study drawing and painting at OCAD University in 2013. Moving to Toronto was the taste of adventure I needed, and when the highly coveted opportunity to practice in Florence Italy was presented, I threw caution to the wind and set sail to the other side of the world, pushing my artistic craft to the limits.

In Italy I found a peacefulness while focusing on my body of work, the expansive experience of travelling the world opened doors to subject matter once hidden behind distractions back home. Diving deeply into my shadows, a grotesque beast entangled with sexual trauma and an insatiable appetite emerged,my work would begin the healing of deeply rooted ancestral memories vibrating through the very fabric that howled in the deepest part of my spirit. My graduating thesis was more cathartic and meaningful than any accolade or certificate could represent.  By fearlessly painting and painstakingly scratching away at the borders imprisoning my demons,  exploring epigenetic memory and intergenerational trauma of my father’s parents. That year I was able to meet them, and shed burdens our family had been carrying for generations.

After obtaining my BFA in Fine Art, I hit the ground running selling original artworks and commissions. I became a mother and once my son came into this world, all the darkness subsided and all I wanted to paint was JOY. My life was complete once he entered it, and all I ever wanted to do was vibrate light, happiness, and colour in the work I was creating. From this chapter in my life birthed some of my best work. My son and I were accepted into the Mothra Residency on Toronto Island, a residency devoted to Mothers and Children in the studio. Together we started our collaboration of Abstracts and we continue this work now.

When I became a single parent household, I started my monthly SMALLS release where you can find affordable Small Acrylic landscapes and portraits for $130 ONLY. I release over a dozen of these monthly, and they always sell out, with repeat customers.

One of the most notable and honoring collaborations as of late is with Singer Songwriter Aysanabee. I was commissioned to paint a portrait of his late Grandfather Watin, which is stained in time as Aysanabees album cover. The painting also stood beside him during his 2023 Polaris Music Prize performance. CBC Music named Watin as one of the 22 best Canadian albums of 2022.

I have also done various Art Fairs including Toronto Outdoor Art Fair and Riverdale Art Walk. Over the years I have had numerous Solo and Group Shows, but a lot of my success and sales pump through my instagram feed which you can find in the icon.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY ARTIST CV