Mathieu Missiaen epitomizes urban art, and doodling talent in his brand NDEUR. First gaining international recognition out of Toronto, the Parisian originally teamed up with THE RAGE in Kensington Market (blogged about earlier) to create something genuine and new with his keen artistic eye. His creations include intricate street-style drawings on vintage women’s heels, sneakers, and virtually any flat surface. Rather than read the buzzwords that I’m throwing around, hear and see from himself after the jump.

1. What is the meaning of NDEUR and how did you come up with it? How do you pronounce it?

You pronounce it ‘under’ – in fact, it’s an anagram of the world under. Five years ago I did an exhibition in France and people always asked me why I didn’t sign the canvas. It was kind of boring to me to sign my paintings, and at the same time I was really bored by the ‘underground’ theme in French media. I decided to write ironically the word ‘under’ in huge letters on all my canvasses, and in time under became ndeur.

2. What would you say is your signature style?

I have no idea! I try as much as possible to not have any style but to be able to execute all styles possible so as to have a wide range of style.

3. How have your Parisian roots influenced your art?

I think the fact I am French provided me with (I have no idea why) some legitimacy in the art/graphic/fashion world, maybe because French culture is in fashion this days…
I think it also brings me some influence from classical paint history. I’m not sure if you can see a hint of classical 17th century painting in my work, but it’s really my main influence, strange.

4. What was the longest amount of time you spend on a pair of shoes, and why?

10 hours for a pair of Vans which will be posted really soon on my MySpace

5. Where do you seek inspiration for your projects?

Everywhere! From classical painting, web design, old posters of mucha, and even the new design of jeremyville.com…I love everything, sometimes even the front of an old pizza place gives me ideas

6. What is your favourite thing about Toronto culture?

A lot of mixing in fashion – people are way more open to experiment and are open in general to any kind of project

7. Where can people find your designs?

Two places in Toronto – THE RAGE in Kensington Market and the OMY Gallery in Queen West. You can also find it online www.ndeurshop.etsy.com, and my products are available in ten other shops in the world (Israel, France, Finland, Singapore, etc)

8. What’s the strangest request that anyone has ever asked you to draw on?

I once customed a really old BBQ.

9. What’s your favourite canvas to draw on – shoes, walls, or just plain paper?

Canvas and leather

10. What’s coming up for the NDEUR brand? Any plans internationally?

It’s a secret, there’s a lot of new stuff coming like custom wood puppets, bike customs, and a collaboration with an unnamed brand.

Visit www.ndeur.com for more information on the brand.