PEDNO

PEDNÒ’s paintings look you right in the face. His daring works seethe with personality, featuring sumptuous modeling of flesh, rich flowing hair and riveting eyes. PEDNÒ has an uncanny way of capturing the soul of an individual, behind the often-eccentric outer personas we find complex individuals rendered with a great sensitivity and in striking detail. The models both real and imaginary featured in his paintings peer from behind a fierce gaze or lustful posture yet it seems that PEDNÒ is imploring us to explore below the surface of his figures as well as within our own selves; we are indeed more than the sum of our parts. “We have to find our own place, our own style, take a journey deep into yourself to find what you have to say,” he states. Yet his works remain highly seductive, the startlingly beautiful people are not to be disregarded and his treatment of backgrounds and finishing touches of frenetic brushwork contribute to a voguish aesthetic. His background as a hairdresser has contributed to an acute awareness of beauty and all the glory that it can bring. Working on real people throughout the day has created an unusual and startlingly individualistic art form that is exceedingly magnetic. PEDNÒ markets and sells his work with great success, last year alone selling forty-two pieces. He lives and works in Montreal.

PEDNÒ's up-close works in portraiture appropriate the influence of Hollywood glamour and apply it to the traditional portrait. He presents beautiful men and women either in the throes of ecstasy or gazing back at the viewer with sultry stares. These are young, urban partygoers straight from fashion magazines. Lips, eyes and hair are, of course, the focus, as are sunglasses and the play of light on skin, painted eyelids or pouting lips. PEDNÒ does not skimp on the details, and every luscious bit is highlighted. Yet in their transformation from the glossy page to the fine-art canvas, his subjects take on an added allure beyond the trappings of clothing and attitude. PEDNÒ's subjects are familiar to us through pop culture, yet he replaces the superficial qualities of photography and adds the texture of his skilled brushwork, which is both delicate and bold. With our contemporary obsession over physical beauty, these portraits of fantasy subjects speak to our collective wish for a never-ending party and eternal youth.