Shary Boyle’s practice is based in drawing and painting, and extends into sculpture, projection and performance. She has traveled and exhibited internationally, setting up temporary studios in remote villages such as Dawson City, Yukon and Avondale Nova Scotia, as well as urban centres like Amsterdam, Berlin and Los Angeles. Currently returned from her wanderings and based in Toronto, Boyle has spent the last 6 months making a series of paintings, to be introduced at the Or Gallery as Companions. This work greatly departs from the landscape of fantastical characters in strange environments of her previous paintings, presenting an evolutionary leap in material discipline and focus of content. Her use of underpainting and glazing inspires reflection on craft, patience and the obsessive nature of love. Companions can be viewed as a series of self-portraits and a testimony to the artist’s commitment to solitude.