ABOUT

Jack “Squish” Lessard is a graduate of the photography program at Ottawa’s Algonquin College. He has also been involved in filmmaking, acrylic painting and graphic design.

In 2012, while travelling in Hong Kong, Squish discovered the medium of Collage, and it became a new artistic passion. While in Hong Kong, he bought what is called a ‘chop’ with his name on it, and in honour of where he discovered this medium, he now signs all his works with this Chinese stamp.

All of Squish’s works of art, whether antique Assemblage or paper Collage, are unique. Every piece is original and sourced entirely from found material. Squish takes time and care in finding each treasure, each piece of paper. For collage works, he spendS hours scouring bookstores and mercilessly cutting into the pages of the books and ephemera that he finds. For Assemblage, road trips to antique markets and faraway auctions yield the nostalgic trinkets that make his art come to life.

Interview with the Artist

Why Squish?

Well it’s a story with many chapters but basically, I really never liked the name I was given at birth. It was constantly mispronounced. When my high school friends started joking around with it, its final iteration – Squish – ended up sticking. It was a term of endearment; it suited me then, and still suits me now… and people rarely mispronounce it. Today it’s really what the people who matter most call me, and it’s how I sign my art. It’s my identity. To sign my art with the name I chose for myself in adulthood, ‘Jack’, would feel disingenuous. And yes, my signature stamp really does say Squish in Chinese.

As an artist, who are you?

I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this question just that way. I guess the first thought that comes to mind is that when I am in ‘art mode’ I have a buzzing, flitting energy that fulfills me as I spend time around my craft, in my studio space, surrounded by my old beat up objects and antiques. But I suppose I should be speaking in a more ‘Big Picture’ way. I think I’m still working on answering that question. There are definitely milestones that I want to accomplish as an artist: for my collage, I want to make darkly profound pieces as well as bright, whimsical pieces that lighten people up. When it comes to my Wunderkammen assemblage, I want to explore creating sophisticated modern art with different yet consistent themes and a narrative that speaks to a simpler time and often to country life. Being an artist also means wanting to explore the mediums I work in, to learn more about the weird things I find along the way, as well as the places where I find them.

Why is your art important to you?

Well the quick answer is that it makes me happy. The activities around getting my objects also makes me very happy. I like bookstores and ephemera. I like road trips to flea markets, antique shops and auctions. I like the rust and dust of a barn hoard. But the deeper answer is that it connects me to my family.

When I was very young and would visit my Quebecois grandmother, she used to play a game with me called ‘Fouille’. In English that means scrounge. Her house had this tiny bedroom closet cubby hole and we would see what new things were on the shelves there. Sometimes there’d be a new stuffed animal or maybe a game. My favourite was this old road safety boardgame from the 50s or 60s and we’d play it sometimes. That’s my favourite memory of her, and I guess I’m still scrounging today looking for old cool stuff to play with!

My assemblage art also reinforces a profound connection to my father, who passed away in 2010. When I was young, I hated how he’d stop off at antique shops and talk to the owner about all this boring old furniture and these stupid dusty paintings. But these shops also had tin toys and bottles and bells and fun little things that I remember enjoying while my dad has his adult conversations. I’m still not enticed by antique furniture and paintings, I definitely have a love of trinkets. I feel compelled to create because it reminds me of him, of then. Now I have a room full of supplies that give me that kind of nostalgia for my father and grandmother. Also my grandfather was an artisan and woodcarver in a small village in Quebec. It’s pretty much a part of my life and my past.

Why should people care about your work?

Well, that initially makes me think about comissioned works. I have made pieces in both my mediums where I’m given very nostalgic and personal objects and asked to turn them into a piece for display. My favourites are the 'In Memoriam' works. I’ve made collages from a father’s old stamp collection. I’ve made assemblage using irreplaceable photos and objects from a family farm, or a recently passed family member. These patrons obviously begin with a deep caring for the objects themselves. Naturally, I care about their objects just as much as I care about the art that comes from them.

To think of the question in broader terms of ‘what do you have to offer?’, I feel that my works have a range of appeal and emotion; some pieces are whimsical, some are racy décor, some are more visceral and personal. I also think that assemblage is a medium that people rarely see. My Wunderkammer pieces add a unique aspect of art outside of the typical painting on the wall - conversational pieces that could make a room pop with discussion. I also find it fascinating mostly because the objects are old - often older than me and my audience - and they tap us into a time that most of us have never truly experienced. 

What’s next? Where do you see yourself taking your work?

This question will hopefully change frequently, but my next big project would be to revisit the Quebec village where my grandparents lived. I’d like to travel there and go antiquing to collecting Assemblage materials specifically from there. I’d then like to make a series of pieces that incorporate these objects that speak to my memories, my childhood and my French Canadian heritage. I’d like to make a show out of these pieces. It would be my biggest and most personal exploration as an artist thus far. It could open up a whole new way of how I contextualize my work.