Conrad Furey

Conrad Furey grew up in Baie Verte in a family of 11 children. His father worked as a fisherman, logger, trucker and miner. Born in 1954, Furey began his artistic training by studying commercial art in St. John's and continued at Sheridan College in Brampton. His enduring subjects intertwine the themes of his Newfoundland boyhood and often include men and women at work and play. Furey's slightly oversized figures are painted in clean primary colors and a Naïf style that conveys the feeling of a dream-like memory. The figures dominate uncluttered contexts and are most-often engaged in archetypal Newfoundland activities like fishing, card-playing, mummering and manoeuvering a boat. He settled in Hamilton, Ontario, where he worked as a curator and television set-designer before turning to paint full-time. He created several large-scale murals in Hamilton, as well as smaller paintings and sculptures. Conrad Furey described himself as an artist who relied more on instinct than formal technique. His work is in the permanent collection of The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, as well as many other public, private and corporate collections. Conrad Furey passed away in 2008.