Looking back, moving forward

As in previous years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), here is my annual recap of how my year unfolded.

In January, my article for UPPERCASE Magazine hit the stands. 

February was mostly dedicated to paint explorations (The results come later in the year...)

In March, I completed a couple of fun sign and mural projects for a boutique toy store.

In April, I released a collection of paintings called "New & Improved".

May was more studio painting time, which lead to the release of my "Painted with Pride" collection in June.

In July, I completed some custom lettering for a theatre game show called "Whose Land is it Anyway". I also completed some custom sign painting for one of my favourite local shops, Secret Planet. As well, I did some custom lettering for the cover of Reader's Digest (in English and French!) July was also my birthday month and I painted a self-portrait to mark the year.

In August, after weeks of preparation, I launched a series of 21 paintings called The New Pop. I also painted a couple of interior murals for a new pediatric clinic.

In September, I jumped on a plane to NYC for a top secret project (more details in December...)

In October, I designed a new album for local musician Jeremy Voltz. I also snuck away to visit my family - and the Rocky mountains.

In November, I refreshed my "Not Amazing" campaign to encourage people to shop local. I was also thrilled to share that my Rotary Calendar was now available at the Art Institute of Chicago gift shop.

The biggest news of the year came in December. My new online course, Sign Creation with Hand-Painted Lettering, was launched on Domestika. It is so exciting that I'll be able to share my passion for sign painting with students from around the world. And to cap of the year, I received a most generous mention of my Rotary Calendar from Martha Stewart in her holiday guide, 54 Holiday Gifts Perfect for the Guys in Your Life.

2021 was another topsy turvy year. I am endlessly grateful to be able to do work that I love. This also marks 10 full years of freelance life (more to come on that in the new year...)

Have a safe and happy holiday!

New & Improved prints

By popular demand, three of my “New & Improved” paintings are available as prints in my shop. 

The original paintings have been scanned and reproduced as 12" x 16" prints, printed on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell Ultrawhite 120lb matte fine art paper using an HP Indigo 7800 Digital Press. 

Limited quantities available. 

Available for purchase in my shop. Free local delivery and pickup available. 

Thank you for your support!

Frosted Flakes

Laurentien

Pine-Sol

New & Improved

Now more than ever, we allow advertising to disrupt our audio and visual environments, under the presumption that corporations are looking out for our best interests — that it is simply part of our modern world. But at what cost?

Juxtaposing the benign familiarity of readymade thrift store paintings with artefacts of legacy packaging and advertisements, Christopher uses nostalgia and wordplay to make us confront complex questions about our relationship with consumerism:

Is the current advertising model sustainable? What is the future of targeted advertising?

How do corporations manipulate our emotions — and purchases — with branding and language?

Can artists survive without sponsorship? Can art exist without ads? Can ads exist without art?

Christopher uses traditional showcard and sign painting techniques to create a false screen print overlay with acrylic, making creative nods to Wayne White, Andy Warhol, and the Dada art movement. Through careful construction/destruction and the use of scale/contrast, he makes us look closer, and urges us to think more critically about marketing language and our everyday consumption.

Laurentien

Acrylic on paint-by-number

48cm × 38cm, framed

$140

Sunlight

Acrylic on paint-by-number

20cm × 25cm, unframed

$80 (diptych)

Life

Acrylic on paint-by-number

69cm × 54cm, framed

$280

Thrill

Acrylic on paint-by-number

38cm × 48cm, framed

$280 (diptych)

Snowy

Acrylic on oil painting

52cm × 42cm, framed

$170

Star-kist

Acrylic on paint-by-number

31cm × 37cm, framed

$175 (diptych)

Joy

Acrylic on paint-by-number

54cm × 44cm, framed

$180

Bounty

Acrylic on paint-by-number

31cm × 27cm, unframed

$130 (diptych)

Pine-Sol

Acrylic gouache on paint-by-number

41cm × 31cm, unframed

$100

Tide

Acrylic on paint-by-number

32cm × 27cm, framed

$130 (diptych)

Frosted Flakes

Acrylic on paint-by-number

41cm × 31cm, unframed

$100

Swan

Acrylic on paint-by-number

33cm × 43cm, framed

$220 (diptych)

S.O.S.

Acrylic on paint-by-number

61cm × 46cm, unframed

$220

Cap'N Crunch

Acrylic on paint-by-number

35cm × 45cm, framed

$225 (diptych)

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First come, first served.

Prices listed in CDN, and do not include taxes or shipping costs.

To claim, please contact me via email: hello [at] christopherrouleau [dot] com

Local delivery and pickup available. Shipping within Canada and USA based on size and destination.

Thank you for your support!

Roberta

I am thrilled to share one of the most exciting, challenging and meaningful projects I’ve done this year. A special typographic portrait to celebrate the 80th birthday of Roberta, gifted from her four children: David, Jenny, Rebekah and Heidi. The piece is comprised of over sixty individually typeset words, names, phrases, places, artists, songs and events that have filled Roberta’s rich life. You can see a bit of the process, as well as the finished work.

Thanks again to Rebekah for entrusting me to work on such a personal project. Wishing Roberta a very Happy 80th birthday, and many more years to come.

Check out the process below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christopher Rouleau (@chris_rouleau) on Nov 25, 2018 at 4:58am PST

Active Tops / Active Bottoms

These limited edition hand-painted showcards will be on display tonight at the Buddies in Bad Times annual Art Attack auction, which raises money to support Canada's best LGBT theatre.

Craig's Cookies

Here’s a new custom, Pollock-inspired mural I created for Craig's Cookies. Be sure to stop by 1537 Queen St. W. to grab a delicious ICE CREAM SANDWICH and check out the technicolour splatters!

2016 holiday cards

This 4-pack of festive, limited edition A2-size greeting cards were hand-lettered with brush and ink, scanned, and screen printed by hand in Toronto using water-based matte black and metallic gold ink on pure white 100% cotton archival paper. Matching gold envelopes included. Includes:

-Fa la la la la la la la la
-Pa rum pa pum pum
-Ring ting ting-a-ling
-Thumpety thump thump

Available for purchase here.

Better / Worse

These limited edition paintings will be on display tonight at the Buddies in Bad Times annual Art Attack auction, which raises money to support Canada's best LGBT theatre.

Winter 2015 collection

Just in time for the holidays, I am thrilled to share some new work available for purchase in my online shop. Queue the little drummer boy please (pa rum pa pum pum)...

1) 2015 Holiday cards – $20 (4-pack)



These festive, limited edition A2-size greeting cards were hand-lettered with Pentel brush pens, scanned, and screen printed by hand (with the help of Paul Dotey) in Toronto using water-based robin egg blue and metallic gold ink on pure white 100% cotton archival paper. Matching envelopes included.

Includes:
1) "1 partridge in a pear tree"
2) "2 turtle doves"
3) "3 french hens"
4) "4 calling birds"










2) Alphabet wrapping sheets – $10

This custom seamless wrapping paper is the perfect touch for your typographic holiday gifts. Lettered by hand and then laser printed on the finest satin, carbon neutral & responsibly sourced fibre paper, each 24" x 26" sheet is ideal for wrapping one small gift.

3) Emoji Alphabet Project letters – $20

The Emoji Alphabet project started as an Instagram experiment in February 2015. Each day, I created a new letter in my iPhone's Notes app, using emoji as pixels. Each letter is composed of emojis starting with that letter.

These 9" x 9" prints are ink jet printed in Toronto in full colour on 180gsm ultra white matte cotton-based art paper. 

Please specify letter of choice when placing your order. View the full set here.

4) Homo Sweet Homo 1 limited edition print – $60

This limited edition painting was created specifically for the Buddies in Bad Times annual Art Attack auction, which helps raise money to support Canada's most exciting LGBT theatre. 

The original 11 1/4” x 15 1/4" painting has been scanned and reprinted as a 16" x 20" limited edition (of 5) giclee print, printed in Toronto in full colour on Hahnemühle Photo Rag fine art paper.




5) Emoji Map of Canada – $60



Inspired by my Emoji Alphabet Project, this map of Canada is created using 6855 individually placed emoji. Each province or territory is composed of emojis related to that region:

These 18" x 18" giclee prints are printed in Toronto in full colour on Hahnemühle Photo Rag fine art paper.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping this year! Visit my shop to view the full collection, and please keep me in mind when making your gift purchases this holiday season. Commissioned work also available. And please don't hesitate to share my shop & services with anyone else you think might be interested.

Thanks for everyone for your incredible support this past year. Happy Holidays!

CR