Day 4 of the Facebook Art Challenge.

Day 4 of the Facebook Art Challenge.

I am part of a large family (# 4 of 7 children). Three sisters and three brothers. All of them live in France. Sometimes I wish I could pop over for a day or two to visit my sisters Hélène, Sophie and Marie. Not really feasible. The way I "deal" with it is through my art. I paint about them. One year, few weeks before Christmas, I really really missed them. That’s when I painted “Concert de Noël”. My sisters might not look exactly the way I painted them on the picture but the feeling is there. Sophie et Marie are professional violinists and Hélène is a ceramist.
“Sisters” is another artwork I painted thinking of them. I am on the other side of the ocean.
“How love travels across the ocean…” No explanation needed...I started to write a story few years ago about a little girl who immigrated to another country and this painting was supposed to be part of a book (eventually?)

Day 2 for the Facebook Art challenge

Day 2 for the Facebook Art challenge

I was born and grew up in Chartres, France, a beautiful medieval city well known for its cathedral and unique stained glass windows. I have been living in Canada for more than 31 years now. At the beginning, I painted only French scenes, my way to travel to France without taking an airplane. Few years later I progressively switched to more “Canadian” scenes.

“La boulangerie”. On the window display are all the patisserie, specialty breads I enjoyed:”éclairs au chocolat, religieuses, tarte aux fraises, brioches, croissants, pains au chocolat, petits fours..”

I painted “La fleur des champs” in memory of a beautiful flower shop located not too far from ”la cathé” in Chartres. The wisteria is one of my favorite vine which reminded me of my grandmother’s country house.

One Christmas during a family get-together, we skated through a frozen marsh. It was a breathtaking picture. The snow was falling lightly and the snowflakes looked like little diamonds. Older and younger people had fun skating between the trees. I tried to portrait the magic of winter in this “Moonlight skating”. Thirty one years later, I can not say I am a huge fan of winter, it's a bit too long... but sometimes it still looks magical.

The family cottage was one of those magical places where I felt really relaxed. My husband Charles and my oldest son Thomas looking at the star on the dock “At the cottage”

Facebook Art challenge Day 1

I've been nominated by Joan Baker for the 5-day Facebook art challenge. Thank you Joan.
3 paintings a day for 5 days
Day 1
“Spring coat for a zebra” painting is my favorite painting of all time. I made it in three days which is very fast for me. A lot of emotions in it. I learned that week that my youngest son was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and because I did not know too much about Tourette at the time, I was scared and anxious. I put all my creative energy in this painting to deal with the news. The little boy who is painting the zebra is left handed like Nicolas. Nicolas is now 18 and is very creative musician.

“Le pommier d'amour” (The apple tree of love). After seeing an exhibition on Gustav Klimt at the National art Gallery in Ottawa, I was influenced by Klimt's use of pattern, gold and copper colours

« L’arrivée du printemps ». It makes me dream. Longing for spring…