Each kernel of grain had to be meticulously placed in a creation that
took artist Bob Boyson several hundred hours to complete.
Boyson, who died earlier this year, is perhaps best remembered for his
oversized “grain paintings,” some three by four feet in size containing
seeds several layers deep.
Three creations he made with artist Blair Maclean hang in the Canadian
Wheat Board offices in Winnipeg, Boyson’s hometown.
Grain was of particular interest to Boyson, said son Kelly. He said his
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father wanted to put the varied colours, types and grades of seeds,
from wheat to mustard, into his art.
Kelly called him a versatile artist who could work in anything from
landscapes to portraits, from realistic to abstract. Many of his
paintings hang in Kelly’s family home in Winnipeg.
Boyson recognized his talent early on, drawing better than his art
teacher by Grade 3. He studied fine arts at the University of Manitoba
and worked for various art businesses before founding his own company
Ad Design.
Kelly called his father “a bad ass kid growing up” whose strengths came
not from academic performance but from his art.
“An artist is a different breed,” said Kelly, noting neither he nor
sister Corrie inherited their father’s artistic gifts.
Kelly described his dad as friendly and outgoing, a man who strived to
be the best he could be.
“Whatever he did, he did better than most.”
In addition to art, he was an award-winning marksman who once qualified
for the Commonwealth and Olympic games. He declined, but remained an
active target shooter and hunter.
An upbeat man, he quietly battled the cancer that ended his life,
rarely complaining, Kelly said.
Boyson died at age 64.
