Rock Therrien

Self-taught artist Rock Therrien obeys to an inner strength to paint and constantly push the limits of his production. His practice takes root in an exploratory methodology and captures fragments inspired by his own imagination. Passionate about visual arts and mixed media, Rock Therrien develops a new aesthetic, anchored in the world of comics.

Artist Statement

Self-taught artist Rock Therrienobeys to an inner strength to paint and constantly push the limits of hisproduction. His practice takes root in an exploratory methodology and capturesfragments inspired by his own imagination. Passionate about visual arts andmixed media, Rock Therrien develops a new aesthetic, anchored in the world ofcomics.

Rock Therrien draws his ideas fromeveryday life, music, and memories of his childhood. As he seeks to capture theviewer's attention through the subject of his work and his palette of colors,his explosively vibrant works are always lined with a touch of humor. Hislatest production focuses on universal icons of cartoons. These timelesscharacters, known and loved by young and older people alike, provide a feelingof cheerfulness, inevitably reminding the viewer of his own childhood memories.A superposition of collages, repetitive patterns made with stencils and variouswritings adorn the background. The works of Rock Therrien have significanttexture and depth that make the viewer smile with nostalgic humor. The artistlikes to hint at the stages of construction of his compositions and hissketches.

Often illuminated with a colorfulneon integrated into the work, his recent works are part of a pop and modernspirit. His works are presented as missives, inviting the viewer to decodethem. Rock Therrien considers each of his paintings as carrying a story, anindependent message. We are invited to approach his work in many ways, as heprovides the viewer with a multitude of clues, to be discovered as we browsethe canvas.

Born in 1970 in Armagh, Quebec,Rock Therrien is attracted to art from an early age. He trained himself tomaster visual arts, thanks to a true love for creation. His works are foundtoday in several private and public collections around the world. He lives andworks in the heart of the Laurentians region.

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Complete Biography

Rock Therrien was born in 1970in Armagh, near Montmagny, and currently resides in Montreal.

Therrien stood out from otherart students at a very young age, having won several drawing competitions.Self-taught, Therrien has been painting for nearly twenty years. Today, heprimarily creates paintings featuring rotund characters in amusing and wackysituations in which viewers can often recognize themselves.

For each painting, Therrienconceives a situation that he sketches on canvas beforehand. He then works thematerials and colours using a painting technique that he developed over time.Sanding his paintings creates a highly textured surface and reinforces the ideathat Therrien’s characters live in a bygone era. Being a true admirer ofcurves, Therrien engraves circular motifs that he embellishes with signs andtouches of colour. Each painting consists of superimposed layers of paint, asTherrien likes to leave traces of his collage work, sketches and evenapplications of cement so as to reveal certain stages of its composition.

Therrien draws inspirationfrom fragments of his life, music and his many travels. His works are conceivedas messages to be unravelled, and for him each painting tells a story. Inviewing each of his pieces, one discovers clues on how to interpret the scene.At first, Therrien tries to capture the viewer's attention with the subject ofhis work and the colour palette. Then, he attempts to make the viewer smile byadding humour to complete his scenes. Therrien explains that all these elementsinspire and motivate him to constantly push his limits.

"Painting never seemedobvious to me, but when it catches hold of you, it pushes you to go further andto enter into the matter."

Rock Therrien has taken partin many solo and group exhibitions, including "A Piece of Canada inDubai", which was presented in September 2013 at Dubai’s Opera Gallery.

Selected Works