Courtesy of the artist.
Fred Jourdain is a versatile artist: illustrator, cartoonist, designer and entrepreneur. He believes taking on all of these roles is the best way to ensure the quality of his work: "If you're going to create, people have to see your work!"
It goes without saying that Fred has always accomplished what he's set out to do. What motivates him is his constant attention to detail and his desire to express what moves him: music, freedom and adventure. In the series of portraits that put Fred's name on the map about a decade ago, you can see a burst of laughter, a piano stoically staying put as its keys get pounded, or even a Bowie, a Dylan and a Cohen draped in their songs, embodied by their music. These are examples of Fred's vision and how he shares it through his work.
Since Round Midnight (2008), Fred has also gotten his audience used to dramatic scenes by illustrating bits and pieces of stories from his imagination.
These works, and some of his illustrations found in his graphic novel adaptation of Robert Lepage's play The Blue Dragon, showcase genuine characters that are rich with emotion. They also demonstrate scenes of tension that evoke feelings of adventure, solitude, remembrance, freedom and pleasure. "Where are we from?" and "Where are we going?" are questions that people have always asked themselves. Be it in Beyond the Boundaries, Buffalo Will or Vent d'Ouest, Fred invites the audience to help complete the story of his characters so that they keep moving forward.
This incursion into Fred's imagination would be incomplete without taking the time to appreciate his most recent creations like Aneris or his Horae series, hybrid images where he flirts with myths, archetypes and fashion. They're an interesting mix and are a testament to Fred's talent.
And so that's Fred, a versatile artist who won't compromise on his vision and whose brush strokes are as honest as they are straightforward.
He puts everything he has into his illustrations and demands nothing but the best from himself. From his The Blue Dragon graphic novel to the beer labels he created for Le Trou du Diable brewery, along with his illustrations for Quebec's Maple Spring protests and Quebec City's Summer Festival, Fred always finds an original way to complete his projects.