Artistic inspiration can arise from a place, a person, an object, a word, a landscape, a feeling... It's infinite.
Water has always fascinated Claude Monet. Over a few decades, he produced multiple paintings depicting his water garden and water lilies. He sought to bring the viewer into these landscapes, which he represented on increasingly large canvases.
Paul Cézanne’s favorite subject was the Sainte-Victoire mountain in Provence, France. He painted this mountain from all angles, in an approach that is both methodical and intuitive.
Gorgio Morandi has created several paintings devoted to the objects in his studio - notably bottles - organizing them methodically and representing them under various lighting conditions.
Andrew Wyeth found inspiration on his farm in Pennsylvania. Renowned as a “realist” painter, he did not hesitate to modify the characteristics of the landscape and the buildings as he pleased. From one painting to another, windows disappear, are moved, shrunk, or enlarged. The fidelity to the subject is subordinated to the requirements of his composition.
Closer to home, Tom Thomson has devoted a good part of his life capturing the magic he found in the landscapes of Algonquin Park, Ontario. He had the patience to wait for that furtive moment when the light lands as if by enchantment on the silhouette of a tree, the profile of a mountain or on the surface of a lake.
The Quebecer, Jean-Paul Lemieux painted many melancholic portraits and stripped landscapes, painted in simple forms. Isolation and loneliness are at the heart of his works. To represent them, he used a reduced range of colors and cold tones.
Artists draw their inspiration from deep within themselves. I don't think it's thought through, but felt. It is embedded in each one’s soul.
Personally, the forest, rural and maritime landscapes of Quebec and our neighbouring provinces are those that move and inspire me the most.
Attractive forces
Some landscapes appeal to me more than others. Two places in my region of the Laurentians are amongst my most generous sources of inspiration. They exert a form of magnetism on me. They attract me like magnets. I love them and they love me.
This is the case of Rivière-du-Nord, particularly near Val Morin, upstream from Lac Raymond. I stop there frequently, year-round and at different times of the day, to observe the effects of light and atmospheric nuances on its surface and its shores.
I also love Mont-Tremblant National Park, which I visit frequently. Its forest, its lakes, the Devil's River and its mountains fill me with tranquility. I have developed a particular attraction for the Lake Monroe bridge, which I photograph in all seasons in the hope of capturing its shapes and surroundings in a luminosity that befits it.
The photographs serve as my references.
That being said, I'm not a slave to them.
I always allow myself some artistic freedom. For me, it's not about producing a replica. I rely on my visual and sensual memory to evoke a fleeting moment, in an inviting composition.
Above, the photograph of Lac Monroe bridge was captured during a cross-country ski outing in January 2023. It is on my list of potential projects.
Inspiring nature
I regularly venture into the national parks of Quebec (SEPAQ).
They all enchant me, each for its own character.
Besides Mont-Tremblant Park, I have a weakness for Plaisance Park. Spring is magical here on the banks of the Petite-Nation river and its many marshes. Migratory birds, beavers and turtles have also adopted it.
In the fall, the colors of the Plaisance landscapes are dazzling at golden hour, which happens about an hour before dusk.
Le Bic National Park is a natural treasure set between Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer and Rimouski, in the St. Lawrence estuary. I like to explore its territory shaped by forest trails, rocky capes, mountain peaks and bays with changing tides.
In Baie des cochons, which fills and empties as it follows the rhythm of the tides, the sea mist that settles there and then evaporates gives it a surreal atmosphere sometimes.
The lure of water
It's not just the rivers and lakes of our national parks that appeal to me. I am easily inspired by the St. Lawrence River, on its two shores, from Lake Saint-Louis to the Gulf.
Breathing the sea air. To be surprised by the crazy fishing style of the gannets. Marveling at the prowess of kitesurfing enthusiasts in La Pocatière. Observing belugas at Islet-sur-Mer. Enjoying sunrises in Charlevoix and sunsets in Rivière-du-Loup.
From the municipality of Rivière-Ouelle, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, it may be surprising to notice the bluish profile of the mountains of Charlevoix, on the opposite bank, while the water takes on a greenish-brown hue.
In Saint-Roch-des Aunaies, the dried seaweed molds to the rocks on the shore, giving them yellow and orange tints.
In the Maritime provinces, where rain and fog are frequent, the humidity-laden atmosphere softens the tones.
On the other hand, when the sun rises, the colors of the water of the North Sea and the houses of the fishermen of Newfoundland explode before our eyes.
In New Brunswick, the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides on Earth. At low tide, you can walk hundreds of meters to reach the water line. Despite the fog that rises from the sand heated by the sun, sometimes, an astonishing luminosity comes down from the sky.
I treasure the memory of all these magnificent places in a precious corner of my mind. And, back home, I enjoy revisiting them in front of my easel.
Comments