Spring Tracks

Wilf Perreault (b. 1947)

Wilf Perreault was born into a French-Canadian farming family in the small town of Albertville, Saskatchewan. He grew up in Saskatoon where he received lessons from his neighbour Ernst Lindner. He undertook formal training in sculpture at the University of Saskatchewan under the direction of Otto Rogers and Bill Epp. After graduating in 1971 with a BFA and a B Ed., Perreault relocated to Regina to teach high school. Perreault’s predominant colour-palette of vibrant blues, muted oranges, pinks and purples reflects a sense of nostalgia for Canadian winters. The subject of his works are most often long and snow covered Regina streets, with a hint of the setting sun. He is best known for his paintings of back alleys, which according to the artist involve “taking an ordinary subject and turning it into something beautiful.”

Perreault was one of five artists chosen to represent Canada at Les Jeux de la Francophonie in Morocco in 1989, where he won the Silver Medal. He was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2003. The Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina mounted a major exhibition of his works in 2014. Wilf Perreault’s work is represented in the collections of the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina, the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Edmonton Art Gallery, and Goldman Sachs and Co., New York, amongst many others. Perreault is also member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.