Sunday Sept. 20, 2026:
This week’s focus was on delving into the creation of the work, and immersing myself in the region. At this point of the Residency the research project begins to come together. I have laid the foundations regarding what needs to be kept in mind, and the different aspects of the work that I don’t want to be hanging onto. I’m happy about the decisions I’ve made for my artistic direction last week.
Location and inspiration
In regard to the physicality of the Residency, I did a lot of hiking. I went for a few long hikes, up mountains and to World’s End. I also walked on the beach. Picture a waterfront in the fresh fall wind in Canada. Breathtaking sunsets, driftwood, rocks, and seals playing about while Northern Gannets, insane birds they are, plunge from unimaginable heights to catch herring well below the water’s surface.
I was shocked by the amount of massive waterfalls, rivers, rapids and beautifully turquoise clearwater basins that are adept for swimming.
Those lovely fiery red, and orange maples, the yellow birches, the cold freshwater, and the undergrowth in the forest have stirred something in me. The darkness of the autumn night whose liveliness, which unexpectedly rivals that of a downtown Montreal night, refreshes inspirations from which I had unknowingly turned away. These aspects of nature from which I am cut off residing in the city, have rekindled a passion for the deep dark woods. It’s something that has always been an important part of my work. The folklore vibes of Heretic stem from this love of the terroir (pronounced ter-wär). French-Canadian culture is full of tales of witches, goblins, and Feu-Follets. We even have stories about pacts with the devil and riding spell-bound canoes carrying you across the sky to meet your loved ones.
This folklore is what French-Canada is built on. A mix of French superstitions applied to the realities of harsh Canadian winters, at times of famine, political turmoil, and many controversial actions of our pasts. A lot of Native lore is also intertwined with our own, for as without First Nations help, French-Canadians would not have had much success in keeping alive.
All of this comes to mind when walking in a thick forest, as the sun sets, and the monsters creeping beneath low bushes, hidden deep in the distance, and behind the maple trees, watch your every step.
The Baroque influence & my Quebec heritage
As I was researching Italian Baroque, I discovered a coincidence that I simply cannot disregard. Caravaggio painted numerous scenes of St-John the Baptist, who happens to be Quebec’s patron saint.
Saint-Jean Baptiste & The Jungle Monster
I therefore studied his paintings of St-Jean Baptiste. As I have done with the Jungle Monster collection, for which I used my artwork was a means to delve deeper in my Egyptian heritage. Bringing forth the beauty of the culture, while simultaneously reviewing our western interpretations The Orient, and proposing ways of contemporizing our international relations. I wish to do something similar, yet completely readapted to French-Canadian culture.
A blend of concepts that I investigated this week, was that of relying on Baroque iconography and integrating elements from Quebec's folkloric identity. It yields some very interesting renditions. Choosing the deep reds and darker accents of ochre, then placing them adjacently to the sky blue of the fleurdelisé opens up my work to a color combination I had yet to consider. As with the recent smaller work Nacre Box Pattern, I explore the texture of traditional patterns. In this instance, I’m looking into the repeated arrow shapes of the ceinture flechée, a traditional French-Canadian and Métis item of clothing from the 17th century.
The hard part of this artistic research is creating a visual that conveys in equal parts the Italian Baroque, The French Canadian heritage, and the traditional patterns of the ceinture flechée.
Rococo & Cyberpunk
To create a Baroque artwork, some elements are indisputable. You need drama, movement, stark light and shadow, and theatrical scale. All of these elements tie in perfectly in the Dark Fantasy collection. However, some of my newest pieces err into the realm of Rococo. The Blue Zones sketch that I shared with you last week is such a piece. When I think of it, it makes sense. The detail-heavy style of the 17th century echoes the idea of the surplus of markets, of abundance, of opulence; perfect for a late-stage capitalism-style dystopian cyberpunk future. Furthermore, Rococo remains a contemporary influence in a lot of subcultures such as in Alt-J Fashion (alternative Japanese fashion), which is a prominent ingredient in the cyberpunk genre.
Rococo, being such a detail-heavy style, antagonizes the direction I have chosen to pursue within the bounds of the Residency. However, it is perfectly suited to my cyberpunk artwork. I may branch off my Cyberpunk artworks in their own category as they have a distinct visual identity. I can hardly imagine reconciling the necessary density of information to create a cyberpunk image, with the rest of my body of work.
Unexpected Outcomes of the Residency
I didn’t foresee that this experience would lead me to consider the cyberpunk artworks as a distinct style, or body of work. Strangely, this genre seems closely knit with the Jungle Monster collection. Their visual languages, and explorative themes, tie in so elegantly together. I’m considering making the Cyberpunk artworks the pop-culture offspring of the JM collection. I think there is an incredibly interesting potential for some stunning work if I follow this thread.
Blue Zones Artwork
Blue Zones Artwork Analysis
The Blue Zones artwork’s origins I’ll delve into in the near future. Keeping within the bounds of the residency, I’ll explain how it ties into the research projects, and point out some visual cues.
I had been getting an overwhelming demand for more cyberpunk artwork. In recent years I’ve done quite a number of commissions in this genre. Which is why I wanted this to be my next piece. Despite its decidedly non-folk outward appearance, the artwork depicts a futuristic scene of reconciling with the land. The two statues by the door honour the moment of harvest, and the architecture is inspired by traditional Costa Rican building styles. Stilt houses and building in verticality, climate-adaptive design for tropical weather systems, incorporating nature in the design as to provide relief from the sun and heat, and Churrigueresque (also known as UltraBaroque) Spanish Colonial & Rococo design.
I had first been piqued by interest for this topic during a trip to Costa Rica. I learned about Costa Rica’s commitment to nature conservation, and trekked in the jungle. Following this I learned of the Nicoya Blue Zone and this sparked a desire for a future where we could live harmoniously with nature. I am developing a whole artistic project around this topic. Trust me, it will be interesting, and visually compelling.
Italian Baroque, Balancing Brushstrokes, Symbolism & Mysticism
This artwork clearly has ties to Baroque, and Rococo, as well as all of my habitual philosophical and societal interrogations. I’ve worked with symmetry, shown in the statues mirroring each other, and the scale and drama accented by the gargantuan door. I’ve also dedicated an ungodly amount of hours to balancing areas of intentional and controlled paintbrush strokes, wild unrestricted paint brushstrokes, and ensuring the utmost elegant lost and found edges in this artwork. When looking at the background details, they feel blurry. Trust that none of this blur was procedurally generated. I hand painted each loose stroke with more dedication than any sane soul would tolerate. What’s more, those background blurs correlate to accurate-perspective buildings.
In this piece, I am exploring ways to introduce symbolism, mysticism, and vibes. It’s hard to create a sense of those things for an artwork set in the future. We tend to think of mysticism as a thing of the past. So getting those ideas across will build over time as I create more artworks in this genre. I believe that by building a believable lore that permeates this world, the symbolism and mysticism will gradually emanate from the body of work
Contemporary Themes & Representations
The cyberpunk artworks have helped me conceptualize how I would bring into my work more contemporary themes & representations. This realization will help me create artworks that fit within my main body of work, that more faithfully represent the ideal I have for my artwork.
For instance, this week, I explored a way to represent our current struggle with late-stage capitalism, and how, as individuals, we are feeling the impact of this economic and political situation with full force at the moment. How do I represent this in a way that aligns with all the artistic decisions I made last week?
Case Study:
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A contemporary theme:
Choosing to adhere to one’s values, no matter how difficult, and refusing ourselves to corruption.
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A baroque influence:
Color palette & Tenebrismo
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Unapologetic female gaze:
Showing the reflection of what could be if you took the path of corruption, and the pull of temptation.
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Folklore influence:
The dark woods that represent that integrity is an untrodden path. -
Focus on the human experience, raw emotion & ambiguity:
Depicts all the facets of the entire range of emotions one goes through when in a similar situation.
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Clear simple design:
Strip down the composition to its most necessary elements. Make the shapes meaningful and compositionally foundational.
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Focus on symmetry
Reinforce the baroque element: use symmetry in the dress design, in the trees, and in jewels in the water.
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Symbolism, mysticism, vibes:
Thick atmosphere. All fashion choices are symbolic.
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Human interaction vs. inner world:
Individuals' body positions express the emotions of the situation, but the character’s face depicts their innermost thoughts, fears, and intents/motives.
This is how I approached the first sketch based on last week’s artistic direction.
First I noted these ideas somewhere visible, so that I may return to them as I sketch, and develop the artworks. Then I began drawing some small simple sketches in order to try out various compositions that could best depict this idea.
Sketching
The two following sketches from this week’s explorations are the ones I feel most imbued with potential for good artwork. I am going to keep developing them in the coming months.
These two pieces will be developed as a diptych. I think both of these will lend themselves well to clear shapes, and minimal compositional devices. Although the color palette suggests a snowy landscape, I will be depicting a fall scene. White, Black, and one strong color accent always makes for striking images.
A clearer sense of direction is emerging from this residency.
I’m thrilled to have this space, and opportunity with which I can expand the breadth of my work. This week’s exploration has been eye opening for me. I have the most sincere hope that you enjoy this visibility into my creative process. It’s actually quite a vulnerable place, for an artist, to share something so intimate. Not all artists work in this way. This is how I proceed to create works, and all artists have their own methodology. The way we approach work is integral to the outcome. The amount of thought, and the elements of real life that I integrate into my world building for each piece, is what imparts my artworks with such believability. This is what makes it resonate with so many people.
Join me next Sunday for the final part of the Artist In Residence blog, when all of these elements will begin to take shape, and hold depth.
Read previous Artist in Residence posts here: