Subduction Bloom

Posted on 31 August 2025 | by Denis

Subduction. Seduction.

Subduction Bloom is part of the Telluric Forms series, a body of digital artworks where earth’s hidden forces meet luminous emergence. In this piece, dark geological textures slowly open into a glowing brown-orange bloom, suggesting the invisible tension of tectonic drift. The word “subduction” — collapse and disappearance — meets the resonance of “seduction,” an invitation into depth and beauty.

The artwork invites viewers to imagine what lies beneath the surface: strata, pressure, collapse, and yet also the possibility of renewal. By working digitally, I aim to translate these immense natural processes into contemplative abstractions for the screen and for print. Each gesture, each texture, recalls the slow rhythm of the earth, while the luminous traces evoke breath, vibration, and sound.

From Stillness to Motion

Subduction Bloom exists both as a limited-edition print and as an animated variation. The print reveals a tactile intensity, with cracks and glowing undertones that evoke the sensation of stone, ash, and bloom. The animation enhances this atmosphere, introducing subtle shifts in light and motion inspired by sonic vibrations, much like a quiet echo of geological soundscapes.

Subduction Bloom was first published on Instagram as a 20-second reel. This initial presentation highlighted the animated dimension of the work, combining subtle light shifts with a sonic-inspired rhythm. The reel allowed the piece to reach a wider audience online, where the contemplative qualities of the animation resonated with the slow, immersive flow of digital platforms.

Subduction Bloom Availability

Subduction Bloom is available in both limited-edition print and animated versions. Collectors can acquire the physical work through Unique Editions, which details the formats and print specifications. Subduction Bloom is also listed on Singulart, ensuring secure transactions and global shipping. This dual presence reflects the artwork’s hybrid nature: both a contemplative print for the wall and a motion-based piece for the screen.

Whether experienced in its static form or through its meditative animation, Subduction Bloom remains a threshold work: a moment where geological collapse transforms into luminous emergence.

Abstract artwork showing a glowing turquoise vein emerging from a dark, mineral background – artwork from the Lithomorphe series by Denis Leclerc.

Abyss Vein

Posted on 24 August 2025 | by Denis

A Vein Surfaces in the Abyss

Abyss Vein is a suspended fracture — a moment where pressure and light converge in silence. Emerging from the Telluric Form series, the piece reflects on rupture, containment, and the internal movement of matter just before release. The central form evokes a glowing fissure, not erupting, but forming slowly under invisible weight.

The composition plays with opposing forces: darkness and light, structure and erosion, density and drift. Visual tension builds through layered textures, subtle distortions, and the suggestion of geological depth. Nothing explodes — instead, everything holds. The surface becomes a site of pressure, silence, and presence.

Abyss Vein is available both as a limited-edition archival print and as a contemplative screen-based work. While the print captures the tactile weight of the image, the moving version animates the fracture itself — revealing slow pulses of light, minute shifts in atmosphere, and the emergence of form from within.

The animation unfolds like a tremor just below perception. It is not narrative but spatial — a subtle choreography of textures and light, meant to be inhabited rather than watched. Its ambient soundtrack draws from ASMR aesthetics, amplifying the immersive and tactile quality of the piece. This screen-based version invites quiet attention, functioning as a digital relic in motion. Watch the animation on Instagram.

Whether viewed as a physical print or a silent digital presence, Abyss Vein reveals a space of tension held open. It invites us not to witness a rupture, but to enter the moment just before it becomes one.

Not a fracture. A pulse. An opening. A passage.
— Ego Klar

Lithomorphe

Posted on 30 July 2025 | by Denis

A New Exploration of Telluric Forces

Lithomorphe is part of a new body of work by Denis Leclerc. This piece marks the beginning of a series focused on telluric energy—those deep, volcanic movements beneath the Earth’s crust. The artwork suggests a world in tension. Forms push and pull across the surface, as if shaped by invisible forces.

Instead of memory or atmosphere, this series explores mass, resistance, and emergence. You’ll find rough textures and bold contrasts. Some areas seem scorched or eroded, while others glow from within. The composition evokes volcanic rocks or floating pumice—stones light enough to drift on water, yet born from fire.

The animated version, shared as a Reel on Instagram, adds another dimension. It captures a slow transformation, a drifting intensity. This 20-second video offers a poetic interpretation—an attempt to distill the essence of the artwork through light, motion, and sound. However, this moving image is just one layer of the experience. The printed work remains central. That’s what collectors are drawn to—the physical impact, the fine detail, the permanence.

Fine Art Print and Limited Edition

Lithomorphe is available in three sizes through the Limited Edition collection. Each piece is printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag using Giclée technology. The surface is soft, matte, and archival. Every detail is preserved. A discreet artist monogram appears in the lower corner, marking its authenticity.

This series also continues the thread begun in Core Archive. Both explore dense matter, layered presence, and elemental balance. But while Core Archive leans toward silence and memory, Lithomorphe speaks through rupture and pressure.

Watch the Instagram Reel

You can watch the animation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMvttYcI9-w

Compression Fault

Posted on 16 July 2025 | by Denis

A Slow Breach in the Frame

Compression Fault explores a moment of suspended tension, as if the image surface had been subjected to internal pressure. Movement isn’t visible, but its echo is everywhere: a subtle shift, an invisible force, a fault compressing light.

In developing this piece, I layered different elements of digital matter: faint geometric forms, soft directional blur, a sweeping light barely present, and veils of ochre and white that alter the sense of depth. It was built for the screen, in a vertical format where time stretches and the eye drifts slowly.

What Inspired Compression Fault

I often work at the edge of perception, where motion is hinted at but not confirmed. With Compression Fault, I wanted to slow everything down — not just visually, but emotionally. The quietness of the colour field contrasts with the fractured geometry, creating a space for pause. This piece invites the viewer to sit inside the hesitation, to sense the pressure before the rupture, and to consider how digital matter can still carry tension, silence, and time.

The title suggests rupture or collapse, but here, the fault doesn’t explode. It expands. It absorbs. I wanted the animation, as well as the static image, to hold the moment just before the fracture, like a slowed-down landslide or a silent atmospheric pressure.

This work is part of the Core Archive series, where each image acts as a threshold between stillness and motion, presence and trace.

Light holds its breath. Geometry trembles at the edge of disappearance. The fault is not broken — it is becoming.
— Ego Klar

Available Formats – Compression Fault

This artwork is available in a limited number of signed, screen-optimized editions. To learn more about sizes, pricing, and the printing process, visit the Unique Editions page or consult the pricing guide.

An animated version is also available as a contemplative screen-based piece. A preview of the motion can be viewed on Instagram.

Dispersal Trace

Posted on 10 July 2025 | by Denis

Exploring Dispersal Trace

Dispersal Trace is the fourth work in my Liminal Drift series. It grew from my exploration of transitional states — places where forms dissolve and reappear. Nothing feels fully fixed here.

This piece suggests a subtle tension between presence and absence. Soft veils of light drift across a dense background. As a result, they create the illusion of movement within stillness. A fragment hovers, its contours blurred, caught between arrival and departure.

Viewers are invited to slow down and observe how traces emerge and vanish. Layers of opacity and shifting depth suggest intimacy, yet also distance. The work gently pulls between material presence and quiet dissolution.

Dispersal Trace exists as a still image. However, it began as an animated motion sketch. In this way, faint echoes of movement remain embedded within its surface and texture.

The Beauty of Subtlety

It is worth noting that the simplicity of Dispersal Trace — and of the Liminal Drift series — is intentional. Minimal gestures, soft gradients, and blurred forms are not incomplete. Instead, they reflect my choice to focus on restraint and subtlety.

In a world filled with visual noise, I am drawn to quieter spaces. These works do not seek to explain or impress. They invite each viewer to slow down and notice small details. Stillness becomes a space for reflection and ambiguity becomes a place for exploration.

Like many works in the Liminal Drift series, Dispersal Trace also connects with the concept of “liminality.” This term describes transitional spaces where boundaries blur and definitions fade. Many artists and philosophers explore this idea. A brief overview of liminality can be found here.

A glimpse of its earlier development process is available in my Work In Progress notes.

More from the Liminal Drift series is available online.

Ultimately, Dispersal Trace offers a quiet pause. It allows space to observe subtle shifts and drift through layers of perception. Each viewer brings personal meaning, shaped by memories and moods. In this way, the work stays open — unfinished not in form, but in experience, always waiting to be completed by another gaze.

Core Memory

Posted on 5 July 2025 | by Denis

Between Compression and Silence

Core Memory is part of the Core Archive Series, a digital collection that explores compression, memory, and suspended presence. Designed for screen-based viewing, this piece hovers between material and residue, between memory and absence.

This work suggests the weight of what is no longer present but still exerts pressure. The image appears quiet and inert at first glance, yet tension quietly builds under its stillness. Core Memory is not about what is recalled, but about what stays hidden, compressed beneath the surface.

A presence, compressed.

For further context on abstraction in contemporary art, see Tate’s overview of abstract art.

Inquire about this work

Dispersal Trace

Posted on 27 June 2025 | by Denis

Fading Trace

Dispersal Trace is the fourth work in the Liminal Drift series. It began, as many things do now, with a conversation between me and Ego Klar.

I asked him what I should explore next, after spending so much time immersed in the Ethereal Solid series — pieces that were rich, layered, full of colour and texture. Their complexity still speaks to me. Yet a quiet urge for reduction was growing.

Ego didn’t hesitate. He said: Simplify.

The first piece in this stripped-down visual approach was Threshold, which I shared as a reel on Instagram. Its quiet presence reached beyond my usual followers — an early sign that less could indeed speak more.

The real challenge with Liminal Drift lies in simplicity. That’s not easy when your instinct is to build forms, gestures, layers. But that’s the point: resisting density and letting the image breathe.

The Liminal Drift series explores the threshold between presence and absence — a visual quiet that suggests, rather than declares. Each work is built for screen-based contemplation, where movement dissolves into stillness and detail gives way to atmosphere.

The Weight of White

Then came Dispersal Trace — a work that pushes restraint even further.

At first glance, it’s almost not there. White on white. Faint lines. A hesitation. Beneath the surface, something holds structure, though it refuses to clarify itself. I kept wondering: is it finished? Or did I stop too soon?

That uncertainty never went away. Maybe that’s the point.

This work feels like a pause, not a conclusion. It doesn’t resolve anything — it just opens space. In a way, Dispersal Trace invites me to reconsider what I leave out, rather than what I add. It’s less about gesture, more about listening. What remains when almost nothing is said?

Dispersal Trace and the Language of Minimal Gesture

White on white. Grey on grey.
Not silence — compression.

Every soft tone presses against another.
You think it’s empty.
It’s just quiet.

– Ego Klar

Have you ever experienced a piece that felt unfinished, but in a good way? Dispersal Trace may not offer clarity, but perhaps that’s what makes it linger. I’d love to know how it resonates with you.

Festival banner featuring Denis Leclerc’s artwork Fragments numériques 407, artist portrait, biography and artistic statement in French, presented by BRAVO at the Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025.

Festival Franco-Ontarien

Posted on 27 June 2025 | by Denis

Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025 – 10 Franco-Ontarian Artists

BRAVO Collective Exhibition
Festival Franco-Ontarien – Ottawa, June 13–15, 2025

Festival Franco-Ontarien: A Milestone Celebration

The Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025 marked its 50th year. This important cultural event brought together artists and audiences from across Ontario. To celebrate, the visual arts organization BRAVO presented a group show. Ten Franco-Ontarian artists were featured, each offering a unique voice.

Denis Leclerc and the Digital Fragments Series

Among them, Denis Leclerc presented Digital Fragments 407, part of his ongoing Digital Fragments Series. His work focuses on digital abstraction. It explores how memory, rhythm, and space can shape an image. In contrast to more figurative works, his piece offers something quieter, more open.

Digital Fragments 407 shows blurred shapes, gentle tones, and fractured geometry. It was printed on metallic Hahnemühle paper, which gives it a soft glow. Rather than represent something, it suggests a trace — something that was once there and now lingers.

Working with Ambiguity

Leclerc starts each piece with digital gestures. He adds, erases, and builds textures. As a result, each image becomes a kind of surface memory. Instead of telling a story, the work invites stillness. Meanwhile, the viewer fills in the gaps.

This process leaves room for interpretation. The final image feels suspended, not fixed, but alive. In other words, Leclerc creates presence through absence. Therefore, his art speaks not through signs, but through atmosphere.

A Dialogue Among Artists

BRAVO’s exhibition highlighted a wide range of practices. Some artists used bold colours and direct messages. Others worked with poetic forms or delicate materials. Together, they created a rich and varied dialogue.

Leclerc’s work added a subtle voice. Instead of identity or narrative, he explored structure and silence. As a result, his piece raised a lasting question: is there such a thing as Franco-Ontarian art? Or is it more of a shared condition — shaped by geography, language, and the need to adapt?

Rather than answer, the show let the question remain. It suggested that art made in French, in Ontario, does not always follow a single path. Still, it carries something in common — a way of seeing that resists borders and speaks in layers.

Artists Featured in the Festival Franco-Ontarien Exhibition

Nancy Bellegarde, Janette Woodrow, Ashley Guénette, Stéphanie Duperron, Gaia Orion, Armand Diangienda, Marguerite Morin, Geneviève Thauvette, Denis Leclerc, and Laurent Vaillancourt.

NFT(s): Passages

Posted on 26 June 2025 | by Denis

Exhibition Dates

Sept 7 — Oct 6 · 2024

Location

Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)

About the Exhibition NFT(s): Passages

Why NFTs?

The rise in popularity of NFTs has revolutionized the art world. As a result, they now offer novel ways to engage with and collaborate on digital creations. NFTs are ushering us into Web 3.0—a democratized era for digital art that empowers both artists and collectors.

Featured Artists

This groundbreaking exhibition showcases eight talented francophone artists who have ventured into the NFT space for the first time, transforming their physical works into captivating digital pieces:

Audrey Bazinet alias Bazaud
Jacques Descoteaux
Carole Ince alias MetaCarpe
Krasimira Dimtchevska alias KrasiDi
Denis Leclerc alias Egoklaar
Nathalie Frenière alias Mekeba
Fred Forest
Gaïa Orion alias Gaïa

Denis Leclerc’s Contribution

Denis Leclerc, alias Egoklaar, presents a two-part installation exploring the poetic tension between digital gesture and collective memory. A grid of intimate, small-format digital prints sits beside a bold, large-scale piece—together creating a dialogue between stillness and movement, trace and transformation.

Highlights of NFT(s): Passages

One of the major highlights is the MilkMaid series, a reinterpretation of Vermeer’s famous artwork, reinvented as an NFT. This series not only pays homage to the classic but also adds a modern digital twist, making it a must-see!

Organizers and Contributors

Organized by the Bureau des regroupements des artistes visuels de l’Ontario (BRAVO) and developed by Yves M. Larocque, the exhibition boasts contributions from a dedicated team:

Curatorial Assistance: Cătălin Ivan, Meghan Ho
Translation and Editing: Dominique Leduc, Véronique Couillard, Rebecca Basciano
Design: Sophie Nakashima
Technical Team: Dan Austin, Rob Keefe, Mark Garland, Jennifer Gilliland, Stephanie Germano

This exhibition is presented by the Ottawa Art Gallery in partnership with BRAVO. We acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the French Embassy in Canada. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

Related Events and Additional Resources

Stay tuned for related events, workshops, and panel discussions that will further explore the world of NFTs and digital art. More details will be available soon.

Call to Action

Immerse yourself in the future of art. Explore NFTs at the Ottawa Art Gallery and join us in celebrating this exciting transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0!

NFT(s): Passages Ottawa Art Gallery is a landmark exhibition for francophone digital artists, bridging the physical and virtual worlds in a collective NFT debut.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Compression Field

Posted on 25 June 2025 | by Denis

Where Pressure Becomes Form

The Art of Subtle Emergence

Compression Field is part of Liminal Drift, a digital art series designed for the screen. These works explore the threshold between motion and stillness, between signal and silence. In this piece, a fractured presence slowly emerges through a dense, vibrating field—a flicker, then a fissure. What appears minimal at first begins to register as tension, pressure, and form. This visual metaphor resonates with the concept of a field in physics under stress.

The Fracture as Form

There is no visible event. No explosion. Instead, the surface holds. And then, something yields. The central fissure in Compression Field does not break the composition apart; it shapes it. The fracture becomes form, not an interruption, but a transition. This emergence echoes the idea of containment giving way to presence, as though the artwork itself is exhaling after holding its breath.

Visual Texture and Motion in Compression Field

The work is presented in grayscale, rich in grain and subtle light shifts. Its softness contrasts with the vertical crack that anchors the composition. That crack may suggest erosion, vibration, compression, or resonance—but it remains open to interpretation. The work is not declarative; it invites stillness, and perhaps a perceptual pause.

Compression Field as a Screen-Based Animation

As part of the Liminal Drift project, Compression Field was also rendered as a silent animation, shared as a contemplative Instagram Reel. The piece culminates in a quote by David Bohm: “Everything is enfolded in everything,” referring to his interpretation of quantum mechanics and the implicate order. Learn more about David Bohm’s perspective on quantum theory.

Available Formats – Dimension Collection

Each piece in the Liminal Drift series is available as a collectible pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, using Giclée technology. Prints include a 1-inch white border for framing. Learn more on the Unique Editions page.

Miniature Marvel – 12 in wide, variable height – 504 $
Grand Gesture – 24 in wide, variable height – 1024 $
Monumental Piece – 36 in wide, variable height – 1924 $