Radio Free Roanoke - The Creative Process

What is creativity? Join Heather Rose as she explores the creative process with people in different fields. Psychologists, artists, writers, and a comedian are some people she has interviewed for this series.

Interview on Borderline Radio →

An interview on the Sault Ste Marie podcast ‘Borderline Radio’ about Summer Moon Festival and the mural I did on the Elks hall in the SOO.

Booooooom! Artist Spotlight →

A selection of recent work by Métis artist Jean Paul Langlois(previously featured here). Known for using ultra-saturated colours and pop culture motifs as a way of grappling with a sense of alienation from his own cultural backgrounds — both indigenous and settler — Langlois’s latest paintings mark a slight shift away from his previous focus on storytelling and family history. As he shared with us:

“I’ve been focused more on landscapes (I did a cross country plein air painting tour last fall). Interestingly enough, all kinds of stuff comes up when painting landscapes, there’s content and stories that I’m not even aware of until I’m done. In the words of Richard Mayhew, ‘Landscape has no space, no identity. It allows the painting to be about emotion.'”

Jean Paul Langlois is one of the 50 artists featured in our latest art book, Quiet. See more images below and check out the book in our shop!

Vancouver Island Regional Library - Reader of the Week, Jean Paul Langlois

Follow along with artist Jean Paul Langlois as he discusses why the Library is important to him personally and professionally.

Opus Visual Podcast: Cultivating Creativity: Final Presentation Part One

We're exploring the final stages of the creative process with artists Janna Yotte, Jean Paul Langlois and Nicholas Tay, and artist consultant Pennylane Shen.

Alberta Native News - Feature artist for September 2020: Jean-Paul Langlois

By Laura Mushumanski

(ANNews) – The vibrant image on the cover of this month’s Alberta Native News is titled ‘Resignation’ and it is the creation of Jean-Paul Langlois, a gifted Metis contemporary artist from Vancouver Island. It is from a series by Langlois – “Escape from the White Witches: The Graduation of Eli,” which is the story of his grandfather Eli’s time in Indian Residential Schools.

The robust colors of yellow, blue, green, pink, purple, red, and orange are used in the cover image as well as in other signature pieces by Langlois. A second painting from the Escape from the White Witches series appears on this page, titled ‘Barn Burning’, that depicts the story of Eli’s life journey before he met Langlois’s grandmother- when Eli was sold into indentured servitude.

Langlois resides on the mainland in East Vancouver, British Columbia. And just like any of us Indigenous misfits, Langlois’s Metis roots were severed when his grandfather was sent away to an Indian Residential School in Northern Alberta.

Langlois did not grow up learning about his Metis culture, but instead he was gifted with being able to tell stories through art – and would later learn the importance of art through an Indigenous lens. Langlois started cartooning at the age of three and slowly progressed into finding his own painting style, crediting his mentors that allowed him to succeed and flourish as an artist, and in Langlois’s words, “if you don’t have someone to guide you, you will be lost.”

At the age of 16, Langlois was trained in the use of watercolors that became one of many implements contributing to how he depicts his perception of Indigenous people. As he progressed in his ways of storytelling, acrylic paints helped emphasize his love for using robust and vibrant colors. Throughout Langlois’s art journey, he has been highly influenced by the beauty and violence of spaghetti western films that symbolized for him the story of colonization, as well as the first movie he fell in love with, The Wizard of Oz, “the movie that has it all”- beauty, violence, darkness, rubbish, fantasy and color.

The story of colonization within Langlois’s family tree is told in the Escape from the White Witches series, where Jean-Paul’s grandfather Eli, did not share much about his experience, other than to say that the nuns were cruel. Instead, he imparted a Langlois family legend. The family legend shared was that grandfather Eli was sent to a farm to work after his ‘graduation’ from his time at the Indian Residential School, and as seen in the art piece ‘Barn Burning’, one day on the farm where Eli worked, the barn caught fire.

The Langlois family legend taken from ‘Barn Burning’ also tells the story that when asked if Eli was responsible for lighting the barn on fire, Eli played dumb, shrugged and said, ‘I don’t know.’ That same day, Eli was released from the farm and went on to homestead land in Northern Alberta where he met Langlois’s grandmother and together they had six children.

Langlois interconnects his love of colour, the family legend and the use of dramatization taken from spaghetti westerns that he has been watching since childhood to tell the story of ‘Resignation.’ It is about both becoming resigned to the decision to start the fire as well as receiving a notice of resignation. The story being told, in that moment, is that Eli had made the decision to lash out and get revenge for all ills done to him by both the nuns and his ‘masters’ – so the Langlois family legend says.

Langlois’s artwork can be found on his website jeanpaullanglois.ca and other social media. Within the City of Edmonton, his most recent building mural, ‘The Conversation’, can be found on the sidewall of Second Skin Laser located at 6551 111 St.

Edmonton Journal - Métis muralist Jean Paul Langlois brings The Conversation to Parkallen

by Fish Griwkowsky

Jean Paul Langlois is smiling in shades as he moves in on the finishing hours of his latest mural, a sparkling, two-storey impressionistic posed figure painting in Parkallen.

“I’ve been swimming in the North Saskatchewan River when it gets too hot,” he laughs. “People have been telling me I’m crazy, but it’s a great way to cool off. Think I’ll head there this afternoon …”

Over the last few weeks of heat and storms, with frequent visits from neighbourhood cats, the Vancouver-based Métis artist has brought his distinct and colourful style, which looks a little like something seen through a distorted reflection — and not improperly so.

There’s a wink in the way he portrays Indigenous life, intentionally borrowed from Hollywood — but in a way that’s certainly no stranger to historical art (including mural art) either: a kind of set-up-for-the-camera ideal Langlois is playing with very much on purpose, a sort of geological strata of appropriation.

“I guess you could say it’s a scene from an imaginary Western,” he explains, begging the question of what a ‘real’ Western might entail. But: “All of my work is appropriated,” he says, “usually from films and art history.”

On its own, The Conversation, as he’s named the wall, is meant to spark ideas and imagination — but also be just plain sweet to look at, which it is, a fine addition to the neighbourhood.

It’s been a busy couple weeks for new murals in this reopening city. AJA Louden and Evan Rast’s illustrated hip-hop lyrics went up front onto the dead Army & Navy, while Pete Nguyen’s beer-guzzling skull now sits on The Commercial three storeys tall. And this year’s Rust Magic International Street Mural Festival — happening but “low key,” according to co-founder Annaliza Toledo — hasn’t even begun yet!

Back to The Conversation, Langlois talks about how it all came to happen, part of a quest to find out who he is, it turns out.

Q: How did this mural come about?

A: I met Ben (Alway) from Second Skin Laser in Victoria, he’s been a patron for a few years. I stopped in to visit him last time I was in Edmonton and he had just painted his building this crazy magenta. I joked that we could put a mural up there and here we are, just over a year later, putting a mural up there.

Q: Who are we seeing in it, where do you picture them?

A: It isn’t really depictions of cowboys and Indigenous figures — this isn’t well-researched Cree and Blackfoot regalia — it’s actors in red face and what Hollywood called the ‘prairie indian kit.’ The images are taken from Western TV and films. There’s also an element borrowed from a Frederick Remington painting. It’s a Black cowboy and Indian exchanging words. So maybe that’s famous John Ware having a discussion with Poundmaker or something … (but) it’s nothing rooted in history. Hopefully it gives people an opportunity to discuss and make up their own story.

Q: You’ve gone on a bit of a journey exploring your own roots …

A: Both my parents were born here. My grandad went to Residential School in Alberta. Last year I did a pilgrimage to Valleyview, Watino and Grourard to reconnect with the Indigenous side of my family and hear some stories. My cousin still lives on the land his father homesteaded, and raises Tennessee walking horses. A colt was born while I was there. I also went to Lacombe to visit my mom’s Waspy family, the Cambells — it’s quite the dichotomy. It was a great trip. I rode the train from Vancouver and stayed at the Hotel MacDonald the first night. Apparently my uncle had his wedding there in the ’60s…

Q: How did you get into painting, I dig your shimmering style.

A: Thank you. Colour is my thing. I’ve been at it my whole life. I started getting more attention after moving from Cowichan to East Van in 2015. Now I have a few galleries and I’m part of the VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery) art rental and sales program. I have to give credit to the good people at Vancouver Mural Festival for selecting me in 2018 and teaching me mural painting. I always painted big, but this is a whole other thing. It’s closer to house painting than fine art, but it’s been fun doing one or two a year.

Q: Talk about your days in Victoria’s music scene — you were a singer, right?

A: (Laughs.) Long time ago. I was in an obnoxious noise band called Hump. Our only claim to fame was opening for Ween and getting the club shut down after peeing on stage. Everyone in Vancouver hated us. In Victoria we were boycotted from everywhere, even college radio. Then in the 2000s my day/night job was DJing as djplan. I wanted to play raves, but wound up playing grad parties and horrible nightclubs instead. I’ve DJ’d over a hundred weddings. I hate weddings. I’m a lot happier painting full time, I assure you…

fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com

@fisheyefoto

Art Connects | The Joy of Painting with Jean Paul Langlois

In this special instructional edition of Art Connects, artist Jean Paul Langlois demonstrated his painting process for us live! After a brief introduction to his work with Art Rental & Sales Manager Zoe Mackoff de Miranda,

Hi Fructose Feature →

BOOOOOOOM-Artist Feature 2 →

Culture Crawl 2019

Nelson Star - VIDEO: A Nelson mural about displacement

by Bill Metcalfe

Jean Paul Langlois is an artist of Métis descent from Vancouver. He’s working on a piece for the Nelson International Mural Festival in the alley on the back of the Cowan’s Office Supplies building. See photos and video below.

He told the Star he often works from movies and television, and this mural is based on three movies he’d just watched when the mural festival approached him.

“One is Heaven’s Gate, a western about immigrants being forced out of a town by wealthy land barons. The other was Cheyenne Autumn, a John Ford film about the Cheyenne being forced from their traditional grounds and sent to the reserves, and a lot of them dying.

“The third was I Will Fight No more Forever, the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce escaping to Canada when they were taken away from their traditional lands.

“So it is the idea of displacement and eviction, and I knew there were two sections to the wall so I wanted to do it as a diptych, so one side may be very specifically Western looking, so this the evictors or the muscle that is evicting people. The other side will be a bit more vague and playful although it is people being evicted. They are a little bit alien looking and morphed. It is a community mural so you can kind of put your own meaning to it.”

Langlois said he started creating murals quite recently.

“I am primarily a painter and got interested in it as a teenager so it has been three decades of painting. I work big, normally, and last year I was elected for the Vancouver Mural Festival and that is when I started doing murals. So I am new to this but it is basically the same thing as painting, it’s just brick instead of canvas.”

He said he’s enjoying his time in the alley behind Cowan’s and has received good public reaction.

“It’s been positive. I have met some local colour while hanging out in this alley too, but everyone has been supportive.”

The Star will be visiting Langlois again next week, to track his progress on the mural.

Exhibition - Barn Burning and Other Adventure Stories for Degenerates

Barn Burning and Other Adventure Stories for Degenerates

April 25 - June 24, 2019
Opening reception, Thursday April 25

Kafka’s
2525 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Jean-Paul Langlois brings a series of new paintings in his signature vibrant colour palette to Kafka's Main Street. Join us for an opening reception, Thursday, April 25.

New work on it’s way…

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New art at The Kube

A little press coverage from the Coast Reporter for the exhibition at The Kube in Gibsons.

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‘Gross Exaggerations’ at The Kube

Gross Exaggerations
Jean Paul Langlois

January 11-31, 2019
The Kube
104-875 Gibsons Way
Gibsons, BC

Media release”
“Join us between 6-9pm to view Jean Paul’s brilliant work and meet the artist. Live music by Matthew Lovegrove. Wine bar and light snacks.

Jean Paul is a Métis artist from Vancouver Island, currently painting in East Vancouver. ‘Gross Exaggerations’ is a series of paintings re-imagining mundane family stories and re-interpreting them through a cinematic lens, using characters from westerns and sci-fi films, references to art history and the saturated colors of Saturday morning cartoons. These romanticized distortions call in to question themes such as culture, identity, and memory.

Show runs until Jan 31.”

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Vandcouver Mural Festival Alumni: Jean-Paul Langlois

-What was your experience with VMF like? (challenges, surprises, memories):

It was a great experience. I made lots of friends, really enjoyed having the super talented (and delightful) Sarah Khan as a neighbour. Painting in public is actually fun. You meet interesting folks, there was a crew of homeless that always partied around the corner. They were easy to get along with once we got them to stop peeing on my wall….

-What did you learn about yourself?

I prefer going to the beach over standing in front of a white stucco wall when its thirty degrees out. If it wasn’t for my friend Benoits work ethic and guilting me into sticking around I’m not sure the wall would have been finished in time. 

-Any rituals to get yourself amped up or in the zone while you work?

Always music. Classical in the morning, then hip hop or house or something weird as the day wears on. For mural painting I like to have my van with a little shelter and chairs and a cooler full of beer. Friends come by to help, although half of them just hinder….so its good to have a place for them to sit and heckle you.

-What's your go-to painting outfit?

Im the worst, I collect t-shirts and track suits and hats and usually wreck them with paint splotches within the first week. I should probably pay more attention to what I wear in the studio…

-What are some of your favourite pieces you've worked on since VMF?

I’m pretty excited about the series I did about my Grandfathers experience in residential school. “Escape From The White Witches-The Graduation of Eli”. Its some of my best work. 

-Any advice to 2020 VMF artists?

Get a canopy and a cooler full of beer. Enlist friends. Hope for a wall that isn’t in the sun all day…

-Any other arts festivals you've painted for/attended?

Paintillio did a collaboration with me for Pride at the VAG. That was cool….those girls are great to work with.

I did the Nelson International Mural Festival this summer. It was awesome. I took Fred(my dog). For the first week we lived in an alley in my van like a homeless and then the organizers hooked me up a beautiful luxurious cabin in the woods. Its a great little town, I’d never been. Theres so many cool people, good restaurants. Plus we could walk down to the lake for swims multiple times each day….which was neccesary considering it was so hot my paint trays melted.

-Future goals/aspirations/sweet projects you want to be a part of?

Doing Houstons HUE Festival in 2021. Im currently designing a 10x60 foot wall for Mozart Park in Chicago. I’ll go down and do the outlines in the spring and their Youth Mural Group is going to do all the color work. Im pretty stoked. 

-If you could get a piece on any surface in the world where would it be?

Geez, good question. Somewhere bland and depressing with great sight lines where the patron has a lot of money to pay me? 

-Favourite local and international artist? 

Local:

 Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. His totally unique style, use of colour and attitude are a real inspiration. 

Andy Dixon, before watching his meteoric rise to fame I didn’t know artists could make a living just painting. He just gets bigger and better. 

Sandeep Johal, the hardest working artist in Vancouver. So talented, a real freedom fighter. Its great to see her taking over the world. 

International:

Kara Walker. I saw a show at the New Orleans Museum of Art years ago and it really stuck with me. . Its amazing just how much she communicates with just silhouettes…

Richard Prince. He’s just the best. From the biker chicks and Marlboro Man stuff to his Nurse paintings. A true innovator. Maybe my all time favorite. 

Theres so many more. Eric Fischl, Henry Darger, El Greco, Frederic Remington,Walt Disney….I could go on for days….

collater.al - Artist Feature

Featured on www.collater.al

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BOOOOOOOM.com - Artist Spotlight

Featured in the Artist Spotlight on BOOOOOOOM.com

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2018 Vancouver Mural Festival

Happy to be included in the 2018 Vancouver Mural Festival. Check out the work at 11th Ave near Watson Street. Here’s a map.

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