Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, also known as Pony, with one of her art installations. The Montreal artist makes clothing, plushies and other items featuring her cartoonish illustrations and sells them at her shop, La Maison Pony, in St. Hubert Plaza.Milan Suere/Supplied
Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, the Montreal artist known as Pony, has always had an active imagination. She was endlessly creative as a child but didn’t quite know how to channel that creativity into art.
“I wasn’t that golden child with the magic hands who just draws incredibly naturally,” she said. “I was very imaginative, but I didn’t have the tools.”
Growing up in a low-income household in Gatineau, Que., Tittley spent much of her childhood in survival mode, just trying to get by. She wasn’t exposed to much art, but her free-spirited mother painted murals on the walls of their home and encouraged Tittley to do the same.
Anxiyeti, one of Pony's plushies.Etienne Dufresne/Supplied
“It used to make me cringe when I was young, but later in life I appreciate that freedom,” she said.
These days, Tittley is one of Montreal’s most recognizable multidisciplinary artists, with a signature style that is at once animated and childlike while touching on some of life’s most challenging experiences.
She makes clothing, plushies and other items featuring her cartoonish illustrations and sells them at her whimsical shop, La Maison Pony, in St. Hubert Plaza (as well as online). Many of her pieces feature poignant and playful slogans such as “Love Over Fear,” “Not Extinct Yet” and “Existential Crisis Club.”
Tittley also frequently participates in public art events. Her free art installation, Câlins et Confidences, ran in downtown Montreal for three months this fall.
The outdoor art walk held a deeper meaning than first met the eye. It featured four brightly coloured, larger-than-life sculptures, each with a personal story about overcoming a difficult emotion such as anxiety or loss. The characters’ arms are outstretched in an offer of comfort to anyone going through the same. Visitors were also encouraged to anonymously share their own stories on the installation’s Instagram page.
Anxiyeti plushie in white.Etienne Dufresne/Supplied
The sculptures were giant versions of the plush toys Pony began selling during the pandemic in an effort to comfort those experiencing loneliness and isolation.
“They’re not for children, they’re really for adults,” she said, explaining that she’s drawn to creating childlike art because her own childhood was cut short. “ I’ve heard so many beautiful stories of these characters being a part of someone’s difficult moments.”
Tittley has had some difficult moments herself. After moving to Montreal in 2006 at the age of 17, she struggled with a severe eating disorder and addiction while trying to make it as an artist. She exhibited her paintings in coffee shops and bars, but quickly realized she didn’t feel comfortable in the traditional art world.
“All of my friends were artists and I just kept thinking, ‘Why am I creating stuff for people who make way more money than us?’” she said.
She decided to turn her paintings into prints and sell them at a fraction of the price. Eventually, she started printing her illustrations onto T-shirts and selling those, too.
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“My art became accessible,” she said. “You can make so many more people happy in this way – it’s not reserved for one person who can afford it.”
It was around this time, in 2010, that Tittley settled on the name Pony, which is an acronym for “Poor One Newly Young.” To her, the moniker represented a new chapter.
“ I saw the name as something that meant I was turning a new page,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to try this and I hope I get to create a better life for myself.’”
Tittley has accomplished more in the past two decades than she ever thought possible. She overcame her eating disorder and addiction, all while building a thriving artistic career. In addition to staging successful installations and exhibits, she’s participated in fashion shows, collaborated with major brands such as Aldo and Hoaka Swimwear and dabbled in television as the host of Canadian docuseries Résiste!.
One of Pony's installations at Câlins et confidences art walk in Montreal.Milan Suere/Supplied
Amid all of this success, Tittley makes a concerted effort to give back, regularly hosting fundraisers and donating some of the proceeds from product launches to various humanitarian causes. Recently, her focus has been the war in Gaza – a cause that hits even closer to home because her mother is Palestinian. “It’s been on my mind every day, all the time,” she said.
Tittley said she feels grateful for the struggles she endured because of how strong they’ve made her. Without them (and years of therapy), she doesn’t believe she’d be where she is today. Her hope is to continue making art that has a positive impact on others who are struggling.
“Through my art, I have this desire to put something hopeful out there,” she said. “I always have the intention, through everything I create, to make people smile, laugh or feel seen.”