Pat Cantin 'Sur Le Sable' Print Available

Artist: Pat Cantin
Title: Sur Le Sable
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: 8.5 x 11 Inches
Edition: 25
Price: $80 CAD

  

Pat Cantin is a French Canadian contemporary abstract artist, born in Jonquière, Quebec, in 1978. He earned a bachelor's degree in visual and media arts and after many years working in the web industry, decided in 2012 to commit himself entirely to painting. Cantin's artistic approach embraces spontaneity and raw emotion, with a philosophy that views "consistency as a waste of time" and an obstacle to true creativity. His creative process, for the most part, is a fluid experience; while an initial idea of composition or color may exist, the final result is never predetermined and is guided by the movement of the materials themselves.

Cantin is primarily known for his abstract, semi figurative work, which he describes as "anti portrait" art. He uses a blend of oil, acrylic, and spray paint in his pieces, often applying the paint directly to the canvas with his hands. He finds that using his hands allows him to feel the texture and maintain a total control over his gesture that brushes or spatulas would not. His portraits intentionally omit traditional facial features like eyes, challenging the viewer to look elsewhere in the composition to interpret the subject's emotion or character. This approach leads to varied and deeply personal interpretations from each spectator.

Beyond portraits, Cantin also explores the symbolism of everyday objects, focusing on the common metal chair. He sees these chairs as receptacles of the "invisible trace" or emotional "burden" that people leave behind in their environment. Through his art, he aims to visually demonstrate the profound impact every word and gesture has on those around us. This work, like his portraits, encourages a thoughtful engagement with the hidden emotional landscape of human interaction. Cantin's original paintings and lenticular art are available through his official website, allowing collectors to experience his dynamic, expressionistic work firsthand.

Pat Cantin 'Patente a Grosses' Print Available

Artist: Pat Cantin
Title: Patente a Grosses
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: 20 x 30 Inches
Edition: 10
Price: $420 CAD

 

Pat Cantin is a Canadian artist who paints bold geometric abstractions that pulse with rhythmic colour and tactile depth. Born in Montreal and trained in design, he spent years directing commercial graphics before turning full time to fine art, a shift that allows him to merge disciplined composition with intuitive gesture. Working from a bright studio in Victoriaville, Quebec, he builds each canvas through patient layering, pouring, scraping and glazing until smooth gradients collide with crisp angles, creating a sense of movement frozen mid beat.

His palette leans toward saturated oranges, electric blues and sunlit yellows, hues that echo the neon signage of nighttime city drives and the warm glow of analog television test patterns. Cantin avoids brushes, preferring squeegees, palette knives and taped edges to push acrylic across the surface, a method that leaves subtle ridges and glossy pools, evidence of physical negotiation between artist and material. Recent series explore the idea of sonic visualization, translating bass lines and drum breaks into interlocking shapes that seem to reverberate off the canvas.

Exhibitions at Galerie Bernard in Montreal, Art Basel Miami and group shows across Canada have sold out, while corporate collections including Cirque du Soleil and Ubisoft have acquired large scale pieces that energise open office spaces. Despite growing demand, Cantin keeps production intimate, hand finishing every work and releasing small editions of archival prints that carry the same luminous depth as the originals.

Whether rendering a three metre wall commission or a pocket sized study, he seeks the fragile moment when colour, rhythm and memory lock into perfect sync, reminding viewers that abstraction can feel as immediate as a favourite song heard on a late night highway.