Gisèle Boulianne

Nothing Else but Life

Great Encounter

“Indecent or public, mother, wife, creator and voyeur, I am infatuated with this insane being that lives within me. This magical double that’s been pursuing me ever since childhood.” – Sonia Rykiel

Once you push open the door at 55 rue du Sault-au-Matelot, a memorable experience awaits you. You are entering the universe created by Gisèle Boulianne, an artist who is full of infectious energy, a tamer of light beams, one who embraces wondrous fantasies.

Gisèle Boulianne prevails in every one of her undertakings. Nothing is left to chance. Through trial and error she advances on her merry way until she is conferred with the height of success at home as well as abroad.

Secret, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 30 in

Text by Michel Bois

Galerie d’art – Loft de création Gisèle Boulianne 55, rue Sault-au-Matelot, Vieux port de Québec, G1K 3Y7 418 692-2505 ou 418 802-2505

Isabelle Desrochers’s

Curvaceous Women

Artist Profile

“I love painting these curvaceous women,” states Isabelle Desrochers who once at work in her studio loses all sense of time. The artist has framed her creation around these voluptuous feminine figures.

They became her favorite subjects and central to her art after she attended a screening of the movie Laura Cadieux. “I was inspired by the beautiful and happy creatures I saw in the film”, women that are full of life and readily express their joie de vivre. Brushes in hand, she started giving life to her ‘curvy women’ who soon became new canons of beauty, distant from the contemporary image of the perfect woman dictated by fashion magazines with which today’s women identify less and less.

Perles et vin rouge, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in

Text by HeleneCaroline Fournier

Today, the artist also exhibits in permanence at Galerie Christine Genest and at Galerie des Éditions Galerie l’Imagerie (EGI).

www.isabelledesrochers.com

Oriental Diamond

I-Chun Jenkins

Artist from Elswhere

“A vocation is having to craft one’s passion.” – Stendhal.

A true gem of creativity awaits visitors on the walls of Galerie Québec Art, located on Notre-Dame Street in Québec City. Whether Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, American or Canadian, a wide audience recognizes and values originality and distinction.

We are here in presence of formidable works of high aesthetics and ingenuity, skillfully designed with a know-how that spans the boundaries of fine crafts and visual arts. The whole derives from a vision and an acute sensitivity of foreign provenance, to be sure.

Grudge, woven paper, 7 x 5 in

Text by Michel Bois

I-Chun Jenkins is represented by Galerie Québec Art, 40, rue Notre-Dame, Québec (Québec) 418 692-8200

Nancy Létourneau

In Tune with her Creative Instinct

Delight in Discovery

The creations of Nancy Létourneau may branch out in various directions without immediate apparent connection, but this variety becomes significant when we reflect on her artistic process. Although trained as a graphic designer on which she could build a career, she chose to curb rational thinking and rather tackle the art of painting by letting her left cerebral hemisphere direct each one of her gestures.

Any perfectionist reliant on constant self-control would find this operating mode highly challenging. Her emotions, even the most secret, she regards as a pool of ideas into which she can dive to reach a depth that will allow her to express what dwells in her soul. A simple attraction towards exploring a new material or a new technique may lead her forward on this path, but always following an intuitive approach, free of any expectation. Her desires may of course ensue from some general intention, but Nancy Létourneau never confines herself to any restraint, even less to an ambition. “I try to avoid being preoccupied with the hope of attaining a precise result, which would impede the free circulation of my internal energy. It is an act of thrust and of release that always leads me towards a destination in symbiosis with my uniqueness, although a priori I am ignorant as to the point of arrival,” states the artist.

Fusion (Au jardin Series)

Text by Lisanne Le Tellier

www.studiopixels.net

Rebellion

When Creativity Becomes a Way of Life

Portrait

“Creativity is the greatest form of rebellion in this world.” – Anonymous.

From this assertion stems the designation of the artworks produced by Nathalie Plourde and Alain Cossette collectively known as “Rebellion”.

On the one hand, we have the motor vehicle body repairer, magician painter and mechanic totally invested in the repair, alteration and total reconstruction of antique motorcycles. Alain Cossette has more than 20 years of experience under his belt. He is credited with skillful restauration works on vintage models today considered more than prestigious. His work has been praised by the top connoisseurs and has allowed him to win contracts from first-rate specialized workshops. On the other hand, Nathalie Plourde has a master’s degree in bio-agronomy. She still works as project leader in this field, which provides a substantial source of revenue for the smooth running of the household while allowing her the freedom to create. She also has a diploma in graphic design; studies she considered as most liberating since colours, images and words have always inspired and motivated her. Hence, she has known the grind of page layouts and weighing the value of words. Nathalie is well aware of the effects of colour and of the spacing required for an image to radiate. She is a perfectionist. Nothing escapes her. She either loves or discards. So does the “man of her life” in regards to works created in tandem.

Table Coyote

Text by Michel Bois

Rebellion’s works can exclusively be found at Galerie d’art Nob Hill, 31 Sault-au-Matelot, Vieux-Port de Quéec. 418 264-9588, cell : 418 576-7968

info@galerienobhill.com

Sorti du bois

Forms, Volume and Space

Sorti du bois is a one-time event that will be held all through Summer 2018, which includes an art exhibition and a program of varied cultural activities and will bring together 20 creators in Deschambault-Grondines’ heritage sites of the Old Rectory and the Moulin de la Chevrotière. The event pays homage to wood in its various forms: from the raw material in its natural state through transformation and recycling processes, whether they be happening naturally or in an industrial context.

Originally used for everyday utilitarian instruments, wood is also subject to be explored and transformed by creators who either use it as their base material or as a symbolic or conceptual focus for their creations. The exhibition’s title evoking the ecosystem, the forest and the raw material itself, is intended as an expression that reflects a state of transition towards civilisation.

Viatour-Berthiaume, Contes en pantoufles, wood, acrylic and metal, 15 cm x 30 cm x 13 cm, 2012 – Photo : Gaétan Berthiaume

Text by Marie-France Bégis in collaboration with Carole Baillargeon

From June 16th to September 30^th 2018 At the Deschambault Old Rectory and at the Moulin de la Chevrotière, Deschambault-Grondines, National Capital Region

Participating artists: Johanne Benedetti, Claudia Côté, Guillaume Côté Roux, Richard Cyr et Mathieu Venière Cyr, Mathieu Fecteau, Guy Laramée, Fred Lebrasseur, Alan Meredith, Yves Paré, Anne-Marie Rébillard, Pierre Robitaille, Sylvie Sainte-Marie, Louis Saulnier, Catherine Sheedy, Karen Trask, Claire-Alexie Turcot, Viatour-Berthiaume, Bill Vincent.

The Nation Builders

We are introducing a new series of articles on the pioneers and builders of Canada, past and present. In this spring issue and in subsequent ones, you will find portraits of political figures who have built this country. Their paths were strewn with obstacles, deceptions, and setbacks, but also and mostly with overwhelming successes.

INTRO

Mr. Farsad Kiani is the architect of the project and creator of this series featuring the “Builders of the Nation”. He is also the owner of the prestigious Galery Q in Cavan, Ontario. Having long admired the accomplishments of leading figures in Canadian history and not willing to leave untold their remarkable contributions, his project strives to highlight the importance of their respective personal journeys, meshed with the country’s official history.

Susan Statham, John A. MacDonald, oil on canvas 36 x 30 in

Mr. Kiani felt that these documented historical facts warranted to be presented to the public at large, and this, in their factual, visual and artistic facets. The “Builders of the Nation ” exhibition brings together renowned artists who have, for many years, worked earnestly on this project. They are: Juan Cristobal, Masoud Habibyan, Ginet LeBlond, Olga Muzychko and Susan Statham.

Mr. Farsad Kiani and Gallery Q asked the artists to paint portraits of preselected Prime Ministers, including in each of their paintings illustrations of well-known historical facts that would attest to the importance of their respective realisations. Some of the paintings were subsequently chosen to be part of the “Builders of the Nation” collection. The artists, for their part, were selected on the basis of the originality and the visual aesthetic qualities of their art. They, in turn, showcased their natural expressiveness by successfully demonstrating the momentous scope of this project, anxious to share with the public how these Prime Ministers contributed to the betterment of Canadian citizens’ everyday lives, thus warranting them the title of “Builders of the Nation”.

Text by Valérie Kent

Tex Lecor (1933-2017)

A Brother to All

In Memoriam

“The true artist is one who has a sense of life, who enjoys everything, who readily obeys inspiration and who loves all forms of beauty without categorizing,” – George Sand (1846)

Exceptional painter of great humanity, radio and television host, humorist and singer Tex Lecor, whose real name was Henri-Paul-Cyrille Lecorre, was born on June 10th 1933, in Saint-Michel-de-Wentworth, in Québec’s Laurentian region.

He was the eldest of a family of three children. The multitalented artist passed-away on September 9th 2017, at the age of 84. With his ‘coureur des bois’ and ‘lumberjack’ persona, he enjoyed great popularity among a very broad audience through his songs as well as his hosting a very popular TV show for many years. Tex also headlined a humoristic radio show that then revolutionized Montréal’s airwaves. But he was a painter first and foremost, who appreciated being able to live a carefree life as a visual artist thanks to the success of his parallel career in TV and radio. Where did Tex come from? The legend is that when he worked in logging camps, he wore a belt with the word Texas on it, hence the affectionate nickname appropriately dubbed by his coworkers.

Tex in his studio

Text by Michel Bois

Debby Talbot

The Relativity of the Image

Delight in Discovery

In this era of image culture where representations of reality are constantly enhanced, what is true anymore in what we see? Debby Talbot’s reflection on the very personal relationship each of us entertains with beauty and seduction may have been influenced by her work as a graphic artist specialising in packaging.

But it may be fitting to ask ourselves whether the human being hasn’t also become a consumer product to be showcased. Photographs are everywhere, alluring and often misleading, in limitless and sprawling
lushness. Retouched, improved or modified, they show individuals that are always at their best in a faultless slideshow, as if life was pure perfection. This visual assumption is what Debby Talbot questions in her artistic approach, overlooking first impressions so the eye may go beyond what it captured at first glance. In this universe of manufactured “looks”, where many feel the need to expose themselves to prove their existence, what is left of the elusive dimension of beauty which does not fall under any predetermined social conditioning? Why should we simply yield to the dictates of modern aesthetics?

Eliane

Text by Lisanne le Tellier

Debby Talbot is represented by Galerie du Vieux Saint-Jean, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Yves Doré

Fanciful Illustration

Artist Profile

With its simple lines and vibrant colours, Yves Doré’s art charms us and makes us smile. His distinctive subjects invoke memories of simpler times and betray the artist’s sense of humour. A quick wit and fanciful disposition, an illustrative style and a graphic approach constitute his visual signature.

Born in Montréal in 1942, the artist began drawing at a very early age. “The pencil promptly became my best friend.” Beyond any intent of becoming a professional artist, he engages in his favorite pastime for pure pleasure. His father recognizes his talent and suggests he attend courses in graphic arts and industrial drawing. He enjoys working in these fields and rapidly rises up the advertising world ladder. As Artistic Manager he works with numerous important clients. In this pre-computer era, the task is laborious and workweeks are highly intense. Yves Doré then paints occasionally, when he is able to enjoy some rare free time. From inception to execution, his graphic drawing career profoundly imprints his artistic expression. Now five years retired from his business career, he has become his only client and confers mandate and objectives towards his own projects.

1408, rue St-Paul

Text by Isabelle Gauthier

Represented by Galerie Robert Senneville, Sherbrooke

Jacques Jourdain

One of the Last Romantic Painters

Painting a Country

“A work of art is a suspension of time” – Bonnard

It is highly unlikely that one could encounter such a unique creative path in our complicated era when an artist must please his mother, his father, art collectors, local reporters as well as officials from the Ministry of culture. Hence, 86 years old Jacques Jourdain may well be the last romantic artist of this time in the field of visual arts.

Born in 1931 in Three-Rivers, he graduated from the Québec School of Fine Arts in 1956. He was a favorite student of Jean Paul Lemieux who instilled in him the essence of art and imparted his expert advice. He first encouraged him to pursue his creative endeavours, then urged him to look for ways to improve his purely personal approach while cautioning him about possible pitfalls, fleeting fashions and the tortuous art market.

Ohé ohé au sucre, 32 x 48 in

Text by Michel Bois

Jacques Jourdain is represented by Galerie Douce Passion
42 A, rue Notre-Dame, Québec. 418-648-9292

Chantal Malek

Forging her lucky star

Great Encounter

When Chantal Malek has something in mind, nothing can stop her. Once she sets her goal, this shining comet catalyses all of her efforts towards fulfilling her dream and overcomes with aplomb any challenge hindering her path.

From a clear initial vision grounded in her instinct, all of her wishes materialize, one after another, thanks to her audacity and determination anchored to an entrepreneurial spirit. “Once I have a plan in mind, I always take long-term decisions to ensure its realization. We must believe in our capabilities and seek-out what we desire without relying on anyone’s help, seeing our ideas through to the end,” says the artist with confidence. She trusts life and is firmly convinced that everything is accessible, a principle that allows her to go forward and remain undaunted.

Abstraction 62, 48 x 24 in

Text by Lisanne Le Tellier

Chantal Malek’s works are found at galerie Céleste, 285, rue Principale in Saint-Sauveur, at galerie Vigneault in Repentigny and at galerie Les plumes de Beirut, in Lebanon.