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ARTIST SYMPOSIUM IN EAST ANGUS         Journalist: Myriam Sainson

Date: March 15, 2012  Region: Haut St. François

The Artist's Symposium took place on Saturday and Sunday, March 10 -11, 2012, at l'église Saint-Louis-de -France, in East Angus, a patrimonial church under restoration, with the participation of 19 artists, coming from the MRC du Haut St. François and Sherbrooke. More than a hundred people, both the public and art lovers in general, came to check out canvases and art objects being sold at reasonable prices. Profits from the rental of space and the purchase of raffle for a painting donated by Paul-Emile Durand will go toward the restoration of the church.

As we enter, we pick up a list of exhibitors and more particularly, a short explanatory guide, relating to the "techniques of paintings", with text and research made by Lucille Duhaime, on of the participating painters from East Angus. In a short paragraph, there is a description of what the canvas represents: "A painting is often an artist's view of a lake or a sunset. The artist reproduces the movement of water, of the air. The artist recreates a composition of what one sees, utilizing shadows and light". Lucille Duhaime presents a work of naïve art, creations which she herself defines as being "an art which is practiced by self-educated artists, with an understanding of natural forms and no claim to higher categories of artforms (academic or of avant-garde). This form of art is often accompanied by images of small characters or children or drawings of children". One highly recommended canvas was entitled "Le magasin général (The General Store)"...

Among the other artworks represented, one could find the watercolours of Hermance Airoldi, with 15years of experience as a watercolour artist and Claudelle Gosselin, with technique "Emergence", which is created using a credit card to move the dobs of pigment around the canvas; oils by Paul-Emile Durand, always a well-established artist; Clement Corriveau, portraits by Ghislaine Fortin Labbé, Lise Gilbert who has been responsible for the art gallery at the CHUS for the last 8 years and artist since 2001, Monique Grenier, Claire Lessard and Diane Boisvert, Jeanne d' Arc Viens; acrylic resins and oils by Gisele R. Goulet, Jean-Marc Lemay, watercolours by Patricia Peacock; mixed techniques by Celine Côté, Ghislaine Fortin Labbé, oils by Lucille Lefebvre and Noëlla Richard. In what was classified as art objects, there were precious-stone collars created by Lucille Lefebvre; biblical scenes on slate by Micheline Boisvert De Nevers where the significance of these living stone is baptism; framings of butterflies and dried flowers by Jocelyn Huppé and wooden articles and utensils created by Richard Ruel, of "La Retraite du Castor"....

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Photo 1: Interior look at the Symposium of Artists, by Richard Ruel... from the prospective of two woodland birds,

Photo 2: "Le magasin général", by Lucille Duhaime

Photo 3 "Loin de la Ville", a watercolour by Claudelle Gosselin, originally from Lac-St. Jean...

Photo credit: Myriam Sainson