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Summer 2007
Art and Artists Magazine
The Artist at Work
by Jules Melendez
James Picard, remember that name. His work generates admiration among both peers and art critics rather than the fondness that is usually attached to Canadian painters. Like Francis Bacon or Pablo Picasso, Picard is apt to dismiss nearly everything painted in these modern times with a bleak contempt. (Genius can be excused from certain things) An admiration to a few, but the bar is raised high in the world of Picard where every piece created must stand the test of time … and like only a handful of artists before him … he creates in perfect form. He moved from classical oil portraits to cubist motifs to abstract, surrealism, to expressionism.
In the studio of Picard, one can pretend one is visiting the Louvre or the D’Orsay, a classical David rendition Napoleon Going into Battle on Horseback greet you when you enter. A large expressionistic painting looking fresh out of Austria in 1917 pulls you left, an abstract pulls you right … one becomes overwhelmed by the energy pulsing from every painting….hundreds line the walls. It appears that the many styles that Picard throws around like a pair of dirty brushes, has more to do with what is going on in his head. He is beyond accomplished. Studying art since he could read and drawing and painting as soon as he could hold a brush, Picard seemed destined for the life of an artist. He studied at prestigious art schools before leaving to work with some of the finest creative talents in both Canada and the United States. He is comfortable and confident in all mediums and styles, something almost unheard of these days. No wonder he is wooed by Hollywood and in high demand as a portrait painter. Picard is a triple threat. Talented … prolific …and charismatic … he doesn’t just paint, he exudes art. It is in his veins. He is truly a modern master quite unlike anything seen these days in the art world. Picard is a man you could easily see in an art book, painting with Sargent or Manet, Picasso or Braque, Klimt and Beckmann, DeKooning or Bacon. He is a world class artist in a world by himself. His successes in the art world are large, exhibiting in over a hundred exhibitions worldwide. Picard has also taught art both in Canada and in the United States and continues to volunteer with children who are sick or underpriviledged, something he can most likely relate back to his own childhood where he was forced to grow up fast and often struggled for food and shelter growing up. Whether doing portrait painting workshops with teens with cancer or drawing in the streets of Harlem with kids at risk, Picard takes the message of art very seriously. “It’s about something larger than me … spreading the creativity is a healing process for all involved.” states Picard, “And one must always give back … always.”
Picard … the name just rolls off your tongue, or
should I say “palette”, is not one to be ignored , no other
painter in our time has the clarity and presents it for all to see. It
is now wonder he has been honoured with countless awards, been sought
after worldwide by art collectors and celebrities alike. He is currently
backed up with commission work to the tune of six months in advance, and
along with a website that gets over 100,000 hits a month, Picard wades
through hundreds of emails and phone calls a day sorting out what next
venture he will be on … moving forward and trying to change the
world one canvas at a time…and if anyone can do it ... it is definitely
Picard.