Carmelo BLANDINOPrevious ArtistNext Artist

Carmelo Blandino was born of Sicilian parents in 1966 in Tübingen, Germany. His family emigrated in Canada the following year. After establishing himself as a top illustrator and having for nine years brought his passion for art to students of Illustration and Design at Dawson College in Montreal, Blandino has returned to his first passion, painting. His love for painting as a means of expression has led him to work in encaustic. “There is a sense of romance and history associated to encaustic paint that inspires me. Just like the ancient Romans and Egyptians who brought special care and attention to this medium, I feel a need to continue in that tradition”. Choosing to work on larger surfaces, and in a more contemporary style, the result is work that is introspective and moody, offering challenging suggestions to the viewer.

EDUCATION

  • 1983-1984
    • Vanier College: Creative arts 1985-1988 Dawson College: Illustration and Design / Illustration et design

ATELIERS / WORKSHOPS

  • 2000-2001
    • Saidie Bronfman Center: Dessin et peinture / Drawing and painting

EXPOSITIONS / EXHIBITIONS

  • 2008
    • Palmbeach 3, West Palm Beach, Florida, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Recent Works, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
  • 2007
    • Recent Works, Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
    • Becoming One, Naples, Florida
    • Palmbeach 3, West Palm Beach, Florida
    • ART 2007, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal QC
    • Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON,
    • Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
  • 2006
    • ART 2006, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON
    • Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Vivo - Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, ON
    • Small works - Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
    • Solo show - Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
  • 2005
    • Figura, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Landscapes and Florals, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Chicago Contemporary and Classic, Chicago, IL,
    • Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • ART 2005, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Art for Life, Casey House foundation, Toronto, ON
    • Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
  • 2004
    • The Painted Gift, Hubert Gallery, New York, NY
    • Small Works, Bau Xi Gallery, Toronto & Vancouver,BC
    • ART 2004, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montréal, QC
    • Art for Life, Casey House foundation, Toronto, ON
    • Circa 700, Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto, ON
  • 2003
    • (Pausa), Bau-Xi Gallery in Toronto, Toronto, ON
    • Galerie De Bellefeuille. Montreal, QC
  • 2002
    • Gallerie Simon Blais, Montreal, QC
    • Bau-Xi Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Musée des baux-arts de Montréal, Montreal, QC
    • New Canadian Painting Royal Bank of Canada,
    • Place Ville Marie, Montreal, QC
    • New Canadian Painting Competition, Royal Bank of Canada Exhibit, Ottawa, ON
    • Viva Italia, Holt Renfrew, Montréal, QC

COMMANDES / COMMISSIONS

  • 2003
    • Commande pour/ Commission for Fairmount Hotel, Montreal, QC
  • 2002
    • Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Montréal: design des épingles commémoratives pour la visite du Pape lors des Journées Mondiales de la Jeunesse / designed commemorative pins for Papal visit - World Youth Day
    • Diverses commandes pour des clients corporatifs et privés / Several commissions for corporate and private collections

BIBLIOGRAPHIE / BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grafika Magazine, numero 68, mars 2001, Carmelo Blandino illustrateur, Le Talent Partagé

Corriere Italiano, May 6th 2002, L’Encan per Santa Cabrini, un appuntamento divertente da non mancare!

Carmelo Blandino is a fine Italian painter who hails from Montreal, and is currently residing in Florida, knows who his audience is:His forte is with adapting classic techniques for a thoroughly modern audience. He does this by painting with encaustic. Its rare to find a painter that can take the most time honored subjects of painting- landscapes, florals and the human figure, and make them feel fresh and sincere. Although he is best known for painting landscapes that are meditative and introspective, within the last year, Blandino has ventured into florals .It’s in the way Blandino plays with dimension that his paintings – which tend toward large-scale works – are partly flat, partly sculptural, an appealing contrast. Ultimately, his art embraces dichotomy: the artist’s many florals are rendered in unambiguous, masculine strokes. These flowers are anything but fragile and fleeting – they are bold, gargantuan, definitive: Mahler to others’ Mozart.Blandino’s interests lie in the natural order that gives life comfort in between everyday comings and goings that silent moment in the midst of a routine task. Blandino recently made the short list for the New Eastern Canadian Painting Competition sponsored by the RBC Private Council and supported by the Canadian Art Foundation. Blandino recently completed a commission for the Queen Elizabeth Fairmont Hotel in Montreal.