2024 OPEN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE JURIED EXHIBITION

"Candy Crush"

24 x 16", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #284, 2021

-Private Collection

Title - Perfect Seal Jar

10 x 8", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel

painting #289, 2021

-Private Collection 

 

Title- Pinned up 7-Up

14 x 14", acrylic on gessoed aluminium panel

painting #291, 2021

-SOLD

I'm a bit late in posting this, but better late than never. Earlier this year, I had submitted three images of my paintings for the 2024 OPEN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE JURIED EXHIBITION hosted by the Society of Canadian Artists based in Toronto. From 767 submissions from across Canada and around the globe, a jury of five selected 122 works for the show based on the criteria of technical excellence, artistic expression and creative innovation. I'm among a dozen artists to have three pieces in this collective. Grateful to add this show to my résumé. The on-line exhibition runs from April 1st to June 15th, 2024. You can view the exhibition at this LINK.

 

 

Les Fraîches du Québec

Acrylic on hardboard, 4 x 3''.

Painting # 228, 2015

This painting was juried in the 8th edition of the International Miniature Biennial to be held in Lévis and Saint Nicolas in the province of Québec. As it turns out, the photo study for the painting was actually taken in Lévis as few years back while visiting my wife's sister Lise during a summer vacation.

Sunday June 14th, 2015 - Opening reception

The first part of the opening will be held at the Presbytère Saint-Nicolas at 1 pm.
The event will continue at the Galerie Louise-Carrier at 3 pm.

At both locations, the jury will announce the winners of various prizes.The exhibition will be held from June 14th to September 6th, 2015.

One exhibit – two locations      Presbytère Saint-Nicolas 1450, rue des Pionniers        Lévis, Qc  (gallery where this painting is showing)  Galerie Louise-Carrier 33, rue Wolfe Lévis, Qc                                    http://www.artmini.com -SOLD

Lucky Kitty

Acrylic on gessoed birch panel, 12 x 12''

painting #227, 2015

This past November, I was invited to submit an entry in the 2015 International Artist Grand Prize Competition hosted by the organizers of A.R.T. Revolution Taipei, the premier spring Art Fair in Taiwan. One of the requirements was that the painting should reflect the Asian art market. I immediately mentioned this to my son Jean-Luc. He asked me, ''What would you paint?''. I said, ''Maybe something with Hello Kitty in the composition''. He then pulls out his iPhone and shows me a photo that his friend Matthieu had just sent him. Matthieu had left for Asia the previous day and was backpacking through several east Asian countries. ''Check this out'' he said. ''Matthieu had a connecting flight in Taipei and sent me a picture of a Hello Kitty Store located at the airport terminal''. I had purchased this Lucky Stars Candy tin featuring Hello Kitty about 2 years ago as a possible prop for a painting. With Hello Kitty celebrating her 40th Birthday that same month, it seemed like perfect timing to shine some light of this iconic animated character. 

Hello Kitty is a white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow created by Yuko Shimizu. The character first appeared on a vinyl coin purse in 1974 in Japan and was introduced in the United States two years later. The target audience was primarily for young girls but it has become equally popular with woman.  I probably started noticing Hello Kitty on various products about a decade ago. Now a day, it is probably impossible to enter any department store that does not feature this famous feline on a variety of consumer goods. Hello Kitty is owned by the Japanese company Sanrio . Without doing any advertisement, Hello Kitty has become a cultural phenomenon and a pop culture icon across the globe but especially in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and many Asian countries. She has received the exclusive title of UNICEF Special Friend of Children. Singers Lady Gaga has posed in Kitty fashion and Avril Lavigne featured a SONG on her self-titled fifth studio album. The video has enjoyed more than 73 million views on VEVO.  

Hello Kitty currently appears on an astounding 50,000 plus products distributed in 60 countries. You'd be hard pressed not to find it on any random products. Just Google anything with Hello Kitty and it is bound to exist. Anything you can dream of or imagine, from coloring books, pencil cases, popsicles, t-shirts, dresses, porcelain figurines, cookie jars, bed linen, bedroom furniture, credit card, condoms, ironing boards, microwave ovens, electric fans, toasters, lawnmowers, motor oil, video games to even houses, cars, trains, planes, house cafés, restaurants, theme parks and maternity hospital where the nurses' uniforms features Hello Kitty. It has become a 7 billion dollar /year empire. Click on this LINK for some mind-boggling samples. 

On January 31, I received the news that ''Lucky Kitty'' was selected among 90 finalists from an estimated 4,033 pieces of art created and submitted by artists from 78 countries for the 2015 International Artist Grand Prize Competition for A.R.T. revolution Taipei, Taiwan to be held in Hall 3 at the Taipei World Trade Center from May 5 to 11, 2015 (including previews). Attendance at last year's event attracted more than 25,000 visitors. I will be the sole representative for Canada. Click HERE for a preview of the finalists and HERE for a link to a video of this grand event.


Update - Event photos (May 11, 2015) 

-SOLD

Juried Exhibition

I am pleased to announce that, Are we there yet? was selected for the inaugural juried show to be held at the Kamloops Historical Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kamloops, BC. This is also the first time that I get to show my work in beautiful interior British Columbia. The painting will be for sale during the exhibition that opens on April 18, 2008.