Artist

Posted on by

Paul Pierre

Photo courtesy of Pierre-Paul Pariseau

Artist Spotlight: Pierre-Paul Pariseau

Pierre-Paul Pariseau

June 10, 2024

Pierre-Paul Pariseau has been doing illustrations for a multitude of publications in North America and Europe for many years now. He also regularly exhibits his personal work internationally. His art has been graced by many awards throughout his long career.

One of his works is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Avant-Garde in Mendrisio, Switzerland, which reopens in 2025. In 2019, some of his illustrations were included in the book The Illustrator. 100 Best from Around the World, published by Taschen.

Why or how did you become an artist?

I studied computer science a long time ago but didn’t last long in the field because passion wasn’t there. I was doing art on the side (collage with paper, glue, scissors) so I decided to try to be an illustrator. As I succeeded, I persevered in this way until now. I am self-taught as an artist. I regularly exhibit my personal work internationally.

Can you describe your art style in a few words?

Mainly surreal. I think it is instantly recognizable.

What media/medium do you work in?

Collage and digital transformation.

What advice would you give to your younger self? What advice would you give to someone who would like to pursue art?

Listen, observe, look carefully and be interested in the cultural and social lives of the world around you and beyond. This will enrich your visual vocabulary and allow you to better translate your ideas and emotions. Consider your personal works as important as the commissions and vice versa, because they nourish each other.

What inspires you? Are there other artists or figures that inspire you?

At the beginning of my career I was inspired by surrealist artists, now from everything that surrounds me.

What is your favourite piece that you created so far?

Most of the time, the last one I just did. The pleasure and the surprise that I felt doing it is still in me.

What is your favourite artwork by another artist?

I love the work of René Magritte, especially Empire of Light.

What does art mean to you?

Freedom, self-discovery, pleasure, education.

What are your interests, hobbies, etc. outside of art?

Reading, bicycling, travelling, visiting exhibitions.

Train Rocher

Pyramidal Cult

New Yorker

Landia

Glacier

Desert Train

Cowboys

Chaperon Rouge

Website: pierrepaulpariseau.com

Instagram: @pppariseau

Artist

Posted on by

Olivia MacDonald

Photo courtesy of Olivia MacDonald

Artist Spotlight: Olivia MacDonald

Olivia MacDonald

May 6, 2021

Since the winter of 2018, Olivia MacDonald creates one ink drawing every day to post to her Instagram to provide daily positivity and hope to others, as well as practice her skills. She now has a collection of over 850 drawings that continues growing and a following of 19.4k. Her work is inspired by her everyday life and feelings, along with her loves of nature, the complexities of mechanics, literature, and things that have soul. She enjoys the rawness and contrast achieved by black fineliner pens. Her work also includes many juxtapositions that combine different objects or ideas into one piece. Some are silly and some are deep, but in all, her hope is that viewers take a moment to ponder the message and imaginative combinations.

Olivia MacDonald

Olivia MacDonald is a 23-year-old ink artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Art has been her passion since early childhood. After graduating college with a creative writing major and illustration minor in 2020, she now works as a full-time artist which she considers her dream job. She is able to connect with so many people around the world, learn about their unique stories, and design commissions, tattoos, logos, product labels, album covers, and book illustrations that have a far-reaching impact.

Website: inkbyolivia.com

Instagram: @inkbyolivia

Tiktok: @inkbyolivia

Artist

Posted on by

Gogh by Car

Illustration by Katharina Davoudian

Experiencing Gogh by Car

Katharina Davoudian

February 27, 2021

A spinning sunflower. A twinkling and shimmering starry night. Olive trees that grow and dance.

These are some of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. His colours, brushstrokes, and mood are reimagined in a large, white, industrial room that smells of fresh paint. Some ten cars are parked here; their windows rolled down and engines off. As the walls and floor transform into a selection of Van Gogh’s oeuvre, these cars become seats in a theatre and the entire room its stage.

Cars in a theatre? This car-friendly theatrical art exhibit is an innovative way to social distance at Immersive Van Gogh. No need to get out of your car; you literally drive into the exhibit and remain in your seat. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share this experience with fellow art enthusiasts, a way to stay connected while distant through art.

“Van Gogh’s art floods the room and becomes alive, as if he paints before your eyes. You can smell his oils, hear his brush stroke the canvas.”

Van Gogh’s genius, coupled with the “technical wizardry” of the exhibit, feels like rediscovering his art. The vivid colours, kaleidoscopic animations, eclectic music; it’s beyond a visual and auditory experience, but blurs into a dream. Van Gogh’s art floods the room and becomes alive, as if he paints before your eyes. You can smell his oils, hear his brush stroke the canvas.

The exhibit re-opens on May 20th. “Gogh” there—it’s an unforgettable experience that can change how you see Vincent Van Gogh’s art.

Katharina Davoudian is a Toronto-based artist and writer. She is the editor-in-chief of Vinci! Magazine.