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Benny Bing: From Advertising Executive to Abstract Artist

Quit Your Job And Follow Your Passion!

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Benny Bing explains the discovery of his hidden talent and doors he has opened since.

Ex-Montrealer, Gbenga Alaga, better known as Benny Bing, has been challenging the status of quo of traditional portraiture. His portraits of celebrities, public figures and artists, stand in a league of their own, given their signature vibrant multi-colored theme.

Read Also: Daymon Green, The Fashion Kingpin On Each Side Of The Border 

Currently located in Toronto, Bing has been gaining local and worldwide popularity with art connaisseurs and galleries alike. He has showcased and exhibited in galleries located in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, Paris and Lagos. If that isn’t fascinating enough, he’s only been painting for 2 years. So naturally my first question was:

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What led you to pick up a paint brush?

I received paint brushes and acrylic paint as a Christmas gift in 2014. I decided to explore painting and see where it led. As time went on, I kept getting better and better. It was after my 3rd or 4th piece that I realized that I was actually pretty good. The compliments started coming in and I decided to run with it. Persistence and curiosity are important to my creative process. My curiosity stems from what I do not know and what I cannot tangibly grasp. The paintings are an endeavor to capture the forgotten beauty in all of us.

What was your first piece (portrait)?

My very first piece was a portrait I did with a palette knife and multiple colors. I don’t believe I even titled the piece.

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Why only portraits?

Expressions are very powerful and faces speak volumes. Eyes are an integral part of my paintings. My goal is to captivate the audience with an intense electric feeling when their eyes meet the eyes in my paintings.

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Which is your favorite portrait thus far?

All. I really don’t have a favorite. I love them all. Each piece has its own identity that it’s really hard to select one as a favorite.

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Talk to me about having your work exhibited at Blank Canvas? How did it all come together?

The curator, Just John, is a pretty well-known individual on the Toronto Art scene and he had been familiar with my work through Instagram. I was invited to the opening of Blank Canvas and we discuss the possibility of putting together a show to exhibit my work.

What was it like being asked to commission a portrait for the Weeknd?

It was quite humbling. At first I didn’t know the painting was for him because collectors and clients frequently commission pieces of celebs. A client hit me up and said they had a project they were working on with Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MSLE) and they needed me to do a Weeknd portrait. I completed the piece and delivered it to their downtown office. It was upon delivery, that I was told it was going to be a gifted to him, for selling out the Air Canada Centre for the first 2 nights of his tour… Mind blown.

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weeknd

Which is your favorite portrait thus far?

All. I really don’t have a favorite. I love them all. Each piece has its own identity that it’s really hard to select one as a favorite.

Talk to me about having your work exhibited at Blank Canvas? How did it all come together?

The curator, Just John, is a pretty well-known individual on the Toronto Art scene and he had been familiar with my work through Instagram. I was invited to the opening of Blank Canvas and we discuss the possibility of putting together a show to exhibit my work.

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What was it like being asked to commission a portrait for the Weeknd?

It was quite humbling. At first I didn’t know the painting was for him because collectors and clients frequently commission pieces of celebs. A client hit me up and said they had a project they were working on with Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MSLE) and they needed me to do a Weeknd portrait. I completed the piece and delivered it to their downtown office. It was upon delivery, that I was told it was going to be a gifted to him, for selling out the Air Canada Centre for the first 2 nights of his tour… Mind blown.

rihanna

What’s next?

To be honest, I have No idea. Only God knows. He has been the one guiding me through this journey. I’m hoping to do at least 1 solo exhibition this year at the gallery in Toronto where I currently have some of my work displayed. I have 3 upcoming art fairs this summer; Kingston Road Art Walk, Liberty Village Art Crawl, Kensington Market Art Fair.

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Where/How can we buy existing art or commission a piece?

I currently have my work displayed at Struck Contemporary on Adelaide/Parliament in Toronto. You can also visit my website www.bennybing.com to see more of my work and contact me for any commissions.

Are prints available for the budget- conscious art lover?

Absolutely. My limited edition prints are affordable and all under $100. I also have canvas prints available for sale through my website www.bennybing.com.

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Click here to watch Benny Bing in action with his latest portrait

Question of the day

If there is one thing that really resonated with us during this interview with Benny Bing is the fact that he dropped everything to pursue is dream. Do you think you would find that same courage if your true calling was at the door? Or, Do you think Benny Bing should’ve just stayed in his secure job?

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Art

Montreal Mural Arts Festival : Everything you need to know

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Everything you need to know about the Montreal Mural Arts Festival is here !

This is the 7th edition of the festival.

It all started from the dream of 4 men who loved traveling around the world to attend the planet’s best festivals. Alexis Froissart, Andre Bathalon, Yan Cordeau and Nicolas Munn Rico (founders of the Mural festival) noticed there was a gap in the market.

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”We didn’t have this kind of festival in Montreal so we wanted to bring it back to our hometown.” says Alexis.
”It started as a 3 day festival and we quickly grew it to 11 days this year.” He added.
It quickly grew from a simple Festival showcasing the talents of local Graph & Painting artists to an overall celebration, showcasing local shops, restaurants, designers, dancers, musicians of the underground Montreal community.
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Mural Festival happens every year during the F1 (Formula 1) festivities in Montreal, the busiest weekend of the year.
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(Representing @Lukitahofficial & @Poison_Bylns on Instagram)
Street food, local merchants & Handmade crafts are roaming each side of the temporary pedestrian street
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 (Owners of ”La Vieille Europe”)
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(Representing WHCK Clothing & Artwork, @WHCK.MTL on Instagram)
This year, the founders of the festival included an International dance competition sponsored by RedBull
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(Dancers during the Redbull contest)
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More picture of the event : Make sure to tag us on Instagram @MontrealGotStyle
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Photos Credits : Claudia Comtois
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About the Author
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Claudia Comtois is a Success Coach & Blogger for Montreal Got Style
Instagram : @ClaudiaComtois
Facebook : @ClaudiaComtois

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Interviews

Rockstar Jaypee Might Be The 1st Montreal Artist To Build His Own Wave Of Trap Music

The Rockstar Way!

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montreal artist, rockstar jaypee, montreal rapper, montreal music

Rockstar Jaypee: A Montreal Artist ”Pas Comme Les Autres

Rockstar Jaypee is an upcoming Montreal artist to look out for.  His creative approach to his art puts him in a different plateau and sets him apart from other upcoming artists from the city.

Read More: 4 Montreal Rappers You Should Stop Sleeping On Now!

In his music videos,  you really see the effort and imagination of creativity that goes into his art. It does not just stop there. Just as his music and style sets him apart, his mind also sets him apart.

Born in Haiti in 1992. He grew up in Haiti until he was sixteen years old.

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When it comes to Hip Hop, critics usually say that Montreal hasn’t build its own sound yet.  MTL rappers often get accused of stealing flows, sounding like american rappers and even of copy-pasting their image.

Well to the same critics we can now say that artists like Rockstar Jaypee make the exception. His sound may have different influences but yet it’s still HIS sound.

We were curious about Jaypee.  We wanted to find out more about him as an artist. We’ve recently sat down with him to talk about his inspirations & how he creates music.

INSPIRATION

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I spoke with Jaypee to ask him what inspires him and how long he has been writing music. He has been writing songs since 2011.

He does not have a particular method in his way of creation. He sees writing a verse or song as similar to executing a chemical reaction in a lab.

He separates a verse into components to go with the flow. The amount or dosage of lyrics is pre-decided. The value between flow and lyrics is equal , although the flow does keeps a slight edge.

Depending on the subject or type of song. The dosage will be played with such components such as: amount of naughtiness, street life references, aggressive verses, philosophic messages, word play and etc.

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MUSIC

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiX_i9MBEjy/?hl=fr-ca&taken-by=rockstar.jaypee

Jaypee’s music genre would be categorized into many different things. Alternative, Trap, Hip Hop and R&B. My favourite songs by Jaypee would have to be “ Fukk Em” (produced by Gxlden Child) , “ Trill$hit” ( produced by yadunnknow), “ The Win” as a feature on Gxlden Child’s track  and“ Eat it ” ft Big Dawg Lu.

 

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Take some time to check out his music and make a choice about what songs are your favorite.

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Interviews

Confessions Of A PR Agent: Felipe Del Pozo Tells It All

Follow Your Dreams!

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felipe del pozo, montreal pr, pr agent, anne marie losique, eric lapointe, communications and marketing

For 30 Years Felipe Del Pozo Did It For The Culture 

When I’ve first met Felipe Del Pozo a year ago, something told me he wasn’t your regular PR agent per say. I couldn’t help but notice his rockstar demeanor suggesting a sense of wildness and adventure. What really stood out too was his signature I’m-almost-50-but-I-look-like-30 aura that made us want to work with him from the jump.

Read MoreA Conversation About What Is A Power Couple With The Atkinson’s

I’m not even 30 yet and even though life seems ahead of me, my worst fear is to wake up at 50 years old and say: ”What If?”. Felipe Del Pozo perhaps embodies what a successful life/career should look like.

Succesful not in terms of status, material or anything like that. Something deeper, more real and impossible to buy: fulfillment. At 50 years old, Felipe is not saying ”What If?”, he’s saying ”What’s Next?”. Same guy, new challenges and I can’t help but admire that.

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felipe alberto del pozo, pr agent, pr boss, press relations

Cc: Blacksmith Pat

Being a PR agent didn’t make him rich but he was able to get paid off his passion for 30 years now. He was just a 19 year old kid, driven, passionate and eager to learn and experiment (strangely enough, this kid seems alive to this day!).

From working with Quebec’s most sought-after showbusiness personalities such as Eric Lapointe, Anne-Marie Losique and many more, Felipe lived the rockstar way for the past 3 decades.

Genuine, energic, professional, flamboyant and totally outside the box; Felipe to me is the No-Flash-No-BS version of what a PR agent SHOULD be.  I guess great rebels are misunderstood but regardless, Felipe gets the work done (the real question is when does he sleeps actually?).

Today, we’ve asked the man himself to reflect on his 30 years in the business and give us some insights about how to stay young forever (the guy makes 50 look like 30 we have to know man!)

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How Did You Get Your First Start In The PR Industry?

By pure luck. I wanted to be a rock journalist. When I was 19, I met a press agent from a record company and she offered me to be her assistant. I seized this opportunity and I took the risk!

Now In retrospect, I feel like the movie Almost Famous was a little bit about me! Since then, I’ve been through a lot of scenes of Californication and Get Him to the Greek!

What Person Or Group You Never Thought You Would’ve Work With?

This question brings me back to basics: never lose the fire in you, stay passionate and keep that spark that keeps you young.

To have worked with INXS was to meet my idols and they did not disappoint me. Having also connected through Facebook with my favorite photographer, Richard Aujard, and his lover, Lza Steyaert, is a huge honor. They offered me the most unimaginable gifts: the autograph signed in my name by Mickey Rourke.

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What Was Your Most Epic Moment Throughout Your Career So Far?

Arranging the booking of more than 40 personalities and press relations for the 45th anniversary of Give Peace a Chance for Amnesty International at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. 

Also to record this song again in the same hotel room as John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed at when they’ve visited Montreal. UNFORGETTABLE!

If You Could Talk To Your 19 Year Old Self, What Would You Say?

To have a career plan! To realize that the years pass quickly. I never thought in terms of making money. I was candid and naive. But I think it’s what allowed me to go against all odds.

felipe del pozo, feliperp, press media, pr agent

cC: BlackSmith Pat

What’s Your Secret For Staying Young At Heart And Being In The Now?

Meeting people like you at Montrealgostyle! I like to share, collaborate and discover new people. I have never been afraid to take on new challenges and launch new projects.

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Any Future Projects In Mind?

Of course! With daring personalities and big events like a huge party for the Formula 1 Grand Prix!

What Would Be Your 3 Keys To Success?

Always be authentic! Listen to your instinct. Enjoy every moment of the ride of this crazy roller coaster!

felipe del pozo, montreal pr, pr agency, montreal events

Cc: BlackSmith Pat

”Suit And Tie” Or ”T-shirts, Tattoos And Wallet Chains”?

T-shirt, tattoos and wallet chains forever! They are part of my DNA. I’ve always dressed in black, wore leather, it’s not a disguise for me. I am who I am, for better or worse. I’ve even lost a job because of my look: too bad for them!

What’s the future of The PR industry?

Even though we are in the era of social media and new technologies, we must never lose the foundation, the essential of communications. We must never forget human contact. Give a handshake, look straight in the eyes, return calls. Me, I’m old-fashioned and I believe it. The content and the message are more important than the “likes”.

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To Connect With Felipe Del Pozo

Follow Him On Instagram!

What Do You Think About His Journey?

Let Us Know On Facebook Now!

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