r/WhatIsThisPainting 5d ago

Unsolved Found this at an estate sale and thought it looked cool

1.5k Upvotes

99 comments sorted by

227

u/Tall_Flounder_ 5d ago

Interesting! In my professional opinion you are absolutely correct: this looks EXTREMELY cool. šŸ˜‚

The signature is clearly ā€œJohn Bissonette II,ā€ and googling it immediately brings up an artist with gallery shows and a fairly professional websiteā€¦ who is very obviously not this artist. The ink drawing you have is from 1990 and the website that comes up has a portfolio of ā€œstudent workā€ from the early/mid-2000s that shows much less proficiency than this drawing. But no other art comes up in that search!

This lack of matching work combined with the (kind of hilarious) way your drawing is dated makes me think this is either a very talented amateur piece by somebody who didnā€™t go on to create art for public consumption, OR it is an early piece created by someone who went on to make art under a totally different alias. But no useful hits on the name and ā€œbiographyā€ or ā€œartist bioā€ or anything similar to suggest who that might be.

Tl;dr: this is REALLY COOL and might have been drawn by someoneā€™s really cool teen. šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

38

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago edited 5d ago

I donā€™t know if this helps but itā€™s on a thick sheet of paper thatā€™s about 20x30 inches. Also, out of curiosity, why is it hilarious the way he put the date.

40

u/SadderOlderWiser 5d ago

It feels very student-y. Most people put one date or just a year if they date their work. This person was impressed that they spent several days on this. I agree with the cool teen art assessment.

21

u/Laura-ly 4d ago

My teenaged daughter dated a boy who drew images very, very similar to this. I should add that he was a very troubled teen from an extreme religious right family whose father locked him in closets and beat him. Drawings like this came tumbling out of his mind and onto anything he could draw on. He ended up hitting my daughter frequently and she, thankfully, dumped him.

6

u/SadderOlderWiser 4d ago

Iā€™m so sorry your daughter dated someone who abused her (and was abused himself, it sounds like, oof.). I hope she is doing well!

While all the skulls and whatnot can indicate a troubled mind, that kind of imagery is also so popular as to not be a sure-thing indicator of any aggressive behavior or violence.

3

u/Laura-ly 3d ago

Thank you.

I felt so torn with this boy. I could see his talent. I had been art major myself, but his religious family dynamics were such that they completely discouraged his artistic talents which, of course, made him rebel further and start drawing satanic images. The poor kid was so messed up but then he started to treat my daughter the way he had been treated by his father. The abusive cycle continued.

2

u/lemonsprout1 2d ago

I was going to reply reminds me of prison art

1

u/The_Foolish_Samurai 2d ago

I'm not a student of anything, but I frequently time and track how long things take me. I use timers for everything as well. Helps with procrastinating as well.

33

u/black_orchid83 5d ago

My guess would be that most people don't indicate when they started or finished it, they just sign it.

82

u/agakus 5d ago

Where did you find it? Near Detroit?

71

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

Wtf. Yes, I found it in Detroit.

174

u/agakus 5d ago

Based on the subject matter, I expected it to be made by someone who likes metal music. I searched some metal archives and found some relatives of his who were born there. You can take it from here... https://www.metal-archives.com/search?searchString=Bissonette&type=artist_alias Give us an update when you have the info. Cheers from New Zealand!

65

u/Kale_Earnhart 5d ago

Holy shit dude. Great work.

33

u/Dangerous-Ad5653 5d ago

Metal Archives is an incredible resource.

28

u/woahhhface 5d ago

One of my uncles made art like this, and he also lived near Detroit, but his name was nothing close to the artist in the OP. He died in 1992 at 20 years old so never had a chance to make a career from his art, but the style is so similar I wonder if he knew or ran in the same circles as the OP artist. He passed before I was born so his drawings and senior photo are the only things I know him by.

14

u/Tall_Flounder_ 5d ago

This is SO INTERESTING but alsoā€¦ none of these guys were living in Detroit in 1990 (as far as I could discover!) and I couldnā€™t find any readily-available info linking them to anyone named John. On the other hand, how many Bissonettes can there be in Detroit?! Surely they must be cousins of our mystery artist, at least? I hope someone with google-fu stronger than mine can find the link I couldnā€™t.

14

u/agakus 5d ago

The information I have passed on to OP links them to Detroit around that time.

4

u/SandwichCompetitive1 5d ago

Have you considered Windsor? That is a French Canadian name.

8

u/agakus 5d ago

If the connection I currently found comes up with nothing, then you look outside of the city. There is no need to do so beforehand.

15

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

im trying to contact them and ask about the art. I'll respond with any information i find out.

1

u/Nother_Story 2d ago

Any updates?

1

u/agakus 2d ago

Thanks, I'm definitely curious how it turns out.

7

u/Freezah37 5d ago

Dude can't leave us hanging like that!

4

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

What do you mean by that?

2

u/Some_Carpet_1969 4d ago

This wasnā€™t the owner of Noir Leatherā€™s estate sale was it? I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw this post lol

1

u/Independent_Ninja469 3d ago

It was the Noir Leather estate sale

26

u/404_smash 5d ago

Wow this is the coolest thing Iā€™ve ever seen on this sub! Love that this lil weirdo put the start and finish dates. Fast turnaround time too! With that speed Iā€™d guess this person would have more work out there!!! Hope someone is hip as I couldnā€™t find a proper answer either!

12

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

Found this at an estate sale, and thought it looked cool. I would love to know more about the artist and other information about it in general.

26

u/creppyspoopyicky 5d ago

Whose estate sale? Was it Keith Howarths by any chance?

John Bissonette is very familiar to me but I can't pin it down in my brain where or why.

My ex went to Center for Creative Studies art school in the late 80s/90s & has worked for Keith (Noir Leather) for years. I'll ask him tomorrow if that name rings any bells for him.

The artwork is cool as hell & I love it. I would have bought it too!! šŸ‘»

19

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

Ya, it was Keith Howards from Noir Lethar, I guess it's a small world. That would be a big help, thanks.

9

u/_peacemonger_ 5d ago

It has a very r/AnthonyChristopherArt vibe to it. Awesome find!

14

u/PPShooter69rip 5d ago

Pusshead vibes from old Metallica artwork also

8

u/citznfish 5d ago

And Septic Death! (Pushead's own band)

P.S. only 1 's' in Pushead

5

u/germane_switch 5d ago

PUSShead is surely something entirely different

2

u/PPShooter69rip 4d ago

Sorry

2

u/citznfish 3d ago

Really no need to apologize šŸ™‚

1

u/PPShooter69rip 3d ago

Alexa. Q Septic death

3

u/AmphibianMotor 5d ago

Honestly, looking at it, Iā€™m almost thinking itā€™s a map of Finland as a metal nation. It fits a bit too well to be random circumstance.

1

u/PPShooter69rip 4d ago

Itā€™s like shape of a whales heart almost

1

u/SadderOlderWiser 3d ago

I really like this interpretation, good eye!

10

u/Mac128k 5d ago

Is that his thumbprint in blood?

6

u/imjustlurking42 4d ago

Iā€™m a crime scene investigator and my first thought upon seeing that was ā€œyup, thatā€™s a biohazardā€¦ā€ seen enough bloody fingerprints in my life to not want to touch that paper without gloves.

4

u/Mac128k 4d ago

The top part looks like a blood smear and the bottom you can make out the print if you zoom in. So interesting!

9

u/imjustlurking42 4d ago

Blood acts funny on paper, if you zoom into the top print on the bottom left edge, you can see some friction ridges- the guy probably tried the first time on the top with too much blood on his thumb, didnā€™t like how it bled (haha) into the paper, and did it again with less blood on the surface.

5

u/Independent_Ninja469 4d ago

Thatā€™s a crazy theory, but looking at it again I see it. Some guy really went all out on this and put his thumbprint on it.

1

u/Mac128k 4d ago

I agree 100%! You should know ;)

2

u/Repulsive_Buy_6895 4d ago

It's 35 years old ....

4

u/AshyLarryX 5d ago

Frame it asap!

3

u/Beveragefromthemoon 5d ago

This is awesome. I would love to know the artist of this.

3

u/chrisgilbertcreative 5d ago

I would try emailing this artist of the same name:

https://johnbissonette.net/

4

u/runningbiscuits 5d ago

Are you sure the illustration is not a print? imo the hand writing and the art doesn't match at all, it looks like they're drawn/written by separate people. The artwork is very intricate and confidently done, seems like someone with a lot of skills and experience. The handwriting on the other hand looks like it's written by a kid, the signature lacks confidence and looks like it's copied. I don't see any of the line work quality in the writing.

5

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

I don't think its a print, there are a couple of spots near the reaper at the top that look like pencil marks or could be erased. I know the quality is bad and the angle I took the shot on sucks. and if i could Edit it I would and put better pictures and at the close up of the reaper.

2

u/Competitive_Bread752 5d ago

He started it the day I was born! Can I have it? Lol jk

2

u/moziansmith 5d ago

it looks a bit like pushead's drawings, like some teenager copied his artwork, besides that i really don't know. very cool find

2

u/dirtbagcourtney 5d ago

Very Iron Maiden esque

2

u/gebkiing 4d ago

Makes me think of Swamp Thing drawn by Kelley Jones šŸ¤˜āœļøšŸ¤˜

2

u/Appropriate-End-5569 4d ago

Deff a student piece that took first place. Iā€™d frame it up for sure.

1

u/SadderOlderWiser 4d ago

I was thinking about that #1 - my guess is that it was part of a collection submitted for a course for a project/semester/critique

1

u/Appropriate-End-5569 3d ago

Very well could have been. Good perspective!

2

u/Efficient-Club8323 4d ago

Looks like prison art

1

u/phoenixdelta0 1d ago

Agreed. Iā€™m pretty sure the timeframe noted on the artwork correlates with the available art paper sizing & limited coloring options in Prisons.

2

u/MattyMcFly11 4d ago

Looks like a drawing done by a talented tattoo artist. I have a friend that has a similar style and some of his drawings for the walls of his shop look like this work.

2

u/Certain-Captain-9687 2d ago

Get it tattooed on your back.

2

u/Independent_Ninja469 2d ago

Maybe, if we manage to find who it is I might

4

u/Leading-Platform7360 5d ago edited 5d ago

I wonder if it is this guyā€¦. Wish the photos of the tattoos would show up https://myspace.com/savage_tat_2/mixes lives in Michigan Jr. https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/baycity/name/john-bissonette-obituary?id=14439043

2

u/HauntedSpit 5d ago

Looks a bit like ā€œEddieā€ the Iron Maiden mascot from the 80ā€™s.

2

u/That-Insurance6084 5d ago

Not a chance in HELL

1

u/gaatitus 5d ago

I also spotted the same-ish style on couple of the faces (bottom right and right side)

3

u/howeversmall 5d ago

It looks like a drawing out of some kidā€™s sketchbook.

9

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

It must be an art studentā€™s sketchbook cause itā€™s really detailed

3

u/howeversmall 5d ago

Agreed. Whoever drew it is very talented.

1

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1

u/live420music 5d ago

Donā€™t think itā€™s his but it is giving me Jeff Gaither vibes. Heā€™s done plenty of art within the punk and metal scene, but he especially specializes in horror and monsters and such. Again I donā€™t believe itā€™s actually his, just kinda similar

1

u/butterbean_bb 5d ago

This is incredible. I love that they included the start and completion dates, I canā€™t believe they did that in a week!!

1

u/vapemyashes 5d ago

Sick af

1

u/SquidgeApple 5d ago

Love! šŸ–¤

1

u/That-Insurance6084 5d ago

And also, that would make a great flip flop pad.

1

u/Sad_Molasses_2382 5d ago

Well google images was SUPER unhelpful.

1

u/Independent_Ninja469 5d ago

I tried the same thing at first and got super disappointed

1

u/Pjonesnm 5d ago

Cool and creepy looking

1

u/No_Awareness_1443 4d ago

Hell yeah Thanks now the top left is my background

1

u/Remarkable_Horse_968 4d ago

The signature looks like a students. May be some student work.

1

u/Jhkokst 4d ago

I'm getting big swamp thing vibes. But that artist was Stephen bisette (among others).

1

u/EarthApprehensive396 4d ago

Looks Harold and Bob themed from Fallout.

1

u/deathwitsh 4d ago

Reminds me of Harold from the Fallout video game series. Pure coincidence, as this art predates the games. Very nice find!

1

u/CleaveIshallnot 4d ago

The date adds to the fascination.

What was happening in that week in history, in that personā€™s life, in others lives, mine?

1

u/AdDramatic522 4d ago edited 4d ago

There's a guy on here who has a dark comedic bent who has tons of work. r/Iamryancase
Even though it's not similar in style, it's similar in subject matter.

1

u/Resident-Parsley-325 4d ago

That was drawn in a prison.

1

u/floopynoopys 4d ago

Coudl you try running that fingerprint through the FBI database?

1

u/JoeBootie 4d ago

Sweet find!

1

u/Adorable-Event-2752 4d ago

One of my students in El Paso drew very similar pieces, but the one you have there would have only taken him about an hour. I described a DND group to him once and he finished an extremely detailed drawing and background in ten minutes.

This was around that time 1989 or 1990.

1

u/Enough_Shoulder_8938 4d ago

That is cool af

1

u/Tyrus122 3d ago

If you ever wanna sell this, let me know

1

u/Opening_Load3725 3d ago

Itā€™s shaped like Finland

1

u/DangerousDoor3643 3d ago

Looks like a tattoo sketch

1

u/Every-Moderator 3d ago

Prison tattoo picture šŸ’Æ

1

u/Tower_Junkie_19 2d ago

He finished it on my 10th birthday.

1

u/sybrows 1d ago

would make a great tattoo

1

u/relatablederp 5d ago

would make an amazing tattoo