Dominik Modlinski — Artist Biography & CV
Artist Statement
I am a Canadian landscape painter shaped by long, direct encounters with wilderness. My work grows out of time spent travelling and painting in remote places—from the Yukon and the Rockies to the West Coast—where the land is not a backdrop, but an active presence. Working in the plein air tradition allows me to respond to weather, light, and terrain as they unfold, and those experiences become the foundation of my studio paintings.
What I am consistently exploring is the relationship between physical presence and perception: how it feels to move through a landscape, to arrive at a place after effort, and to stand within something larger than yourself. These moments matter to me because they are grounding. They demand attention, patience, and humility—qualities that are increasingly rare in a fast, mediated world.
I pay close attention to transitions that are often overlooked: the shift from forest to alpine, the subtle changes of temperature and color, the quiet balance between stability and change. Process matters because it mirrors experience. The physical act of painting—layering, revising, responding—reflects the way understanding deepens over time.
My paintings are meant as both a celebration and a record. They acknowledge the beauty and power of wild places while recognizing their vulnerability to climate change and human impact. I hope viewers feel a sense of presence and respect, and leave with a renewed awareness of what is at stake—and worth protecting.
Jay Durant’s GLOBAL TV interview with Dominik J. Modlinski, This is BC.
https://globalnews.ca/video/9101812/a-landscape-artist-goes-to-extremes-to-reflect-the-world
DOMINIK J. MODLINSKI
AFCA. CSPWC.
Dominik J. Modlinski is a Canadian landscape painter whose practice has been shaped by sustained engagement with wilderness rather than by stylistic shifts or short-term trends. Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1970, he began his formal training in printmaking before attending the School for Artistic Crafts and Design in Warsaw. After immigrating to Canada in 1987, he continued his studies at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, graduating with honors in 1993. From the outset, his decisions reflected a clear orientation toward landscape as a serious, lifelong subject rather than a thematic phase.
During his student years, Modlinski was drawn to the remote environments of Northern Ontario. Following graduation, he relocated to the Algoma region to paint at the Algoma School of Landscape Arts, a move that marked an early narrowing of focus. Rather than pursuing urban or conceptual paths common at the time, he committed to working directly from nature, establishing a discipline of observation that continues to underpin his studio practice.
In the early 1990s, extended travel into the Yukon and the far North further clarified the direction of his work. These regions—defined by scale, isolation, and constant environmental change—became a central reference point. For more than two decades, he has returned regularly to northern landscapes, painting across seasons and conditions, often working in plein air during multi-week journeys through remote terrain. These experiences inform studio works that prioritize structure, atmosphere, and spatial clarity over anecdote.
Over time, Modlinski’s work has matured through refinement rather than reinvention. His paintings reflect a sustained interest in balance, restraint, and the underlying order of natural systems. While his subject matter spans the Canadian Rockies, the West Coast, and northern territories, his approach remains consistent: measured compositions, controlled color relationships, and an emphasis on enduring forms within transient conditions.
His travels have extended globally to Antarctica, the High Arctic, Greenland, Patagonia, Namibia, South Africa, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Across these varied environments, his work maintains a coherent visual language, reinforcing a long-term inquiry into wilderness as both place and principle. Environmental preservation is an implicit concern, addressed through attention rather than advocacy.
Modlinski works from his home studio on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, when not in the field. He is the creator of the television series Changing Landscapes, broadcast on SHAW, which documents his painting journeys. He is an Associate Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and holds a sixth-degree black belt in Karate, a discipline that parallels his methodical approach to painting.
His work is held in numerous private and corporate collections worldwide and is represented by Canada House Gallery (Banff), Hambleton Galleries (Kelowna), White Rock Gallery, Alpine Echo (Revelstoke) and Medicine Man Gallery (Phoenix). Today, his practice stands as a sustained body of work defined by continuity, discernment, and long-term commitment.
DOMINIK J. MODLINSKI
Born 1970, Warsaw, Poland
Canadian
Based in British Columbia, Canada
Education
Ontario College of Art, Toronto, ON
Diploma in Drawing & Painting with Honours, 1989–1993
Elected Memberships
Federation of Canadian Artists
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
Solo Exhibitions
2025
• Wilderness in Motion (Painting Demonstration & Exhibition), Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
• Northern Paintings, University of Alaska / Mat-Su College, Palmer, AK
2024
• Wanderlust: Journey into the Wilderness, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
2023
• Creating Alpine Magic (Painting Demonstration & Exhibition), Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
2016
• Changing Landscapes, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
2013
• Horizons, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
2011
• 20 + 20, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
2009
• Painter’s Journeys, Elliott Louis Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2008
• Recent Works, John A. Libby Gallery, Toronto, ON
2004
• Northern Journeys, Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
• From Ocean to Icefields, Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YT
2001
• Wild Places, Libby’s Art Gallery, Toronto, ON
1998–1994
• Discovering Algoma, Libby’s Art Gallery, Toronto, ON
• Recent Works, Atlin Courthouse, Atlin, BC (1997, 1998)
• Oil Paintings & Watercolours, Libby’s Art Gallery, Toronto, ON
• Dynamics of Nature, Bailey Bedard Studio Gallery / Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Toronto, ON
• Recent Paintings, Gallery Pekao, Toronto, ON
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
• Nanaimo Fine Art Show, Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo, BC
• Artist of the Year Exhibition, Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, Vancouver, BC
• Online Exhibition & Calendar Contest, Federation of Canadian Artists
2024
• Nanaimo Fine Art Show, Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo, BC
• Landscape Exhibition, Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2023
• Nature Trust of British Columbia – Artist of the Year Exhibition, FCA Gallery, Vancouver, BC
• Vancouver Salon, Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, Vancouver, BC
• Water Exhibition, Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2021–1993
• Waterworks Gallery, Friday Harbor, WA, USA
• Mountain Galleries, Whistler, BC
• Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ, USA
• Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YT
• Libby’s Art Gallery, Toronto, ON
• Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik, NWT
• Wagner Rosenbaum Gallery, Toronto, ON
• Captain Martin House Gallery, Whitehorse, YT
• Multiple national and international exhibitions
Awards & Grants
2024
• Third Place Award, Nanaimo Fine Art Show (FCA)
2023
• People’s Choice Award, Nanaimo Fine Art Show (FCA)
• Third Place Award, Nanaimo Fine Art Show (FCA)
• Cover Artist & Second Place Award, FCA Calendar & Online Exhibition
2016
• First Prize Award, Polish Canadian Art Fusion Exhibition, Vancouver, BC
1994–1992
• Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship
• David L. Stevenson Scholarship (Drawing & Painting)
• Friends of O.C.A. Scholarship (Fine Art)
Artist Residencies
Storm Mountain Lodge, Banff National Park, AB
Fairmont Hotels, Whistler & Banff, AB / BC
Dechenla Lodge, Northwest Territories
Hakai Beach Institute, Great Bear Rainforest, BC
Antarctica – Lyubov Orlova Expedition Vessel
Eastern Arctic – Russian Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov
Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, Banff National Park, AB
Algoma School of Landscape Arts, ON
Gallery Representation
Canada House Gallery, Banff, AB
White Rock Gallery, White Rock, BC
Hambleton Galleries, Kelowna, BC
Alpine Echo Gallery, Revelstoke, BC
Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ, USA
Selected Collections
Altamira Investments Inc.
Burgundy Asset Management
Husky Injection Mouldings
Magna Ltd.
International Data Corporation
Pat Quinn Collection
Nature’s Scene
Art of the Traderhorn
Lawrence & Company
Varughese Production Inc.
Publications & Media (Selected)
Arabella Magazine
International Artist Magazine
CBC Television
CTV News
Vision TV
Yukon News
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine
UNICEF (Selected Artwork)
Teaching
Lecture & Workshop Instructor, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Workshops and lectures throughout Alberta and British Columbia
Online workshops (ongoing)