Brand New Heavy

Ryan just finished redesigning my website, Cindy took most of the photos and I just have to be happy. Is all. Here: www.pascalpaquette.com

Drew Simpson

I passed by Drew's place a few days ago to catch up with him. I was privy to his usual hard worked paintings that he's producing for multiple international exhibitions he's having in the next few months, but also to this here shown series of sculptures. Simpson had exhibited these back in 2008 at Fountain Gallery in Toronto.

Shown above: Sculptures from the series Epitaphs to the Pleistocene Epoch. Photos by Jeff Bierk.

On View (in Toronto)

Fabrice is presently exhibiting works on paper from his personal collection. On show are two works of mine from my Commodity Over Culture series (2003-ongoing). Also in the main gallery space are works by Ryan Schneider. More info on that or directions to the gallery can be found here. Both shows are on until April 26.

From top to bottom: Starbucks, Coming Soon (ed. of 3) 2003; Krispy Kreme, Here Soon (installation view at Mind Control Gallery, Toronto) 2003.

Work In Progress v6.0

I'm exhibiting at Le Labo in Toronto for Contact this May. I will be showing a major installation that continues my Commodity Over Culture series. This time, I will transform the gallery space into a construction site for an upcoming design and home furnishing store.

From top to bottom: $800 of purchases from Crate & Barrel; A few sets—Cindy helped greatly; A product scenario study.

Damián Ortega

Last year, I posted a picture of a work by the Mexican artist Damián Ortega entitled Master of the Universe. At the time, I did not know who he was, all I had was a jpeg of an amazing work that I had to share. Go here for more about Ortega and his work.

From top to bottom: Master of the Universe (2007) installation view at PS1 (NY, USA); Master of the Universe (2007) installation view at Centre G. Pompidou (Paris, France).

Work In Progress v3.3

Cindy was working in the studio a few weeks ago and while there, took pictures of the shelling series with a 35mm tilt-shift lens.

I now have to start working towards a major site-specific exhibit happening in May so will put these paintings aside for now.

Wesley Meuris

Here are drawings by Belgian artist Wesley Meuris. Although very good with the paper and watercolour medium, he is mostly know for his sculptural work. See it all here.

From top to bottom: The White Knight Hotel, 2008; Aviary for Tropical Parrots—the Canopy of the Forest, 2006; Cage for Water Buffalo, 2005; Playing Field, 2004. (All from www.wesleymeuris.be)

À l'écoute

A great cover of Radiohead's Reckoner by Gnarls Barkley. No dressing up required.

Marc Quinn

Shown above are sculptures from British artist Marc Quinn. If you are familiar with the London art scene, then you have seen his pristine work. More here.

From top to bottom: Planet, 2008; Sphinx (Road to Enlightenment), 2007; Beauty and the Beast, 2005; Peter Hull, 1999. (Planet photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Janet Werner

Montréal-based painter Janet Werner is high on my list of favorite Canadian painters. In fact, her head almost touches the ceiling (say the list was a room or something.) More here and here.

From top to bottom: Prairies (2008); Bambi (2005-06); Barbie (2003-06); Looker (2002). All are oil on canvas, and large-scale.

Roid

This is the work of London-based artist Roid. He can do no wrong. More here (Five Prime) and here (Heavy Artillery).

Note: These photos were floating around the web and are from various sources.

Olivier Blanckart

Shown here are sculptural "covers" of famous photographs made with adhesive tapes, cardboard, kraft paper, etc. They are done by the French artist Olivier Blanckart. He also produced a series of self-portraits reenacting other famous portraits. Lots of his work can be found here and here.

From top to bottom: The remix Saïgon (d'après Eddie Adams), 1997; Assanuma (d'après Yasushi Nagao, Tokyo 1960), 1998; E Che Homo (d'après Freddy Alborta, 1967), 1999; Andy (d'après R. Avedon), 2002; All image, property of Galerie Loevenbruck.

Dan Kennedy

Recent paintings by Canadian artist Dan Kennedy. More here.

From top to bottom: Natural History, 2007; Welcome, 2007; Emma and Darwin and the Great Geologic Event, 2007; Return of the Yankee Peddler (Land Ho!) 2006.

Ryan Taylor

Here is an ongoing series of work by the brilliant-ideas-machine and betterfier-of-life-at-large, Ryan Taylor. They are self-portraits.

The idea of having multiple self-portraits in a single shot is not new but what Taylor has achieved—that I find original—is that this is him doing everyday life activities (except for bashing himself with a shovel). Working on his art, exercising, watching television, all regular and banal activities, shown in this way makes the abnormal—multiples of himself together at the same time—feel, normal. See more of Ryan's work here.

From top to bottom: Untitled (Sofa 3), 2005; Untitled (Sofa 2), 2005; Run, 2006; Impulse, 2006.

Just Launched

Just launched: Cindy Blazevic's website. This way to the magic.