A little bit about me
I live in Quebec city and I grew up nearby, in L’Islet-sur-Mer, a beautiful village on the south shore of the St-Lawrence river. I’m an artist and a mother. I have a curious mind. I love outdoor activities, nature, sciences, arts, learning, moving, laughing. I love to meditate, to reflect on life, to question things, to have fun.
I have always been interested in all kinds of subjects, curious to discover and learn new things. But my passion for drawing and creating prevailed and I completed a degree in visual arts at the University of Ottawa. Since then, my work has been exhibited in Ontario and Quebec.
I returned to painting in 2018 after a few detours in my art journey including studying yoga and becoming a full-time mother: two experiences that have had a profound impact on me. Accompanying a small human being in its first few years of development brings its share of challenges, learnings and wonder. These memories, questions and feelings slowly found their way into my art.
On the other hand, the few yoga teacher trainings I completed were supposed to be solely for my own well being; the exercises helping ease recurring back pains I had. But I unexpectedly discovered in it a rich philosophy and spirituality which have inspired me new reflections about life, our relationships, our behaviours and our environment.
It also made me want to better understand the influences of our movements and habits on our health through another movement modality based on biomechanics. Those learnings have brought me to deeply think about our way of life: its impacts on the body, but also on the Earth.
These were important detours that not only changed my body, but also moved my spirit and infused my art practice with new sources of inspiration.
My desire to create uplifting and eco-friendly works of art that have a positive impact was born through the mix of all these passions, experiences and learnings.
About My Art
Human nature and nature itself are my favorite sources of inspiration. I love to contemplate their beauty and complexity. I reflect on the interconnections between us and nature but also between all human beings. It brings me to question how people and places we interact with shape part of our life and how we also influence what surrounds us. Therefore, I investigate our behaviours, our emotions, our interactions. I observe nature’s vastness, wonders, power and peacefulness. I ponder on the nature of life.
My creativity is fed by those reflections which are highly influenced by my passions and my personal experiences. I share glimpses of the observations, lessons and emotions they inspired me in my art. From there, I let intuition guide me to create images which open the door to reflections and contemplation on those subjects. But I leave room for interpretation, so you may relate to it through your own experiences.
I wish to touch you with beautiful images filled with positive energy and emotions. Unique and high quality works of art that will brighten up your space. I hope they will inspire you and make you vibrate. Central to my art are emotions. The ones that inspired me, but more importantly the emotions it fosters in you! I invite you to reflect on what the subject, colors and composition evokes to you. Notice what resonates with you, what feelings, memories, reactions each creation sparks in you.
Explore the themes and approaches specific to each of my painting series in my portfolio.
Eco-friendly art?
Why & how
In the past years, I brought some changes to my daily habits to reduce my environmental footprint. Environmental questions have also been a recurring theme in my practice for a long time. However, I had never really reflected on the impact my art practice could have on the environment!
Climate change and environmental problems are now well documented. While I might not be part of one of the most polluting industries on Earth, I don’t pretend that I am not contributing to the problem on my own scale either. I believe it is up to each of us to question how, through our daily habits, purchases and work, we can make a difference! What actions are we able and ready to do today? Holding each other hands and going forward one step at a time, what seems like a mountain of challenges can be transformed into a mountain of opportunities and beneficial learnings!
I would love to say my production is a 100% eco-friendly, but the more I learn about the environmental impacts of our habits, the more I realize the ramifications are numerous and complex. Finding information (not always abundant), testing new products and learning new techniques takes time. Since I work by myself, with small resources, I decided I would also climb this mountain of challenges one step at a time and would communicate with transparency each improvements to offer you a way to buy artworks that touch you while also meeting your own environmental concerns. Since I needed to buy new materials after my maternity leave, it was the perfect opportunity to take a first eco-friendly step!
My commitment:
1. Reduce the environmental footprint of my art production
to the best of my knowledge and based on products available.
Materials :
Since 2018: My paintings are painted with non-toxic and eco-friendly pigments mixed with natural and environmentally safe binders.
Since 2019: new papers purchased come from companies that also have environmental commitments. I also buy 100% cotton paper for my artworks, it is very durable over time and surprisingly eco-friendly as it’s made from residues from the cotton industry.
Since 2019: for gallery shows, I get my artworks framed in Quebec city by a professional who uses sustainable materials:
FSC certified woods he buys as locally as possible (mainly QC, ON, north of US) before cutting, assembling and staining in his workshop. The frames for my shows are currently made of ash from Ontario.
Passe-partout from Ontario.
Water based wood stain from Quebec and VOC free.
ArtGlass: non local, but high quality and more eco-friendly then plexiglass.
Since 2019: my fine art prints sold in galleries or events are placed in a US made plastic sleeve made of 100% recycled plastic and 100% recyclable (to protect them as they are handled by visitors).
Since 2019: my fine art prints are printed locally, in Quebec city. With water based pigmented inks (a standard for fine art prints), they are high quality, durable and less polluting then solvant based inks. On 100% cotton paper as for my artworks. Currently the paper comes from the USA.
As new tools or supports such as canvas and wood are needed, they will also come from eco-friendly sources.
Invest time:
To research other ways to lower the environmental impact of my creation (ex: packaging and transport of artworks, printed art reproductions, etc.)
2. Raise awareness
Communicate the results of my researches on my blog to:
Raise awareness of the ecological impacts of our buying choices.
Make the information available to other artists who would like to embark on this journey to eco-friendly art production.
Through certain themes presented in my paintings and through my practice:
Raise awareness of the importance of preserving our environment.
*If you have any knowledge in this field and would like to share it, contact me, I’m always happy to find new solutions!
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