Gavin W Sewell
Transforming walls into worlds through painting, collage, and imagination
I am an American-born, Montréal-based visual artist with more than twenty years of experience creating mixed-media paintings, murals, installations, and site-responsive artworks. My practice moves between Canada, the United States, and international projects, bringing together painting, drawing, collage, layered textures, and unexpected visual transformations. My work explores metamorphosis, memory, the natural world, human connection, and the relationship between individuals and the spaces they inhabit. I am particularly drawn to the possibilities of turning an ordinary architectural surface into an immersive visual experience — a place where organic forms, figurative imagery, abstraction, and narrative elements can coexist. My creative process begins with listening: understanding the character of a space, the people who use it, and the story a client or community wants to tell. From there, I develop original concepts that balance artistic experimentation with the practical demands of scale, architecture, materials, and installation. I enjoy working across a wide range of environments, from intimate residential interiors to schools, offices, hospitality spaces, and large public-facing projects. Each commission is an opportunity to create something distinctive, meaningful, and enduring. I believe public art can transform not only how a place looks, but how people feel, move, imagine, and connect within it.
Eaton History Collage - Wide Left Installation View
The Eaton History Collage is a permanent, site-specific public artwork commissioned by the Washington, DC Department of General Services for Eaton Elementary School, with installation facilitated by Zenith Gallery. Measuring 70 Ă— 70 Ă— 3 inches, this large-scale, three-dimensional mixed-media collage combines painting, drawing, archival imagery, layered materials, and sculptural assemblage to explore the history of the school, its community, and its namesake, General John Eaton. Developed through historical research and engagement with the school's identity, the composition incorporates symbolic imagery, found objects, and recessed sculptural elements, inviting viewers to discover connections between local memory and broader American history. This left-side installation view illustrates the artwork's architectural presence, dimensional construction, and visual impact at a distance. Designed for a busy educational environment, the piece functions both as a permanent visual landmark and as an invitation to historical discovery. Style: Contemporary, mixed-media assemblage, narrative public art. Completed: 2021 | Washington, DC, USA.
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Eaton History Collage - Tight Left Installation View
A closer, angled view of Eaton History Collage, a permanent, site-specific public artwork commissioned for Eaton Elementary School in Washington, DC, through the Department of General Services and Zenith Gallery. Measuring 70 Ă— 70 Ă— 3 inches, this three-dimensional mixed-media assemblage brings together painting, collage, archival imagery, found objects, and layered sculptural elements to explore the school's history and community identity. This perspective highlights the physical depth and intricate construction of the artwork, revealing how overlapping surfaces, textures, and historical references create a composition that changes as viewers move around it. The piece reflects my approach to public art as both visual storytelling and architectural intervention: transforming an ordinary institutional wall into a layered environment for discovery, memory, and imagination. Style: Contemporary, sculptural collage, mixed-media public art. Completed: 2021 | Washington, DC, USA.
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Eaton History Collage - Front View
This frontal view presents the complete composition of Eaton History Collage, a permanent, site-specific public artwork commissioned for Eaton Elementary School in Washington, DC, through the Department of General Services and Zenith Gallery. Measuring 70 Ă— 70 Ă— 3 inches, this richly detailed, three-dimensional mixed-media assemblage combines painting, drawing, archival imagery, found objects, and sculptural elements to explore the history of the school, its namesake General John Eaton, and the surrounding community. Seen directly from the front, the artwork reveals its overall compositional structure: a dense visual narrative in which historical references, symbolic imagery, contrasting textures, and carefully orchestrated layers form a unified whole. The interplay between recognizable imagery and abstract passages encourages viewers to explore the work at multiple levels, discovering new details and connections over time. Created for a public educational setting, the piece demonstrates how contemporary collage and assemblage can transform an institutional wall into an engaging space for historical reflection, curiosity, and shared cultural memory. Style: Contemporary mixed media, historical collage, sculptural assemblage, narrative public art. Completed: 2021 | Washington, DC, USA.
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Boldly Over Horizons - Front View
Boldly Over Horizons is a monumental, site-specific public artwork commissioned in 2022 by the Washington, DC Department of General Services for Smothers Elementary School, with fabrication and installation facilitated by Zenith Gallery. Spanning approximately 16 feet in width and 8 feet in height, this permanent mixed-media diptych combines acrylic painting, drawing, photographic transfers, sculptural assemblage, found objects, reflective metallic foils, and layered materials on wood panels. The artwork celebrates the achievements of scientists, inventors, and explorers of color, particularly pioneering African American women whose contributions have transformed our understanding of the world. Historical figures including Bessie Coleman, Gladys West, Alice Ball, Percy Julian, and Mae C. Jemison appear within an intricate visual landscape of scientific imagery, cultural patterns, and symbolic references. Traditional weaving and batik-inspired motifs evoke the transmission of knowledge across generations, while reflective silhouettes of children invite young viewers to imagine themselves as participants in the continuing history of discovery and innovation. This frontal photograph reveals the complete composition, its dynamic relationship between the two panels, and the interplay of historical portraiture, contemporary abstraction, richly textured surfaces, and sculptural depth. Conceived specifically for an educational environment, Boldly Over Horizons demonstrates how ambitious public art can transform institutional architecture into a place of inspiration, cultural recognition, curiosity, and collective aspiration. Style: Contemporary mixed media, figurative collage, sculptural assemblage, historical narrative public art. Completed: 2022 | Washington, DC, USA.
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Boldly Over Horizons - Installation View
This installation view shows Boldly Over Horizons in its permanent setting at Smothers Elementary School in Washington, DC, demonstrating how large-scale contemporary art can become an integral part of an educational environment. Commissioned in 2022 by the Washington, DC Department of General Services, with fabrication and installation facilitated by Zenith Gallery, this approximately 16 Ă— 8-foot mixed-media diptych celebrates the achievements of pioneering scientists, inventors, and explorers of color. Combining historical portraiture, acrylic painting, photographic transfers, found objects, metallic foils, and sculptural assemblage, the artwork creates a richly layered visual narrative connecting scientific discovery, cultural heritage, and the limitless possibilities of human imagination. Photographed within the classroom, the installation reveals the relationship between the artwork's ambitious scale and the everyday life of the school. Its vivid imagery and intricate historical references provide opportunities for conversation, learning, and discovery, while reflective elements invite students to recognize themselves within the larger story of human achievement. The project exemplifies my approach to site-specific public art: creating visually compelling, intellectually engaging works that respond to their architectural surroundings and become meaningful parts of the communities they serve. Style: Contemporary mixed media, figurative collage, sculptural assemblage, educational public art. Completed: 2022 | Washington, DC, USA.
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Boldly Over Horizons - Light Relief Sculpture Detail
This close-up photograph reveals the intricate three-dimensional construction of Boldly Over Horizons, a monumental, site-specific mixed-media artwork commissioned in 2022 for Smothers Elementary School in Washington, DC, through the Department of General Services and Zenith Gallery. Focusing on the upper section of the smaller left-hand panel, the image highlights the sculptural assemblage techniques that distinguish the work from conventional painted murals. Layered objects, textured surfaces, painted passages, and carefully integrated materials extend beyond the picture plane, creating a dynamic interplay of depth, shadow, colour, and light. The approximately 16 Ă— 8-foot diptych celebrates pioneering scientists, inventors, and explorers of colour, bringing together historical portraiture, cultural symbolism, and contemporary abstraction in an ambitious visual narrative. This detail illustrates a central aspect of my artistic practice: the integration of painting, collage, and sculptural construction to create richly textured architectural artworks that invite sustained exploration. Rather than functioning as a purely flat image, the surface becomes a physical landscape of discoveries, offering new visual relationships as the viewer changes position. Style: Contemporary mixed media, three-dimensional assemblage, sculptural collage, narrative public art. Completed: 2022 | Washington, DC, USA.
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CellCarta Mural - Left-Side Detail
This close, angled view of the CellCarta Mural highlights the intricate visual language and layered composition of a large-scale contemporary artwork created for CellCarta, a Montréal-based biotechnology company specializing in precision medicine. Designed to bring artistic energy and visual identity into a professional scientific environment, the mural explores the intersection of organic forms, abstraction, movement, and transformation. Its composition evokes the complex structures and interconnected systems of the natural world, establishing a visual dialogue between contemporary art and scientific discovery. The left-side perspective emphasizes the relationship between individual details and the larger composition, revealing the interplay of colour, rhythm, texture, and overlapping forms that gives the artwork its visual complexity. The project reflects my approach to corporate and institutional commissions: developing original, site-responsive artwork that complements the surrounding architecture while expressing something meaningful about the people, ideas, and activities within the space. By combining contemporary abstraction with organic imagery and a carefully orchestrated visual narrative, the CellCarta Mural transforms an everyday workplace into a distinctive and engaging environment. Style: Contemporary, abstract, organic abstraction, site-specific corporate mural. Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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CellCarta Mural - DIstance View
This distant installation view of the CellCarta Mural reveals the impressive scale and elevated architectural placement of a large contemporary artwork created for CellCarta, a Montréal-based biotechnology company specializing in precision medicine. Installed high above the surrounding floor level, the mural occupies a prominent position within the building's interior architecture. Its substantial dimensions and elevated location required careful consideration of viewing distance, visual clarity, composition, and the practical challenges of executing artwork at height. The composition brings together expressive abstraction, organic forms, and interconnected visual structures, suggesting relationships between scientific discovery, biological complexity, and transformation. Seen from a distance, the artwork demonstrates how a mural can operate on an architectural scale, providing a strong visual presence while remaining integrated into the surrounding environment. Its forms and colours establish a distinctive identity for the space, while closer viewing rewards attention to its intricate details. The project illustrates my experience developing and executing ambitious, site-specific commissions for corporate and institutional environments, including large-format installations where scale, accessibility, architectural integration, and technical execution are essential considerations. Style: Contemporary abstraction, organic forms, architectural mural, corporate public art. Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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CellCarta Mural - Right-Side Detail
This close view of the right-hand section of the CellCarta Mural highlights the layered structure, flowing movement, and organic visual language of a large-scale contemporary artwork created for CellCarta in Montréal, Québec. Developed for a professional scientific environment, the mural brings together abstraction, interconnected forms, and a sense of biological and cellular motion, creating an image that feels both dynamic and deeply integrated with the identity of the space. This tighter crop reveals the richness of the surface, the internal relationships between shapes and colours, and the way individual passages contribute to the larger whole. The project reflects my interest in creating site-responsive artwork that is visually compelling at multiple distances: legible and powerful from across an architectural interior, while also rewarding close viewing through detail, rhythm, and complexity. This commission was also a strong example of collaborative process. Working with the CellCarta team, I developed an artwork that responded to the culture of the organization, the character of the building, and the practical realities of the installation site. The finished mural demonstrates my ability to translate dialogue with a client into a distinctive visual statement that feels both ambitious and well-integrated. Style: Contemporary abstraction, organic abstraction, site-specific corporate mural. Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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Café Floral Mural - Completion and Installation View
This photograph captures the final day of work on a large-scale exterior floral mural for a neighbourhood café in Montréal's Plateau-Mont-Royal district, with the artist standing on the elevated work platform beside the completed painting. The mural transforms an ordinary urban façade into a vibrant botanical composition, bringing colour, organic movement, and visual warmth to the surrounding streetscape. Its expressive floral imagery was developed to complement the café's character while creating an inviting visual landmark for the neighbourhood. Beyond the finished artwork, this installation photograph demonstrates an important aspect of my professional mural practice: the ability to undertake physically demanding projects at height, working with elevated access equipment and adapting to the logistical challenges of exterior architectural surfaces. Executing a successful outdoor mural requires more than artistic vision. It demands careful preparation, efficient use of equipment, attention to site conditions, coordination with the client, and disciplined execution from initial design through final installation. The completed project reflects my commitment to creating distinctive, site-responsive artwork while managing the practical and technical requirements of large-scale mural production. Style: Contemporary, floral, expressive painting, exterior architectural mural. Location: Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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Floral Café Mural - Close View
This close view of the completed Floral Café Mural highlights the colour, movement, and surface detail of a large-scale exterior artwork created for Chez MaBelle Café in Montréal. Focused tightly on the mural itself, the photograph emphasizes the expressive floral composition and the way organic forms unfold across the architectural surface. The work was designed to transform the building façade into a vivid, welcoming visual experience, bringing warmth, rhythm, and a strong sense of identity to the café and the surrounding streetscape. Completed as a public-facing exterior commission, the mural reflects my interest in using contemporary painting to animate everyday urban environments. The floral imagery is both decorative and immersive, creating a lively relationship between art, architecture, and neighbourhood life. As a completion-day image, this view also documents the finished quality of the project: clear composition, confident large-scale execution, and a strong visual presence that remains legible from a distance while rewarding close attention to detail. Style: Contemporary floral mural, expressive painting, exterior architectural art. Completed: 2026 | Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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A New Horizon - Toronto Law Firm
A New Horizon is a large-scale contemporary mixed-media painting commissioned for BBS Law, a Toronto law firm, and completed in 2026. Measuring 48 Ă— 72 inches, the artwork combines acrylic painting, collage, layered textures, and expressive abstraction to create a dynamic visual statement for a professional architectural environment. The composition explores transformation, possibility, movement, and the relationship between structure and freedom. Intersecting forms, shifting colours, and richly worked surfaces suggest an unfolding landscape of ideas, evoking the concept of new horizons both literally and metaphorically. Created specifically for the client, the work balances the visual sophistication of contemporary abstract painting with the energy and material complexity of mixed-media assemblage. Its substantial scale gives the composition an architectural presence, allowing it to function as a focal point within the firm's interior. This photograph presents the completed artwork independently of its surroundings, emphasizing the full composition, intricate surface relationships, and interplay of colour, gesture, and texture. The commission also incorporated a live-painting component, with the artwork receiving its finishing touches during a special event at the firm's Toronto offices. This collaborative approach brought the creative process directly into the client's environment, transforming the commission into both a permanent artwork and a memorable shared experience. A New Horizon demonstrates my ability to develop sophisticated, site-responsive artwork for corporate and professional clients, combining original artistic vision with careful attention to scale, presentation, and the identity of the commissioning organization. Style: Contemporary abstraction, mixed-media painting, collage, corporate art commission. Completed: 2026 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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A New Horizon - Live Painting at BBS Law
This photograph captures the final stages of A New Horizon, a large-scale mixed-media commission for BBS Law in Toronto, as I add finishing touches to the artwork during a special evening reception at the firm's offices. Measuring 48 Ă— 72 inches, the painting combines expressive abstraction, acrylic painting, collage, and richly layered textures. Its composition explores transformation, possibility, and the emergence of new perspectives, creating a distinctive contemporary artwork for a professional architectural setting. The event brought an additional dimension to the commission. With lawyers, colleagues, and guests watching the painting develop, the creative process became a live artistic experience, inviting conversation, curiosity, and direct engagement with the making of the work. Working in front of an audience requires a particular combination of artistic confidence, technical preparation, adaptability, and an ability to communicate naturally with viewers while maintaining concentration on the artwork. The experience transformed a conventional corporate reception into an opportunity for guests to witness the final moments of an original artwork's creation. This project illustrates the versatility of my practice, extending beyond traditional mural and studio commissions into live painting, corporate events, and collaborative artistic experiences. I enjoy creating work that not only transforms a space but also brings people together through the shared experience of art. Style: Contemporary abstraction, mixed-media painting, live-event art, corporate commission. Completed: October 2026 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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