Carbon Art and Design

New show at contemporary art gallery in Picton

Carbon Art and Design is an eclectic little contemporary art gallery and retail space tucked in beside Books & Company along a walkway from Main Street. The building once housed a coffin manufactory, and has risen phoenix-like from its burned-out remains. The name of the gallery comes from the scorched beams that survived the fire. Curator Hri Neil brought the gallery to life some four years ago and has hosted a number of shows, both contemporary and avantgarde in the two years preceding the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, almost the entire space was devoted to being a gallery, with three small studio rooms and a token retail area. In the midst of the pandemic, he has had to re-invent the space, and it now comprises a larger retail space—primarily with products from artists he has featured previously or from local artisans—with one of the studio rooms now being used as a mini-gallery. To keep things fresh and vibrant, Neil is mounting shows on a threeweek basis, so that new work is always on offer. The current show uses a formula that Neil has relied on several times before, where an established artist with a national or international reputation is paired with a local emerging artist. This time, as a result of the pandemic, the pairing came almost ready-made.

Jason McLean is a Canadian artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He was trained at the Emily Carr School, and has had over 600 shows in galleries across the world. Tomas Del Balso is a musician and artist living in Cherry Valley, and was once an assistant to McLean. Shortly after the pandemic began, McLean was looking to escape Brooklyn, and he and his family ended up coming to the County to stay with Del Balso. When Hri Neil heard about this pairing, he felt it would make an ideal show for his gallery.

(L-R): Tomas Del Balso and Jason McLean are paired in a contemporary art show at Carbon Art and Design.

McLean is primarily a visual artist, and he transforms his observations of the world around him into drawings. “It’s a bit diaristic. It’s about everyday life and observations, snippets of conversations and memories, with insights on mental health, poverty and gentrification,” he says of his work. He has created a number of zines, and has also created a couple of animations. He also has an audio project called the Cough Park CD Project, named after a park in his Brooklyn neighbourhood, where anyone can call a (US) phone number (347.601.4266) and leave a three-minute message that will later be incorporated into a CD. The art gene runs in his family—he and his sons Felix and Henry have created the Pez Museum, a collection of Pez candy dispensers signed by people that McLean has admired. The collection now number over 3,000 and includes signatures from artists, television and film personalities, baseball players, and musicians.

Del Balso is a graduate of OCAD, and says he remembers drawing as a four-year-old. He credits his father as a big influence on his development as an artist and musician. “I remember my dad had a sketch book, and I also started learning acoustic guitar because he had one,” says Del Balso, who at one time toured internationally with a band. “Art and music really helped me focus.” His collection of drawings at Carbon stems from television shows that he used to watch in his childhood. “It’s a play between nostalgia and something new. I think there’s a lot of magic that can happen in the in-betweens. This is a fun, kind of light-hearted part of my artwork. I’m blessed to have the stability to continue my practice, and it’s something I’m happy to share.”

The current show runs until October 24. Carbon Art and Design is located at 281b Main Street Picton. For more information, please visit carbonartdesign.com.