Girard Portfolio: April 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Becoming a Sunday Afternoon Painter

This gateway to the Far North, Great Whale River is a picturesque coastal town set in the combined regions of the Boreal Forest and the Tundra of the Far North in Quebec.

What better place to paint! So a small group of us from different backgrounds all gathered at my place on Sunday afternoons this past winter to paint in watercolour.

Here you'll meet Helen Moore, Raymond Memiumskum and Melissa Dempsey as we learned about the characteristics of certain colours, tried new brushstrokes and waded through techniques to achieve some exciting results. Our fuel was the will to improve our techniques, and plenty of cups of laughter and tea!

Our results are included in this small sampling. Every Sunday session resulted in a new watercolour for each of us. Bravo, my watercolour friends. I wish you much success in your creative endeavours!

Below: Melissa Demsey; Raymond Memiumskum; Helen Moore
Works by Melissa, Raymond and Helen follow.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Whapmagoostui 1

After spending a winter in this scenic village nestled along the shore of the Great Whale River in Northern Quebec, Nunavut, my paintings have taken on the life here. Here is a sampling of views while walking along the trails in the hillside, looking out on Hudson's Bay and enjoying the spectacular landscape this area offers.

In January 2012, seven brave young men from this Cree community ventured out in the depths of minus 40 degrees and high winds to walk south, first travelling to cross the Great Whale River to Chissasibi and then gathering others who believed in the treaty rights of natives and just this early April they arrived in Ottawa. Theirs is a story that fulfills the Legend of Nishiyuu. They called their long walk the Journey of Nishiyuu, and I have created this commemorative work to celebrate their achievement. No achievement comes without great effort, and theirs will offer them valuable recognition. May their youthful voices be heard.

Detailed information regarding the paintings follows the images. Please comment on the post as I hope you enjoy them.

May their Youthful Voices be Heard
18" x 24"
Encaustic on Board
$475.

First Point
18" x 24
Encaustic on Board
Private Collection of Vera George

Second Point 1
18" x 24
Encaustic on Board
$400.

Second Point Low Tide
18" x 24"
Encaustic on Board
$425.

Hudson's Bay at Great Whale River
$400.

Biography

My childhood has been delineated by my marauding father who joined the Forces to have us uprooted from place to place: stationed in Picton, Prince Edward County, Petawawa, the Rhone Valley, Germany, and Edmonton. Finally I concluded my high school days in Timmins, Ontario, my birthplace.

I graduated from Queen’s in Kingston in 1974 with a minor in art history and history followed by a teaching degree in secondary visual arts education the following year, 1975. At Queen's, I was instructed by Jennifer Dickson, Trevor Hodgson and Allen Dickinson. In 1975, I began exploring painting with wax using the traditional Javanese tjanting needles on textile and exhibited in a student show.

In the early years in my education career, I travelled to northern Ontario to the James Bay region and worked as an arts & crafts co-ordinator. I learned more from them at that point than they me.

In the late seventies, I saw the work of Joyce Devlin in North Gower and was observant of her exquisite portraits and layers of acrylic paint.

I left teaching and travelled to work as an artist in Montreal. There I handmade folk clothing and accessories using the wax resist techniques on natural fibres I had learned years earlier.

In Ste. Rose north of Montreal island I began my family and in 1980 Emilie was born. Soon in 1982 Camille followed and I returned with my husband to Ottawa and gave birth to Andrea in 1983. In the 1980’s I returned to the teaching profession and was employed with the Ottawa Carleton Catholic School Board for 13 years working solely at St. Mark’s in Manotick.

In the early 1990’s I moved to Kemptville and began working with watercolour being attracted to its fluid line and challenging techniques. I was introduced to an academic method of watercolour by the artist, Jaw Shaw then in Oxford Mills. Her knowledge and careful manipulations still impress me and have influenced my work. I exhibited with her and a group of artists in Oxford Mills at the stackwall building next to the dam. I also exhibited with the North Grenville Art Guild at this time, showing a series of watercolours of historic buildings in the area. I worked behind the scenes in set design with the Kemptville Players and later became part of the leadership team of the Dandelion Festival, North Grenville. In the late 1990’s I taught Visual Arts Education in the Education Faculty of the University of Ottawa as a part-time professor to 2003. I transferred in 2000 to teach at St. Michael’s Catholic High School and retired from formal education in June 2010.

Presently I am exploring the medium of encaustic painting soon becoming a new series. I hope you enjoy these blogs as a new series comes to completion.

Pages

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Becoming a Sunday Afternoon Painter

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Whapmagoostui 1