Info and Bio

Artist, Painter, Illustrator

Work and lives in Montreal, Canada. Also working with Heavyweight Production House, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. 
Spent early childhood drawing and painting with early influences from father, Joseph, a portrait artist, calligraphy artist and painter. Enrolled in Concordia University - Bachelors of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting (Montreal), and was awarded the Robert Langstadt Memorial Scholarship and the George Balcan Bursary for Painting and Drawing.

Worked freelance as illustrator, art director and production illustrator for film & video, storyboard artist, mural artist and fine arts painter. 

Began first live painting performance in 1992 at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and a regular participant at Les soirées Peinture en direct (live painting nights) at Montreal’s Les Foufounes Electriques club. 

In 1995 formed the 4-man Spill Collective, a live painting performance collective, creating live art installations in underground venues, parties and art festivals in both Ottawa and Montreal, Canada.
1998: Co-founded Heavyweight Production House (HVW8) with designer, Tyler Gibney, in Montreal, Canada, as a creative company that incorporates commercial design, illustration services, event and lifestyle marketing. HVW8 presently operates out of both Montreal, Canada and Los Angeles, U.S.A. 

Co-creator of the Heavyweight Art Installation, an ongoing live painting project, collaborating with both Tyler Gibney and Dan Buller to create music and urban culture inspired canvases before live audiences. The Heavyweight Art Installation has toured internationally, through out Canada and the US, Germany, England, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, Belgium, Holland, and Puerto Rico, creating live art pieces at music shows and festivals along side artists such as The Barnstormers collective, Doze Green, Fafi, Dave Kinsey, as well as musicians and DJ’s such as Jazzanova, Antibalas, Afrika Bambaataa, Roots Manuva, The Herbaliser, Osunlade, Wajeed, DJ Craze, Dj Z-Trip, Jurrasic 5, sMasters at Work, Kid Koala, Prince Paul, Smith and Mighty, DJ Spinna, MetroArea and Amon Tobin, Dj Bobbito, Pete Rock, Roberto Roena and Y Su Apollo Sound. Heavyweight Art Installation has held exhibitions and live installations in galleries such as The Parco Gallery in Tokyo, Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art (MOCCA) in Toronto, Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, The Illustration Gallery in Stoud, UK, the Apart Gallery in London UK, and have toured their “Political Minded” exhibiton and mural installations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Montreal.

Selected publications featuring the Heavyweight Art Installation have included: Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents (Nicholas Ganz), Vapors Magazine (Issue 37), The Art of Rebellion 2: World of Art Activism (Christian Hundertmark, aka C100), Scrawl too: more dirt, Scrawl Collective (Booth-Clibborn Editions Limited), Proud 2be a Flyer (Happy Books s.r.l. Italy).

Selected film/video documentaries featuring Hvw8 include: The Run Up DVD (Upperplayground, San Francisco 2006), Next: A Primer on Urban Painting Documentary (Pablo Aravena/Agnes b – Love Streams Production 2005).

Currently co-director of Heavyweight Production House,Montreal, producing concept, art, painting and illustration work. Selected clients featuring Gene’s art and collaborative work have included:

Lifestyle - Pepsi, Absolut Vodka

Agencies and Marketing Companies - Crispin, Porter + Bugowski (Miami), Spike DDB (New York), FlavorPill (New York)

Editorial - Urb Magazine, Complex Magazine, Wax Poetics, Straight No Chaser.

Shoe, Skate and Appareil Companies -Gravis Footwear, And 1 Basketball, Adidas, Puma, Drop Accessories, Levi Strauss Jeans, Aesthetic Skateboards, Premium Skateboards, Triple Five Soul. 

Music Marketing/Album cover artwork - Ghislain Poirier’s “Beats as Politics” (Chocolate Industries), Gift of the Gab’s “4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up” (Quannum Projects), Earth, Wind and Fire “Illuminations” (Sanctuary Records), Chris Bowden “Slightly Askew” (Ninja Tune Recordings), Afrodizz “KifKif” (DoRight Music), DJ Bobbito “Earthtones” (R2 Records), Osunlade “Offering” (R2 Records), Alain Vinet’s “Movement” (Cirque de Soleil Musique).