FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR

Dear friends, today I am writing about a couple of recent works of art that I did entitled “Fruit of Your Labor”. I am rarely one to paint fruit, but these came to mind one day and I rather enjoyed painting them. While on the surface they are very cheery and pretty works of art, they mean a lot more than fruit. It is a little bit odd but these cute works of art with a rather mundane subject matter, if you could call it that, came out of a moment of frustration.

I probably don’t have to explain how challenging it can be to make a living as an artist. It often costs too much time and money to be a hobby and it often doesn’t make enough money to be a career, so what is it? Things became easier when I moved to Montreal where I started exhibiting my work internationally and selling on a regular basis. Then, after nearly ten years in Montreal, I moved back to New Brunswick…I had a long pause from art to get familiar with family life with children and a new environment. When I started producing artwork again and looking at galleries, I was quickly faced with a harsh reminder of how hard it is in New Brunswick to make a living as an artist, especially if you are not painting boats and flowers! While I live here in N.B., I am still for the most part exhibiting outside of New Brunswick/Canada, mainly in Los Angeles.

When we are frustrated, we (artists) often use our art as a therapy and sometimes we paint something dark to get it out of our system. This time, in my moment of frustration I decided to paint something bright and hopeful. These two paintings represent the artist’s hope to see the fruit of his or her labor one day. Of course, like any work of art, they can mean whatever you want them to mean, but this is what was in my heart while producing them. While things are getting better as I keep producing and am selling more, these works of art serve as a reminder that my work is not in vain. I hope you enjoy these pieces too and I hope that you all see the fruit of your labor sooner than later if you haven’t yet!

Fruit of Your Labor (Cherries)
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
11" x 14"
2023

Fruit of Your Labor (Strawberry)
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
11" x 14"
2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

NON FUNGIBLE HERESY

What the heck is am NFT?! The NFT craze slowly started in 2014 and for those who do not know what an NFT (Non Fungible token) is, it's a little bit hard to explain but essentially they are digital images that one can buy. They have a digital encryption in them that makes them traceable and can be made to have limited numbers. You can read a brief history of NFTs HERE. NFTs really became popular when Justin Bieber purchased one entitled "Bored Ape" for $1.3 Million in 2022 (it is now down to $60,000 in value). The art world is very strange and often confusing. Some people really got into NFTs while some of us did not. For me, I never got into it and I don’t quite get it. I like physical works of art that you put on your wall, but that’s just me! Whether you like NFTs or not, one of the problems with them is that it opened yet another big door for scammers. Countless artists, including myself, are being harassed weekly by scammers wanting NFTs of our artwork and it is getting overwhelming (you have to pay to have NFTs, that’s where they try to scam you).

In a protest to the entire world of NFTs, I created this piece, which features the Bored Ape that Justin Bieber purchased, in a frame on a wall, as the rest of us are simply trying to sell our real paintings to real people to hang on real walls. I hope you enjoy my piece!

www.pascalleocormier.com

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

Crazy...

Today I am sharing a couple of paintings that deal with mental illness, something that is more prevalent than many people think. In fact I myself never thought of what I was going through as “mental illness” for a very long time, and viewing it in that light was instrumental for me in dealing with those issues in my own life. These paintings may be more or less simple on the surface but there is more than meets the eye. In one way they deal with being strong and pursuing the desire to push through the chaos, in another way they deal with almost a denial that it's even there. Sometimes a “denial” of a mental illness helps you, in other times it causes a lot more harm than good.

When speaking about "denying" it is important to distinguish between denying that the illness exists and denying that the symptoms control us. The first is bad, the latter is very important to master. I personally have dealt with crippling panic disorder and chronic depression for most of my life. Sometimes denying these is a strength that allows you not to be affected by it, sometimes it is a weakness that stops you from facing them and dealing with them. Painting is certainly a great, therapeutic way to deal with them for me.

This first painting deals with my personal struggles with mental illness. The title is “I’m Not Confused, You’re Confused”. It deals with both being stuck in chaos, seeking out of the chaos and finding your way out of the chaos. Being aware of the so called “chaos” (the mental illness) is the first step to seeking a way out or a way to deal with it. Trying to find the cause of the illness and the things that trigger it is another issue. Knowing the difference between when your mind is simply reacting to circumstances or when it is acting outside or the normative response to day-to-day events. It all can be overwhelming and confusing, but self-awareness is key to dealing with these issues. Making a mess on canvas is also a great way to let it out!

I'm Not Confused, You're Confused
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
12" x 16"
2023



This following painting, which also deals with mental illness in the same way, is dedicated to my beloved wife, Kristal KC. Kristal, who is an amazing artist and the awesome mother to my children also battles with mental illness, but came out strong and thriving. So we are one crazy couple! What a journey! I am refraining from elaborating upon it too much here because this is her battle, one that we certainly went through together, but it would be for her to decide if she wants to talk about it, and I know that she does want to. When she is ready, I will certainly make a post about it with her. Much like the previous piece, and as the title states, it is about coming out of a state of chaos. The first key was to understand that you were in a state of chaos that was outside of your control in order to seek a way out.

Out of Chaos
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
10" x 12"
2023



www.pascalleocormier.com

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

HARMONIC MACHINE - THE END. . .

Hi friends, I have been working with my friends, amazing musical duo HARMONIC MACHINE recently. I am creating their album cover, doing some graphic design, video editing and animation for them.

I created this music video for their music piece "The End...". Check it out and stay tuned for their album release!

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier & Harmonic Machine. All Rights Reserved.

Longing...

We are born and thrown into this world, stumbling away from one conclusion to another until one day we are all grown up and in the rat race. We look back into the tunnel of time through all the heart aches, confusions, wonder and amazements we have been through, sometimes with a great feeling of nostalgia, sometimes sorrow. Then we look forward into the same tunnel with uncertainty, sometimes with great hope, sometimes with fear and despair. One thing is for sure, we are trying to keep the pieces of this puzzle called life together, something I will certainly paint more about in the future. We often find ourselves holding on so tight to the pieces, keeping our heads out of the water, paying the bills, raising the kids, keeping the job, whatever it may be that helps us survive, that we forget to simply live.

This is what this painting is about. We can look at it in two different ways; some of us struggle to survive and we forget to let go, while some have achieved their goals and have everything they could ever want but also got lost in the grind and feel stuck somehow, longing for a simpler life where they can just let go. I recently saw a documentary about Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, and one of the things that stood out about him is that he was almost never home with his family throughout his life and even when he was home, he wasn't really there. He spent all of his time reading about the stock market or trading stocks. I don't know if he ever takes the time to enjoy his money or smell the roses as they say! As much as we all long for financial freedom, I doubt that any of us want to wake up one day and realize that our memories are nothing but numbers with barely any rivers.

This painting is about getting lost in the day to day routine while longing to float away into a landscape and emptying your mind of all stress and worries. We spend a lot of our time trying to achieve peace of mind, much of what we do is about that, and often when it's there for us to take we still keep chasing while longing for some kind of spiritual rest. It's often easier said than done, but most of the time it's all about letting go of fear and to go to a place where nature effortlessly does its miracles. That is often where we find the best therapy. So while the weather permits it, take the time to live! Find a good spot in nature, take off your shoes and your socks, set your feet upon the earth and take it all in, it's all there for you to breathe in and heal.

Longing
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
14" x 18"
2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

Looking forward | In Between Seasons

Here I have two new pieces that I just finished. With the winter coming, I can't help but already look forward to next summer! Don't get me wrong here, I think that winter is beautiful and it has it's charms, but I would be much happier if it lasted two months as opposed to the long, nearly 5 months of it that we get where I live!

I really like how these paintings turned out. Delicate and simple. While they deal with seasons on the surface, they are about much more than that. These paintings are about different perspectives and different points of view. As always, I am tackling the idea that there is often more to what we are looking at. When looking at beautiful scenery, we see one moment in time during one season and under a particular weather, but this scenery is continuously changing, much like the way we may look at or watch something, whether it be a landscape, a movie or a work of art, or listen to something or read something again and again and we keep finding new meanings and new treasures in the same places as we grow as a person.

Often I have worked on a painting and I found myself completely stuck where I had no idea how to finish it. Most of the time I have a fairly concrete idea of what my painting will be before I start but occasionally I will hit a wall of uncertainty. When this happens, I have to set the painting aside, often out of sight, for a while. Sometimes these paintings can be collecting dust for up to a few years before I get back to them. Most of the time, when I find them again and get to see them with new eyes, a new perspective with new experiences under my belt, it suddenly is clear as to what needs to be done to finish them. Many times in life we are not ready for certain things because we have not acquired the right amount of living and therefore we do not have the right eyes to see what is there yet.

This makes me think of Italian classical composer Ludovico Einaudi. My wife introduced me to his music and we love him. Einaudi composed and recorded seven albums entitled SEVEN DAYS WALKING that were inspired by his daily walks during that time in the Alps. He explained that although his walks were almost always in the same trails, he would notice new things every day. His seven albums (Day One, Day Two, Day Three, etc.) all have the same songs for the most part in different orders and played a little differently each time. They represent that while he was walking the same path, it was a little bit different each day. My wife and I are absolutely in love with the album and I deem them all absolute masterpieces. You can hear Day One HERE.

These paintings are influenced by this concept. They are about growing and changing. There is always more than meets the eyes…

Looking Forward
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
14" x 18"
2023

In Between Seasons
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
12" x 16"
2023

www.pascalleocormier.com

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

Ian Summach - Golden Age

Dear friends,

When I was approached to create this single cover illustration for Saskachewan musician Ian Summach, I was blown away at how amazing the music was. His new song Golden Age is out now and you should go listen to it in the link below and share it! This music needs to be spread out!

IAN SUMMACH - GOLDEN AGE

© 2023 Ian Summach. All Rights Reserved.

Mount Baker

My wife Kristal is originally from Victoria, British Columbia and I wanted to paint somekind of landscape that linked to Victoria. Upon doing some research I kept falling on photos of Mount Baker, which is in Washington DC, USA, but it can be seen from Victoria BC and it is a popular site. I decided to paint Mount Baker my way. The original was done around 2019, but I revited it this year, almost completely repainted it and added the framed eye, because again, everywhere you look, something is looking back...

Mount Baker
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
16" x 20"
2019/2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

High Expectations

The third of my trio series: High Expectations. The woman's battle with the high expectations she faces on a day to day basis.

High Expectations
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and Canvas Panel
14" x 18"
2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

Beat But Undefeated

I decided to created a mini series of three based on my "Completely Bananas" piece. This is my second piece, "Beat But Undefeated". It's not just a piece about boxing but about the life of a man, both physically, mentally and spiritually.

Beat But Undefeated
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and Canvas Panel
14" x 18"
2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

COMPLETELY BANANAS

In 2019, controversial Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan taped a banana to the wall at Miami's Art Basel and it sold for $120,000. This created an explosion in the art world without a doubt and it was all over the news. In response to it all I had made a realistic painting of the taped banana on canvas with vulgarities written on it. This was my "middle finger" attitude to the absurdity of it all. This frustration was not towards the artist himself, Cattelan has done some very interesting work and is known to be controversial. In fact, come to think of it, there was some brilliance to it all since it was all over the news. There is no such thing as bad publicity, right? Was it all a planned, publicity stunt or was it done in the spur of the moment? Who knows?

My piece was rather a protest towards the art world as a whole. While on the surface the whole thing is kind of artistically funny, it can leave a bitter aftertaste to some as so many incredibly talented artists struggle to make a living with their artwork. It's hard for some of us to digest that a rotting banana would get a $120,000 investment when many great artists struggle to sell anything at all. I have spent a lot of time throughout the years reassessing my views on such “works of art”, if we can call it that. To me, an artist needs to be making art and must have gone through the pains of learning how to make art. While the artist is creating art and getting their hands dirty, some shenanigans are not only tolerable, they are welcomed if they are clever, but to what degree should one who only does shenanigans survive in the art world? Much discussion can be had on the subject. I think we can all agree that if someone who can not make art taped a banana on a gallery wall and sold it for $120,000, it might be funny for a week but it would be ultimately unacceptable and the art world would have to admit that and reject it lest the whole art world and all true artists be utterly shamed. However, if an established, talented artist tapes a banana on the wall, it is acceptable shenanigans, but what does it say about the art world as a whole? The truth is that I don’t know and I am still unsure on how I feel about it.

My “commentary” painting was featured on the news with a French radio interview HERE. The joke was that I put my painting at $120,000. sadly no one bought it!

Years later I dug the painting up after moving and realized that while I still very much liked the banana and the overall message, I no longer liked the vulgarity and the negative vibe that it projected. I have changed a lot since then and I decided to revisit the piece with new eyes. After thinking about it for a while, I came up with this idea, which I believe still conveys the message that regardless of how you view this, it is completely crazy. This revised piece incorporates my new approach of “frames within frames”.

Here it is, Completely Bananas:

Completely Bananas
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and Canvas Panel
14" x 18"
2019 - 2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.

CROSS

This piece is something that I painted sometime around 2013 or 2014 in Montreal. Nothing ever came of it and it travelled with me from then on. I was looking through old paintings recently and this fell on my lap so to speak. I decided to get my hands dirty and revisit it with new eyes. I like how it came out! It's a painting about a suffering man's struggle with his faith and God, always looking up to God and to Hope while struggling to find the cause of his constant pain.

Cross
Acrylic on Canvas Panels
16" x 20"
2023

A Little Painting About Hope

I painted this cute little thing for my wife Kristal for her birthday. I love this woman very much. <3

A Little Painting About Hope
Acrylic on Wood Panel
5" x 7"
2023

Red Bird / Green Storm

COLLABORATION ARTWORK WITH KRISTAL KC!
I did a collaboration with my wife and I want to share it with you. About ten years ago or so, my wife Kristal KC painted this abstract work of art using a technique called String Pulling where you drag a string that's coated with paint across the canvas to give this interesting effect. She didn't quite know what to do with it because her work is mostly portraiture and this doesn't fit in, it was more of an experiment that ended up collecting dust. The painting followed her (and eventually me) around for years until I had an idea to collaborate with her and create one of my “art within art” pieces with it. We agreed to do this but it went on the back burner since I didn't quite know what to paint. After several months the idea came to me, simple: A Cardinal. We love it very much and it hangs in our entrance until someone decides that they want it in their home!

Red Bird/Green Storm
Acrylic and a frame on Stretched Canvas
22" x 30"
2023


Artwork Copyright (C) 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All rights reserved.

I made this cute and creepy little guy as a gift for my wife Kristal on our 4th year wedding anniverssary. Love is so precious, delicate, confusing, scary, painful, wholesome and every good thing in between. My wife and I went through so much already in our 5 years together (4 years married) and we keep getting closer together. I love you K!

My Little Apocalypse

This painting was an old idea. I can't quite remember when I had the original idea, but I do remember that I started painting it in 2017 for an art exhibition I was going to have at Foufounes Electriques in Montreal, but I had to cancel the show and push it to a later date. I eventually did the show with my wife Kristal KC in 2019 but I never got around to finishing this one. It ended up following me around for a few years until this time around when I decided to tackle it once more. And here it is: The four horses of the Apocalypse in a style that people of my generation will understand.

My Little Apocalypse
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, Framed Canvas Panel and Framed Wood Panel
20" x 28"
2023

GUTS

I created this fish piece originally for an exhibition that I had with my wife Kristal KC at Montreal's Foufounes Electriques in 2019. The title of our exhibition was SUGAR COATED MONSTROSITY. Although I liked this piece, something bothered me about it. The background was pale blue with paint dripping and it made it too busy. Years later I decided to revisit it. I painted the background black and added the mini frame. Now I like it much better. It is a painting about deception in which there is still hope.

Guts
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
20" x 28"
2023

The Tax Man

Dear friends, Here is my new painting, " The Tax Man"!

"The Tax Man
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and Framed Canvas Panel
16" x 20"
2023
I am quite fond of it and it was a journey to make! While I had fun making it, I had a lot of struggles along the way! The clown was originally painted on unstretched, loose canvas and I had to glue it on a wood panel with acrylic medium, which turned out to be more complicated than I thought. The problem was that I painted the cloun before mounting the canvas on panel, then I had to cut the panel to the odd canvas size to fit and I had to glue it on straight without error. Since it was an odd size I had to made the frame for the clown myself with wood mouldings. Once the clown was glued to the board I realized that the whole process created some imperfections and I had to repaint the clown entirely. The balloons were much simpler but they took a lot of layers since the colours are very saturated and had transparence.

Obviously from the title, it is a political pieace, and I will not get too deep into politics here but I think it is self-explanatory. I went with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) on the clown's tag because it is more universally known than the Canadian version CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency). I hope you enjoy it!