Born in 1975 in Mercier, a suburb of Montreal, Canada, Eric Sévigny discovered early on a thirst for learning and an appetite for the beautiful things in life, leading him to become interested in all manner of art. He thus carved out a unique path for himself by way of his social and sporting involvements, as well as through his many travels abroad.

In his early adolescence, Eric developed a true passion for drawing after discovering the universe of comic books and graphic novels, which he collected in abundance. He then dedicated himself to honing and developing his new talent as a self-taught budding illustrator.

In order to broaden his horizons and deepen his knowledge, he enrolled in visual arts at Cegep du Vieux-Montréal. He was particularly fond of the art of drawing live models, ink techniques and clay sculpting. It was during this time that he fell in love with painting. However, the lack of challenges in his classes drove him to switch to a private school, where he honed both pictorial and computer graphic techniques, earning him his diploma in commercial drawing.

Parallel to his studies, his innate entrepreneurial spirit and desire to share his passion for drawing led him to launch his own business, from the basement of his family home. Thus, Onirimage came to see the light of day as a drawing school dedicated to teaching young people in the art of comic book creation, while also offering services drawing for storefront windows. While maintaining a sustained involvement at the center of his community volunteering for large-scale events, Eric also worked as a caricaturist for the local newspaper and offered his services drawing and painting for those close to him.

With this increased visibility, and with his talent receiving greater recognition, the gates of Cinar Animation - a world he thought previously inaccessible – were opened to him. There he spent five years of his life, deeply invested in his work environment, a dynamic rallier essential to the team. Through his professionalism, he quickly gained the confidence of his bosses, colleagues and clients, and began taking on the art direction for different projects. During this time he became one of the principal illustrators for iconic children’s character Caillou, and thanks to this Eric Sévigny has been recognized internationally for the last 20 years, with nearly over 100 illustrated books translated into 20 languages and sold in over 50 countries.

In 2001, with a crisis prevailing at Cinar, Eric was forced to reconsider his future. With the reputation he earned in his field, he founded a second company, Studio Frenetik, which specialized in illustration and animation. Soon his services were being sought out by some of the world’s largest toy multinationals, to supervise the development of licensed products for various renowned animated characters, such as Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Dora The Explorer, and Paddington Bear, to name but a few.

With a new economic crisis forcing the closure of his company, he remained an independent freelancer, all the while in charge of illustrating the Caillou books, managing orders by private individuals and companies alike. Despite all this, a period of major questioning found the artist yearning to live out a longtime dream of travelling the world and painting. Constantly overflowing with ideas, his insatiable desire to create is what drives him into the universe of painting, giving himself over with abandon at any opportunity, wherever in the world he may be.

The interest his paintings have generated through various expositions, as well as through social media, is what encourages him today to continue his rise in the world of visual arts, inspired by the passion and energy he feels when presenting his distinctive works, from his many influences. To follow the artist’s evolution, join him in his colourful and fantastic universe at www.ericsevigny.com.