Roberts Gallery Blog

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

This year, I celebrate my thirtieth anniversary in the same studio alongside Montreal’s Lachine Canal. This place still remains one of my greatest sources of inspiration. On the opposite bank, there stands a tall pine and at its foot, thousands of blades of grass bend to the will of the wind, creating different shades of light and dark. Shimmering reflections are the result of light playing on the water. It is magnificent.

I was very young when I decided I wanted to be an artist. My parents took me to Québec City’s Musée National des Beaux-Arts, and on these visits, I first encountered the painters Dallaire, Pellan, and Borduas. I remember telling my parents that when I grew up, that’s what I wanted to do: be an artist. Thus at the age of sixteen, I became a student at the École des Beaux-Arts de Québec and at 21, I began my artistic career.

I have always been fascinated by the transformation, or metamorphosis, of people and things. I therefore work in superimposed layers, with broad strokes and in a gestural manner. I scratch, I add layers of paint, I spread it and remove it, I build and add texture, I live in the emotion, letting myself be saturated with colour. I intensify this experience. Sometimes another story can be seen half-hidden behind the image presented.

The floral motif has become increasingly important in my work, whether the flowers appear in large vases where they form immense bouquets or, more recently, in a more deconstructed style, one that is more evanescent, with movement, fragility, hardiness.

To me, painting means investing heart and soul in a sensual, physical adventure. It is my passion; it is my life. I can truly say that it’s a wonderful life, and I hope that it continues as such.

– Elène Gamache