visualsundae

Raymond Biesinger | illustration

“Raymond Biesinger is a self-taught illustrator based in Montreal, Canada, who spent a very long time in that country’s west. 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 European and North American political history to make his images, and has done so since the year 2000 in over 1200 projects on four continents.”

[above: MISC.MONOCLE SPOTS]

PHIL & SEBASTIAN COFFEE ROASTERS

“this crest is one dozen feet wide and stuck to the wall of Phil & Sebastian’s Marda Loop shop in Calgary. Within it are two dozen symbols representing everything from the founders’ foundational coffee soujourn to South America to roast profiles and bean competitions. At bottom: the original (very popular) P&S stand.”

NOTHING MAJOR

“a combination of Marlena Dietrich’s legs in fishnets and a broken North Korean T-34 tank just might be a metaphor for the bankrupcy but attractiveness of violence. Put out as a four-colour tee shirt by an offshoot of Pitchfork called Nothing Major in the summer of 2011, art direction by Michael Renaud.”

AN EDMONTON CIVIC CREST

“this is a simple trace and mangle of the actual Edmonton crest. ‘Industry,’ ‘integrity’ and ‘progress’ were ditched for the first three toilet words imagined. The rifle was original, but removing the pioneer’s head and putting it in Minerva’s arm was not, as well as replacing the hunter’s head with a Soviet flag (re: ‘Redmonton’) and Minerva losing her book of knowledge. Other changes? All are explained right here. Has been deployed as shirts, prints, stickers, and tattoos.”

CITY OF OTTAWA ON 7 MAY 1945

VILLE DE MONTREAL 27 APRIL 1967

VILLE DE QUEBEC ON 3 JULY 2008

CITY OF TORONTO ON 26 JUNE 1976

WARSAW ON 1 AUGUST 1944

“Print gave me six full pages in their Oct. 2012 issue to fill with a visual essay on the theme “international.” The result: a personification of the NATO, Coca-Cola, the Koreas, the UN, increasingly stateless graphic artists, the USSR, the Freemasons, and TICA (the International Cat Association).”

Europe 1919 Game Board Map

“This is a one-colour silkscreened map of Europe circa 1919, made to be simply viewed or played as if it was the classic Risk board game. It’s mostly geographically and historically accurate, and I was happy to put my BA to use making it in early 2007 and revising it in late 2011. The board enjoys 106 squares and 21 national bonus areas. Also included: 112 different pre-cut country cards on cardstock.

Why 1919? It’s when Europe was shell-shocked and decentralized. France, Germany and Britain were spent. Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, Turkey, etc. were in different kinds of revolution (some successful, some not). Seemed a nice year to express the backstabbing, chaotic tumult of a game like Risk, no? Also, note that you can find an in-depth interview about the game and peripheral topics right here.”

HOW ILLUSTRATIONS ARE MADE

“the 18x24” silkscreened print isn’t just paper and ink in an edition of 100. No, it’s studio visit by you to any illustrator in the world. It’s a tour not just of the desirable, creative, parts of the studio (which are actually just a fraction of the clock’s face) but one from tip to tail showing all the unsexy billing, researching, toiling, incinerating, etc. This is how illustrations are made.

Contents include: an observatory, life preserver, lightbulb, anti-stylistic theft defence system, photocopier, hidden shame, a globe, paint, misc. art supplies, watercolours, infinite toil, a sketch incinerator, literacy, scheduling, cash flow, budgeting, shaking down deadbeat clients, telephone negotiations, a computer zone, photo reference studio, reference library (with canon of saints), a timeclock, the illustrator him/herself, booze distractions, minding the copyrights, an input of coffee, ink reservoir, a locked entryway, a stairwell, shipping room with flatfile, and a stunted little domestic life. Look familiar?”