Ephémère, Oil on canvas, 91cm x 122cm
Richard Thibault, also known as Mika, was
born in Montréal in 1963. His work handles abstract art and hyper-realistic
representations, reproducing faithfully classic themes as wild-life, landscapes
or portraits, sublimating them with bright colors and abstract art technics.
He explored multiple technics as oil
painting, watercolor, pastel and even color pencils during his youth, but
quickly adopts aerography or air brushing as his favorite technic at a time
when most of pictures were manually printed and edited.
As a multi-disciplinary artist, Mika began
to produce small creations for a recognized advertising studio which allow him
to become a freelance artist as soon as he was 18, working as an illustrator
and air brush expert. Thanks to networking, independently from his job, he also
illustrated some book tales, realized drawings for various advertising
companies, etc. The advent and then wide-spread use of digital technologies
although made the illustration demand decrease. That’s why in 2009-2010 the
artist decided to develop his relation to art and updated his actual knowledge
of contemporary art by visiting some galleries and museums as well as studying
theoretical books, which helped him enhance his technic.
All this work results in a mastered combination
of abstract art and hyper-realistic technics, realized with an approach of bright
colors and movement which gives the whole a very personal touch.
Frénésie, oil on canvas, 91cm x 122cm
Rebelle, oil on canvas, 91cm x 122cm
The artist is now testing a new technic,
allowing to paint some images one can then visualize in 3D with the help of
shutter glasses. He is systematically working with a main character edited on
Photoshop to correct color and exposure and then copying it. This process,
according to the artist, is letting some incidental part to happen; resulting
in a creation always deviated from the initial idea. After the painting has
been composed, he sketches it on a canvas and highlights the background shapes,
in order to enhance them, with a palette knife and brush; a technic directly
influenced by abstract art. He gives birth to the main character by applying
oil painting in sepia-shades, playing with transparency and blackened color to
create his own lights and shadow combination. The 3D effect is capture with
brush, wearing shutter glasses. Finally, the composition is varnished and
harmonized to avoid superfluous reflection.
Le soldat, Huile sur panneau de bois, 61cm x 91cm
La balerine, oil on canvas, 92 cm X 92 cm
The 3D technic lies in the Anaglyphs: the
artist gives relief to an image by adjusting two dedicated filters in front of
the audience’s eyes. The process is based on the stereoscopic effect our brain
is producing, using the gap between the eyes to visualize in relief. Like the
technic for the 3D movies, the brain has to calculate the binocular interval to
capture all the illustration details when the audience is putting the glasses
on. Anyone can noticed the artist is frequently using primary colors as red, blue,
yellow but also green, as they in fact send fake signals to the eye. Indeed, the
eye is capturing images in backward: the 3D sensation is only the misleading effect
of the color, giving the creation its depth. Consequently, the experience needs
the two eyes to send those fake signals to the synapse retina which thereafter
send the info to the brain for decrypting.
Lévitation, oil on canvas, 91cm x 152cm
Mika has kindly sent me one of those
special glasses and some of his canvas printings so I could appreciate the
effect of changing to 3D, which is outstanding. As a matter of fact, the
subject – which is already aesthetically pleasant without the glasses – takes
on another dimension and nearly comes to life, as if it was jumping out of the
frame. But maybe the most incredible aspect of the technic lies in a perfect
and accurate rendering. Contrary to what we can expect through our actual
experience with 3D movies, the picture is clear whether you wear the glasses or
not, which allows to discover the image in a complete new way. The 3D felt like
the character was independent from its background and support. Like a mirage,
the image seems both unreachable but nearby the audience, giving the impression
one could explore it more intimately. This is a totally fascinating experience
and I strongly advise the reader to try, as those kinds of glasses can easily
be found.
Once you got your glasses, visit the artist
website, print one of his creation and put the glasses on. You won’t believe it
!
