Sky Glabush Uses Sand and Oil to Create Textural Landscapes

Sky Glabush creates atmospheric scenes by mixing oil paint with granular particles like sand and crushed quartz, Colossal reported.

The artist, who was raised on the west coast of British Columbia and is currently based in rural Ontario, uses these materials to translate specific feelings associated with natural environments into visual forms. His work often features limited palettes centered on one or two color families, relying on texture to draw viewers into environments that evoke the sensation of a breeze or the crunch of autumn leaves.

The technique of adding and removing materials has become a fundamental part of his process. Glabush originally began experimenting with mixed media because he wanted to “obliterate the image,” but he discovered that the underlying composition remained present. This realization allowed him to use texture as a tool for selective preservation or erasure.

“But I realized it didn’t destroy the image. It was still present and humming under that surface layer. So it gave me the freedom of deciding what I wanted to hold on to or what I wanted to erase,” Glabush told Colossal.

Glabush’s paintings often begin with an architectural foundation, such as a grid or a radial arrangement, which dictates the subsequent layers. He applies thin stains of paint and turpentine to create surfaces that possess a relief-like quality. While the physical structure provides the anchor, color serves as the primary driver of the work’s energy.

Sky Glabush Uses Sand and Oil to Create Textural Landscapes

“Color, though, is always ‘the unifying principle, it is the energy and dynamism, it is the element of surprise. Each painting often goes through several iterations of colour before deciding on a direction,’” Glabush told Colossal.

His interest in physical manipulation of medium stems from a period of experimentation with sculpture. Although he has previously explored carving, he returned to the conventions of painting to find a language for his expression. He said his time spent with sculpture allowed him to approach his canvases in a more physical and experimental manner.

Several of these textured works will be featured in Glabush’s upcoming solo exhibition, If the Wild Bird Could Speak. The show is scheduled to run from November 20 to January 9 at Alison Jacques in London.

The collection includes several large-scale pieces from 2024 through 2026, such as Sun drunk (2026) and Wildflower field (2025), which utilizes oil and sand on canvas. His recent works continue to explore the intersection of natural forms and intuitive terrain, such as the radial symmetry of a sunflower or the straight trunks of a forest.

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