Glenn Guillet: Creating colour and light for everyone
Glenn Guillet has been shaping Edmonton’s visual landscape for more than five decades. He’s had a studio in the city for over 50 years, and he’s placed artworks in hospitals, schools and public buildings. Now he has brought his art to the Covenant Community Health Centre in southeast Edmonton.
A lifetime devoted to art
Glenn’s passion for art began in childhood. “Even as a kid, I always thought I would be an artist,” Glenn says. He took classes at the old Edmonton Art Gallery, which was then housed in a mansion on the hilltop south of Jasper Avenue. Later, he earned his undergraduate degree in art from the University of Alberta in 1971.
After graduating, Glenn set up his studio and began exploring kinetic art — motorized sculptures and optical effects created by movement. One of those pieces is in the Alberta Art Foundation collection, and another is installed at Athabasca University.
Eventually, Glenn shifted to two-dimensional works and large-scale commissions. “The biggest commission I’ve done is a mural for the north entrance of (Edmonton) City Hall in 1992,” he says. His work can also be found at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the Cross Cancer Institute and the Misericordia Community Hospital — a Covenant Health site — where a group of 40 pieces hangs above the main reception desk in the emergency room.
A studio built for possibility
Glenn’s creative process depends on space and freedom — two things that are increasingly rare for artists today. “I’ve had the same studio for 25 years, and I’m very lucky,” he says. “It’s one of the few places in the city where you can use power tools and non-water-based materials. Most artists now work under severe restrictions in tiny studios with sky-high rents.”
His studio, located in a gritty part of town, was chosen carefully. “I knew it wouldn’t be liable for development,” Glenn says. “I share the building with a bottle depot, which isn’t always ideal, but the landlord likes my work and supports what I do. The low rent has allowed me to keep creating.”
This space gives Glenn room to work with unique materials and techniques, something that defines his art. “I’m trying to make the most of that situation,” he says. “It’s what lets me continue producing these pieces.”
Myriad 1
Myriad 1, now on display at Covenant Community Health Centre, is unlike anything else in the building. Suspended from the ceiling, its 10 sail-like forms float in space, catching light and casting subtle reflections. “It’s based on complementary colours, opposites on the colour spectrum,” Glenn says. “That’s where you get maximum intensity and vibrancy.”
The placement of the 10 forms is critical. “If they weren’t arranged exactly as they are, the effect wouldn’t work nearly as well,” Glenn says. “Colour interaction depends on position.”
The result is a piece that feels alive from every angle — a dynamic burst of colour in a space designed for care and healing. Its presence transforms the space, creating movement and energy in a building where most art hangs quietly on walls.
Art for everyone
For Glenn, public art is about accessibility and shared experience. “If it was about an ethnic group or a company, it wouldn’t appeal to everyone,” he says. “Since it has no subject matter, it can be for everyone.”
In a health centre, that vision matters. Glenn hopes Myriad 1 offers a sense of brightness and optimism to people who may be facing difficult days. “On a grey, dreary day, it can bring some colour into the environment,” he says. “Art can give people something beautiful and positive in a world where there are a lot of dark forces.”
For Glenn, that’s the ultimate purpose of his work: to create something that belongs to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance. “Art can be for everyone,” he says. And in a space dedicated to care and healing, that inclusivity feels especially powerful.
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