Charles Bierk is an incredible photo-realistic oil painter, who creates works of art that make you question the nature of reality itself . A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, where he is now based, Bierk has been painting since childhood, beginning with oil painting lessons at the age of nine with his father, the famous painter David Beerk. Artistic talent must clearly run in the family, since two of his other siblings are also painters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Charles' work is heavily influenced by the people around him. His late father was the first to teach him the “grid method” of painting, a technique he still uses in all of his paintings today. Most of the subjects of his paintings are people he knows, friends, family and, more recently, his peers who make up Toronto's creative community. Although at first glance his paintings simply look like hyperrealistic pencil drawings of random people, it doesn't take much analysis to see the raw emotion behind them. A few seconds of looking into the eyes of one of his portraits creates an inner disturbance, a kind of strange connection with a person who doesn't really exist, but who easily seems to be standing right in front of you. Although many of his paintings show people standing still and with a rather blank and expressionless face, Bierk manages to capture an incredible amount of complexity and emotion. He himself says that he hopes his paintings “can create a sense of empathy in the viewer, because we live in a world that clearly lacks empathy at the moment. » Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom EssayAs a millennial freelance artist, Bierk describes finding himself at a strange intersection between artistic desire and financial gain. He believes that treating his work as an artist the same as a regular 9-5 job is the key to being able to afford to live. Unlike many artists, who cannot work such long hours without suffering burnout, Bierk describes spending eight hours a day, seven days a week, painting in his studio when preparing for an exhibition. His dedication to work, however, has paid off as his stunning portraits have been exhibited across Canada..