Raymond Biesinger
fifteen.caIf you have been to Phil and Sebastian's in Mardaloop you may have seen the divergent (complex yet simplified) work of Raymond Biesinger. Raymond is a self-taught illustrator based in Montreal who spent a very long time in Edmonton before that. His work has appeared in everything from the New Yorker to Le Monde to PRINT and Dwell, and last year's CJSW Fund Drive art was his, too. He likes concepts, making music, progressive politics and a curious mix of minimalism and maximalism. He deploys physical things, electronic means, and a BA in history to make his images, and has done so in over 1400 projects since the year 2000.
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Scott Kowalchuk
scottkowalchuk.blogspot.caScott's latest comic book, The Strangers, written by Chris Roberson and published by Oni Press is currently unfolding on comic book shop racks. It features his trademark retro-chic 60's art that shows much love and nostalgia for this era of comics. His passion allows the comic book to transcend it's influences and gives The Strangers it's own modern groove.
The Strangers follows a two issue episodic structure that reflects the subject matter and today's fast read culture.
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Dave Whamond
threeinabox.com/artist-portfolios/whamondDave was recently nominated for two National Cartoon Awards and walked away with a Reubens award in the category of newspaper illustration.
The other category was book illustration for Oddrey a picture book he wrote and illustrated for Owlkids Books. A sequel has just been released, Oddrey and the New Kid.
If that is not enough, Dave is known for his monthly comic strip Reality Check which has been in newspapers for over 15 years! Which can also be read at GoComics.com
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Brennan Kelly
brennankelly.tumblr.comBrennan Kelly is an artist originally from Calgary who now lives and works in Vancouver. His multimedia practice takes a keen interest in the traditional language of still life, portraiture, and genre painting: reinterpreting these vernacular forms through the lens of our post-information age society. He has shown his work in galleries across North America.
In addition to his own practice, he is a member of the two-man collective, Double Happiness.