Page & Canvas
Oil & Acrylic Slider
Sketchbook FlipBooks
Sticker Collections Gallery
As the above says, so below shows.
A growing collections of Paco’s art expressed mostly on canvas, paper, and sticker but also walls, glass and more.
This collection goes back as far as 2001 (so far) and has several unique exhibits including (in the opinion of this old friend) one of his highest humored achievements: Time-Step.
Yup, Paco actually figured out his own 4 letter Sator Square.
His Colors Grew Over Time
When I met Paco he was using only black and some gray scale. We began arguing immediately. Not about that in particular, about all manners of all matters but yes, very much including color theory. It became our chemistry, to debate and argue until we were hungry.
I can still remember the day he excitedly drew my attention to a sketch in one of his books. Red streaked the image, that’s all I remember. That and his victorious smile, stupid with glee.
He told me I was right.. perhaps the only time in 22 years. You see, my position was that he was boxing himself in. He loved chaos and I told him far more could be wielded embracing the full spectrum of color. Perhaps I saw this first but he was bound to trip over it wit or witout me. He is color, exuding a darkness that peels itself back revealing holographic waters and clouds.
I need to ask a couple people a few questions because I really have no recollection when he gave me this or what I traded it for. It was too common we’d just toss eachother things we made. But I think it was early 2010’s.
A Beautiful Morbidity
Paco’s subject matter is easily mistaken as morbid, dark or even hopeless. And ya, of course death riddles the pages of his sketchbooks, skulls and bleeding faces his paintings and posters.
His relationship with horror, the supernatural, mystical and the great beyond began evolving in highschool if not before. Which is to say, he always had a relationship with those subject matters. Dominating though, if you knew him at all, was his unrelenting glee. That, even when offensive, unrestricted full body laughter.
Paco was curious.
Ravagingly in love with life, even when depressed. Cloaked with an indomitable committment to find what’s behind the fascinating, ever assuming he hadn’t yet drawn back the final veil. Paco expressed what is easily described with words like morbid, dark or even hopeless. I don’t want to paint Paco as he was not, of course he had fears… a seizure taking his life was one of them. But in regards untrue for most of us, he was fearless. He laughed at death, ever curious to peer deeper into it’s “why” or “whats”. I don’t know if any of this makes sense.
Just, don’t be afraid of Paco’s art.
It’s beautiful.. or at least, funny.
Why The Watermarks - A regrettably needed note
Paco Laborde ardently refused to charge for his art,
except a few times when raising money for charity.
I know this because I used to argue with him that he should sell his work.
Since Paco went to sleep, there’ve been a lot of rad tribute pieces done in his memory. But there’ve been instances of his seminal style being used for personal profit. Paco’s sister and I talked about this when I approached her for his families permission to create this memorial / archive. We agreed that for now, unfortunate as it is, we present his work watermarked.
Thank you for visiting and appreciating what we have of his work.
SURFACES - Oil, Acrylic, Charcoal
Books - His Ink & Carbon
Pages - Random Sketches & Writings
Stickers - Postal, Hologram & Blanks
