Brian James MacKinnon

Brian James MacKinnon (born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island on April 20, 1953) is a Canadian artist and family physician.
Family
Brian and spouse Anne currently reside just outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and have three sons: Jesse, Alex and Scott.
Art
Brian started painting in 1977, and held his first show in the Auckland City Gallery located in Auckland, New Zealand. He has since had his work displayed worldwide; from the Marion McCain Atlantic Art Exhibition, a local show containing work from 73 Atlantic Canadian Artists, to the AAF Contemporary Art Fair New York, housing work from 130 galleries from around the globe. MacKinnon's art will next be showcased at the Toronto International Art Fair in October 2007.
Style
Brian has used various styles throughout his artistic career. His more recent works involve painting images that have been traced using a jigsaw on Heavy-duty Foam Board or wood.
He "draws" with the saw or rotor directly on or through the Gatorfoam or wood, then "fills" the painting with oils, acrylics and enamel paint. Initially he worked on wooden panels but switched to foam because of its combination of light weight with strength.
Inspired by pop art and children's art, he employs bold colour and deceptively simple designs to make wry commentaries on contemporary life.
Text is often an integral part of his paintings. Letters and words are cut directly into the piece adding to the narrative dimension and the visual impact.
Publicity
His artwork appeared on the cover of Canada's longest living literary journal The Fiddlehead issue No.213 (Autumn 2002) and No.224 (Summer 2005). A MacKinnon painting was presented on the cover of the Canadian Medical Association Journal on April 15, 1986 (Vol. 134, No.8). One of his Gatorfoam pieces depicting a horserace was published in the spring 2003 (issue no.14) issue of Abu Dhabi's Euquestrian Club's quarterly magazine Equestrian & Golf. Articles about Brian’s art have also appeared in The Daily Gleaner and The New Brunswick Reader.
List of Exhibitions
* 2006 “Hot Hot Hot”. Gallery 78. Fredericton, New Brunswick
* 2003 So Hyun Gallery. New York City
* 2003 Galerie Gora. Montreal, Quebec
* 2002 “There Are No Dark Corners Here.” Gallery 78. Fredericton, NewBrunswick
* 2000 "Marion McCain Atlantic Art Exhibition". Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Fredericton, NewBrunswick
* 1997 “All In One Color”. Gallery 78. Fredericton, NewBrunswick
* 1991 “Marion McCain Juried Exhibition”. Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Fredericton, New Brunswick
* 1988 Confederation Center Art Galley. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
* 1987 “Marion McCain Juried Exhibition”. Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Fredericton, New Brunswick
* 1981 Art Galley of Christchurch. Christchurch, New Zealand
Medicine
Brian graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 1977. He and wife Anne MacKinnon (a registered nurse) practiced in New Zealand from 1980-1982 before building a house on the outskirts of Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1982 where they currently live.
After Hours Clinic
In 1988, Dr. MacKinnon along with his friend and colleague Dr. Jim McKim established the Nashwaaksis Medical Clinic, where they and 5 other doctors currently practice family medicine. Dr. MacKinnon and Dr. McKim started the Fredericton After Hours Clinic in 1990, the first ever in Atlantic Canada, which was run out of their Nashwaaksis facility.
Telephone Service
Based on the success of their after hours clinic, Dr. MacKinnon and Dr. McKim started a pay-per-use 1-900 number service, called “Doctor Direct”, in November 1995. The first of its kind in North America, the number allowed Canadians to talk to a physician about non emergency medical matters for a $4 per minute charge.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Doctor Direct did operate legally, but caused some controversy since it was a private healthcare service established within the Canadian public healthcare system.
Doctor Direct closed its services in November 1996, a year after its formation. Although the business was making money, receiving around 30 calls per day, the profits were so small compared to the time the physicians put in Dr. MacKinnon and partners decided to shut down the service.

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