What to know
- Former Toronto city councillor Gary Crawford is one of 100 artists selected for Art Comp 2026, a not-for-profit global art competition in London, Ont.
- Crawford’s painting, “Galeairy Lake, Algonquin #1,” is an expressive oil-on-canvas work inspired by Algonquin Provincial Park.
- The former Scarborough Southwest councillor says art was his first passion, having studied painting and sculpture at York University and exhibited his work since the 1980s.
- Crawford served as city councillor from 2010 to 2023 and previously served as a Toronto District School Board trustee. During his political career, he also advocated for arts and culture funding.
- The competition has $200,000 in prizes, including $100,000 for the winner, $50,000 for the People’s Choice winner, $30,000 for second place and $20,000 for third.
- The Art Comp exhibition is at 100 Kellogg Lane in London, Ont. until Sept. 7. Public voting is open until Sept. 7 at 8 p.m., with winners announced Sept. 24.
Toronto artist and former city councillor Gary Crawford has been selected to participate in one of Canada’s biggest artistic competitions.
The work of the former politician is being featured at the fifth edition of the annual not-for-profit global art competition Art Comp, which is taking place in London, Ont.
Crawford is among 100 artists selected for this year’s competition, who are in the race for a total of $200,000 in prizes, including $100,000 for the big winner, $50,000 for the people’s choice prize winner, and $30,000 and $20,000 for the second and third places.
He previously resigned from his seat as city councillor for Scarborough Southwest in 2023, which he held since 2010. Prior to that, Crawford served as Toronto District School Board Trustee for Scarborough Southwest between 2003 and 2010.
‘It’s my passion in life’
Although many might know him for his political work, the former councillor told Now Toronto his first passion was for the arts.
“[Art is] something I did as a kid. I went to university, got my degree, and it’s my passion in life to be an artist. I had been doing that for many many years,” he said.
“I’m a painter, so I’m visual, of course. I want people to see my work. I want people to understand what’s behind me and what I want to say…There’s an opportunity to speak to people, to get out that creativity that seems to be in all of us.”
Crawford majored in painting and sculpture at York University in 1983, and has since extensively worked in the field.
He was previously a graphic artist at Southam Inc., led his first one-man show at Nancy Poole’s Studio in Yorkville back in 1986, was featured in several group shows in private and public collections across the city, and illustrated for the United Church of Canada.
While in council, Crawford also made headlines after being commissioned by late mayor Rob Ford’s mother to create a portrait of him.
Balancing arts and politics
When Crawford received the opportunity to run for public office in 2010, he decided to put his creative passion on hold to focus on making a difference for the community.
Although he didn’t leave his creative work completely aside, he said he chose to keep his main focus on the office.
“As a politician, especially [on the] city council, it is a seven-days-a-week, 24-hour job. So that’s what I committed to for the 12 years I was there,” he said.
As a councillor, Crawford said he used his influence to support the arts, pushing for funding for the Toronto Arts Council and cultural initiatives across the city. He was also a Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on the Arts and Theatres and a member of the Economic Development and Culture Committee.
Now that he is retired from the role, he encourages current politicians to follow on these steps and continue to support artists and cultural events.
“Arts and culture are an incredibly important part of the fabric of a successful city. You can’t have a vibrant city without a vibrant arts and culture community, and you always have to remember this is on an economic level, on a creative level,” he said.
“You always have to ensure that there are supports there to be put in place through municipal government, through private enterprises, but to recognize the importance of the arts in a vibrant city-that’s the first and foremost.”
Galeairy Lake, Algonquin #1
Crawford’s work, titled “Galeairy Lake, Algonquin #1” is now being featured at Art Comp 2026. The piece is part of a two-piece oil on canvas inspired by the Algonquin Provincial Park near Whitney, Ont., but it is much more than a simple landscape depiction.
The artist said he tried to convey the emotional presence of the atmosphere of the park, by focusing less on literal representation and more on capturing the experience of the moment.
“My landscapes tend to be larger, very expressive, bold, lots of colour, lots of light, lots of brushstrokes, and it’s kind of like a dancing musical,” he said. “It provides an opportunity to feel what the landscape was like.”
Like for many other artists in the competition, for Crawford, Art Comp is an opportunity to showcase his work and evoke feelings in the audience.
If he does win the big prize, he hopes to keep investing in his work and spending time creating.
“We always hope that we have a shot at winning. I think just getting into the show, there were 100 artists that were chosen over hundreds and hundreds of applications, so I’m just privileged to be in the show as it is,” he said.
Crawford’s and other nominated artist’s works are being featured in an exhibition at 100 Kellogg Lane in London, Ont. until Sept. 7. Voting is open to the public until Sept. 7 at 8 p.m., and the winner will be announced during a closing awards ceremony on Sept. 24.
