Markham artist Adam Alfsen explores faith and spirituality through new exhibition

Markham artist Adam Alfsen opened his latest exhibition at the Salvation Army Markham Ministry on July 3, inviting the public to explore a collection of paintings inspired by spirituality, scripture, and contemplation.

During a guided tour of the exhibition, Alfsen discussed the influences behind his work and the role art has played throughout his life.

Painting runs in the family. His father, John Martin Alfsen, taught at the Ontario College of Art for 42 years and established a successful career as a portrait painter. In the 1980s, Alfsen, along with his late brother and his mother, Marion Alfsen, converted the front of their home into an art gallery. Though the space later became Alfsen House Books, Alfsen has continued to paint. He estimates he has completed “maybe a hundred or more works.”

For Alfsen, painting is more than a creative pursuit.

“Painting is a meditation. It is a form of meditation, which is the reception of ideas and contemplation of ideas,” he said.

Alfsen says he tries to portray elements of the spiritual world in his work and that for the exhibit at the Salvation Army, he was inspired by Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation.

For him, the spiritual world is not abstract. Through his art, he says that he wants to convey an important message: “If we don’t know where we are spiritually, then we suffer bad consequences – both individually and socially. People are looking for Christ in the clouds rather than thinking about the problems that are around us, such as climate change, AI, and robots.”

In addition to his paintings, his creative talents have also led him to write three books: Portrait of an Artist’s Family, Lost Prophets of the Agora: Plato and Scripture, and A Brief History of the Christian Religion.

Adam Alfsen can be reached at Alfsen House Books, located at 154 Main St. N in Markham.

Photo: Markham artist Adam Alfsen opened his latest exhibition at the Salvation Army Markham Ministry on July 3, inviting the public to explore a collection of paintings inspired by spirituality, scripture, and contemplation.

*Story and photo submitted by Andrew Fuyarchuk.