FLUKE wall in LaSalle
“Taking a step back and focusing in”
I grew up in Lasalle, and of all the places that I’ve lived, this gritty Montreal borough has always held a special resonance for me. It’s sleepy, rough and raw in the winter, and it never strays too far from its tough, working-class history. I like the simple buildings, the commercial-industrial aesthetic, and the unpretentious way that people move about doing hard, clean work.
But Lasalle is also very connected to the rhythms of natural living. It’s full of green spaces and wildlife. In the summer, everyone comes out to play, and the parks and trails next to the churning St. Lawrence River give Lasalle a strong link to Montreal’s natural history. I love that mix, and sometimes collision, of raw nature and raw commerce.
I didn’t have to try hard to find my visual inspirations and motivations for this project. Everything I have known and loved growing up here was instantly available to me. The hard part, boring as it may sound, was the technical challenge of getting the paint on the brick in a way that could live up to the quality of the inspiration.
FOCUS by Fluke 2021
I was really happy when the city reached out to me about painting a public art piece. Not only because I was ready to get out of my covid-studio bubble but because growing up, the municipal bylaws did not favour the creation of murals, so I was especially excited to be part of the first murals to go up since the changing of the bylaw last year. I knew right from the start that I wanted to push myself and take my time in creating this piece.
I began by revisiting places and people I knew with my camera. What started as simple photo research turned into a full-blown photo and video project. I went to Parc des Rapides where I used to go fishing as a kid and I met with Virginie, a biologist from Heritage Laurentien. Virginie took me on a tour and helped me identify all the wildlife that flourishes by the Saint Laurence river. I walked around the different parts of the city and documented landmarks, parks, buildings, and street corners that stood out to me. In no time, I found myself walking into the many shops and businesses around the wall and getting to know their stories. Slowly, the design got more and more complex. It was as if I was unconsciously complicating the process just to stretch my stay.
Wall location: 1664 Dollard Ave, Lasalle, QC H8N 1T8
Painting the mural took about five weeks. I’m sure it could have been quicker, but I was in no rush. On every day of production, I got to see old friends and family, people I used to work with or go to school with. I got to sit on the corner and chat about life and dumb stuff too. It allowed me to meet some new faces and reconnect with the vibe of LaSalle that I had missed so much.
Style-wise, I wanted to create a tight composition that primarily focused on the character but that also made your eyes wander through the piece to discover some of the less obvious imagery that I incorporated. I used the ribbon shapes, directional lines, and the natural flow of some of the references to create a sense of rapid movement like a vortex was sweeping up all of the ideas into a still snapshot of the moment. Sometimes I paint things that I'm happy with but that don't really reflect how I felt during the process. This time I think I got pretty close. I felt like showing what I can do and putting in the work. Although the bricks were in bad shape and had deep mortar gaps, I went in on the details and colour transitions. I tried to treat this wall as close as I could to a canvas and not cut corners to save time. I’m really happy with the end result. The wall kinda punches you in the face when you roll down the street and then apologizes by presenting delicate images and colour palettes.
I want to take the time to really thank everyone who contributed to this project and helped me accomplish my goal of coming back to my hood and painting again. Starting with the city of LaSalle and Montréal’s mural program for reaching out to me and financing the project, KOLAB for producing and coordinating the whole thing, FIVE8 and KIKA for assisting me with onsite production and the creation of the mural, Cédric for filming the adventure, Stavros and his family and everyone at the building who generously let me do my thing on their wall and made me feel at home. Lastly, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time to come see me at the wall and hung out. It was amazing to see all of you again.
