Artist Portraits has the main goal of introducing your students to contemporary art through discovering the approach of a Quebec artist. During the workshop, your students will create a work inspired by one of the following artistic practices:

• Mathieu Lévesque: painting on cut-out canvas and creation of trompe-l’œil marble faux finishes
• Caroline Monnet: paper cutting in traditional Anishinaabe sacred geometric shapes
• François Lacasse: introduction to abstract art through collage and drawing organic shapes

Mathieu Lévesque

Description: Mathieu Lévesque is interested in the creative process and the materiality of paint. In his exhibition Les monochromes légers (The Light Monochromes), which he presented at Plein sud, the artist explores the forms and contours of the painting and attempts to push its limits. He creates non-rectangular works on polystyrene (shaped canvas) and paints trompe-l’œil marble faux finishes. The juxtaposition of materials such as marble and polystyrene allows for an exploration of the history of material culture while jointly exploring those of architecture, sculpture, and painting, highlighting the duality between high art and low art. For this workshop, students will have the opportunity to create an abstract painting experience on polystyrene, inspired by the artist’s work.

Techniques explored: Creating texture with acrylic paint on polystyrene and intaglio tracing
Materials: Acrylic paint (primary colors + white and black), sponges, brushes, string, cork, wooden stick, feather, cut polystyrene, glitter powder, white newsprint

Caroline Monnet

Drawing inspiration from traditional Anishinaabe sacred geometry in her practice, Caroline Monnet transforms construction materials in a process that reflects the complexity of Indigenous identities and bilateral heritage. Through exploration of geometric shapes and symmetry, elementary school students are guided to create openwork and layer colored sheets. Secondary school students cut symmetric geometric shapes from colored Tyvek papers to create a three-dimensional assembly inspired by the artist’s work A Whole Made of Many Parts (2019).

Techniques explored: Folding, cutting, and assembly of Tyvek papers

Materials:

• Elementary: Colored cardstock sheets (cycles 1 and 2), colored Tyvek (cycle 3), scissors, split head pins, pencil
• Secondary: Colored Tyvek sheets, precision knives or scissors, staples, pencil

François Lacasse

This workshop offers an exploration of color multiplication, organic shapes, and their superposition, inspired by the work of François Lacasse, a painter known for his large abstract paintings. This activity, very simple in its preparation, involves various techniques including drawing with wooden pencil, felt-tip pen, and oil pastel, using templates. It also allows students to exercise various creative faculties including fine motor skills and abilities while exploring intense visual compositions.

Techniques explored: Drawing, superposition of organic shapes, collage, cutting (except for preschool and first cycle of elementary)
Materials: Dry pastel, wooden pencil or felt-tip pen, glue stick, white Cartridge paper (8.5 x 11)