1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece?
Turf One: It’s a life-size painting of a Russian gypsy midget type character standing on a cabaret stage, holding a meat-cleaver. It’s inspired by these classic full-body type portraits you can see in museums. The inspiration behind the vibe of this piece is kind of like Otto Dix meets Van Eyck meets Jeunet and Caro’s Delicatessen meets the Russian mob. As for most of my paintings, there isn’t really a rational theme or conceptual message behind the piece. I draw my inspiration from my subconscious rather than from an intellectual or rational place. The idea is that my work is, in its essence, pretty surreal, so I don’t over-analyze it.
Photo by Marielle Quesney
1xRun: Was this piece part of a recent theme or show that you had? If so how did it fit into that given grouping?
Turf One: It was part of “Troïka”, a 3 person show with Shawn Barber and Mike Davis at Yves Laroche Gallery back in September of 2015, happening in conjunction with Art Tattoo Montréal. It was the pièce de résistance for my portion of the show.
1xRUN: What materials were used to create this piece with?
Turf One: Acrylics and oils on a wood panel, and an antique frame.
1xRun: When was this piece created and how long did it take to complete?
Turf One: I did this during the summer of 2015. The painting process itself was at least 150 hours, I would say.
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about your process and how the idea and execution came about for this piece.
Turf One: Well, I always carry a sketchbook with me, so when inspiration presents itself, I am always ready to capture it in the form of a quick sketch. This is what happened with this piece. The image sort of just surfaced from my subconscious and I felt compelled to turn it into a painting. I felt I had to bring it to life. So first there is that original phase, capturing the idea into a quick sketch. Then there’s the second phase, during which I have to find how to bring that original feeling, that original inspiration to life by turning it into an actual painting. So for this specific piece, I did a photo shoot with this guy I know who I like to use as a model, using him almost as a director would use an actor to play a specific role in a movie; turning him into one of my characters. Then I used these references and started the long process of working on the actual painting.
1xRun: Describe this piece of work in one gut reaction word.
Turf One: Tragicomic
1xRun: When did you first start making art?
Turf One: As far as I can remember, I always drew and painted ever since I could hold a pencil in my hand.
1xRun: What was your first piece of work that you can remember?
Turf One: I remember when I was around maybe 3 years old feeling pretty impressed with the very abstract scribbles I was doing. Like I could see so many things happening in there.
1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?
Turf One: I think one of my first and strongest inspirations was J.S. Goodall, a British illustrator who was doing these wonderful children’s books. I can still see his influence in my work today. My dad was an artist, and of course, he also inspired me very early on.
1xRun: What artists inspire you now?
Turf One: There are so many in various art forms from musicians, filmmakers, painters and sculptors. To name only a few, let’s say in no specific order Rembrandt, Van Eyck and the Flemish Primitives in general, Otto Dix, Jan Svankmajer, Ron Mueck, Georges Méliès.
Trench Warfare 1932 by Otto Dix
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work?
Turf One: Yeah , I pretty much always listen to music when I paint. I listen to a lot of things, from Django Reinhardt to Erik Satie, Ennio Morricone and all the way to J-Dilla. I would say Dilla is my favorite musician.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why?
Turf One: Jan Svankmajer. I would make a stop motion film with him. Or put together a curiosity cabinet. I love his approach to surreality.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any deceased artists who would it be and why?
Turf One: J-Dilla because his music has inspired me so much in so many of my paintings.
1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it?
Turf One: A drawing by french artist Popay, in the early nineties. I still have it.
1xRun: What was the last piece of art that you bought?
Turf One: A 19th century hand-colored print of a pigeon.
1xRun: What are your plans for 2016? Any big shows or events coming up that you’d like to share?
Turf One: I will be showing at Scope NY with Thinkspace in March, at Copro in LA at the Beinart Collective group show Then do several museum shows and fairs with Thinkspace throughout the year. Besides that, I also have a TV show project based on my work I am in the process of shopping around.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Turf One: Website – Instagram @jeanlabourdette – Facebook
– 1xRUN