When Yan Pigeon was asked to create a mural in honor of the late singer Karl Tremblay, he quickly agreed, having attended the final Cowboys Fringants show at the Festival d’été de Québec on July 17, 2023.
The Quebec painter unveiled his mural tribute to the singer who passed away on November 15, 2023, last week in Montreal.
“When I projected my image onto the bricks to trace it, I was listening to music on shuffle in my headphones, and as soon as I started painting Karl’s hair, the song ‘Let fine you show’ came on. It was a really moving moment. I mean, things like that don’t happen often in life,” says the 48-year-old painter, still touched by this magical experience.
Highly sought after for various artistic projects, Yan Pigeon was approached by the owner of the Montreal building where the group had recorded the album Break syndical to create this mural in honor of the singer.
“This work contains several nods that I created using spray paint, such as lyrics, song titles, and the iconic yellow cars on a green background from the album Break syndical,” explains the artist, who completed the mural in three days.
His creation adorns the back wall of the building in the alley at the corner of Papineau and Saint-Grégoire streets in Montreal.
“The people in the alley were thrilled. Many approached me to share what Cowboys Fringants meant to them,” says the artist.
Having a history of creating tribute pieces, Yan Pigeon also painted a large, vibrant mural featuring René Lévesque and a fleur-de-lis as a tribute to Riopelle, displayed in the office of the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe in Quebec.
The Quebec artist also immortalized the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Clemens Schuldt, whose portrait is featured on the cover of the OSQ’s 2024-2025 season program leaflet.
Other Tributes to the Cowboys Fringants
-Nineteen-year-old artist Nicolas Smith presented Marie-Annick Lépine with a large pencil drawing of Karl Tremblay, showing the singer with a microphone and a halo above his head.
Instagram screenshot @nicolassmithartist
-In November 2023, the Montreal Canadiens paid a heartfelt tribute to Karl Tremblay. A CH jersey with the name Tremblay and the number 76 (his birth year) was displayed on the ice while the Bell Centre was illuminated with hundreds of cellphone lights, and the song “The Shooting Stars” played.
