| |Gallery| | |Events| | |Biography| | |Curriculum Vitae| | |Artist Statement| | |Contact| |
| I've always admired people who can look
back in their life and remember almost every moment of their
childhood. All I remember are very short fragments, some of
which I'm not fully sure actually happened. Most of my youth,
even when I was a teenager, I was known as the kid that wasn't
fully concious for most of the time. They said I had my head up
in the clouds. At school, it got me in trouble and that's one of
the things I remember. I wasn't stupid, I just had an
uncontrolled imagination.. Part of that same era, I also remember after a painting class my brother and I were taking as kids, how someone pointed out how you can draw a nose simply by doing a "L" shape line, I was astounded. I remember my mom teaching me her technique on how to fill in the colors in a Disney drawing book. Art wise, I remember making constructions, buildings, robots, airplanes, out of legos or other similar toys. I never followed the intended building instructions, it was of no interest to me. I wanted to create something never seen before, limited in size and style only by the amount, type and colors of blocks I had. It still shows in my work today, and some say it's something inherited from my father's engineering skills.. I wasn't very popular as a teenager, I was shy and confused. Then again, my memory is short and scattered, but an important moment is when I started drawing. I don't remember why but I was drawing words in different colors and bizarre shapes. That's when a classmate asked me if it was my tag, to which I replied "no, I'm just drawing random words". I did some research and discovered the world of graffiti, which shaped my identity for the following decade. I was known as an innovator and a leader, by either peers or even law enforcement. Graffiti was a challenge to be unique, to do it first and to do it well. I discovered the freight enthusiast scene and hobo graffiti, of which I compiled one of the biggest archive available online. I've collaborated over the years with many other graffiti artist from all over the country, some of whom earned my respect and inspired me.. The street art world is a very tough environment to grow in artistically, and legal problems eventually pushed me into a transition to canvas painting. I discovered new materials to work with such as acrylic paint. With it's wide array of colors and fast drying time, it seamed like a perfect match to my existing style and technique. I discovered the compositions of Kandinsky, the ingenuity of Picasso, the wildness of Pollock, the patterns of Klimt and the colors of Théberge. I adopted a very unique style which I first expressed in intricate abstract constructions. I started painting abstract portraits and still lifes using the same guidelines.. That style that I cling so hard to, I consider it to be who I am: strong, constructed and unique. I once heard you should only paint what you love, so the portraits are of people close to me. The still lifes and landscapes are from Montreal, more precisely, the wonderful neighborhood of Villeray, where I currently reside. I'm now in full control of my imagination and I'm hoping to mark yours with either my story, or my art.. Philippe Nault |