Meet Lewis Mallard, Montreal's psychedelic folk artist

This story originally appeared in URBANIA, an online magazine based in Quebec focused on pop culture and society.

"At first, I was vulnerable, full of adrenaline. But I kept telling myself, 'If my failure is spectacular, at least it will be spectacular!'" the artist says, taking a sip of coffee on Parc Avenue.

Maybe you've already caught a glimpse of him in the streets of Montreal. As for me, it happened just last week, on an otherwise ordinary afternoon on Mont-Royal Avenue: a giant mallard duck, about seven feet tall, was calmly strolling among the pedestrians, leaving behind a trail of bewildered faces and silent WTFs.