BIO
Julie Breton artist statement & bio, Nelson BC
“Art lets me see the unseen. It grounds me while setting me free.
I chose to work with abstracts for it allows me spontaneity and freedom. I am not concerned with form but with colour and composition. My artwork is very dynamic, both in it’s execution and result. You can often perceive the motion in each stroke.
“French Canadian artist Julie Breton improvises dynamic abstract paintings, drawings and collages from layers of raw material, pigment, texture and transparency. A collective of visual cues, colours and memories working in symbiosis informs her work.
Influenced by the abstract expressionist movement, Breton favours an intuitive carte blanche approach to art-making using mixed media materials in her explorations. In a delicate balance of surrender and will, she overlaps bold, expressive strokes, shapes and gestural marks leaving behind a battlefield of visual poetry.
In 2017, Julie received a grant from the Arts Council of Canada. Since 2019, she has been represented by the Matthieu Dubuc Gallery in Paris and was included in the 2020 London Sotheby’s Institute of Art Charity Auction.
Julie lives and works in Nelson, BC, Canada.”
Occupation Visual Artist.
Location Nelson, BC, Canada (a.k.a. The Canadian Wilderness)
Origins French Canadian from the small farm town of Plessisville, Québec.
Inspiration of the moment Memories and how they shape our lives.
Why paint? To channel daily life energy and fulfill an instinctual need to create, to alter, to leave a mark.
Current obsession Polaroid photographs, exploring new materials & transparency.
Favourite paint colour Quinacridone crimson, red or magenta. They have a fantastic vibrancy.
Most used paint colour Phthalo green & Prussian blue.
Favourite artists Mitchell, Matisse, Martin, De Kooning, Kline, Soulage, Schiele, Baselitz & Twombly
Guilty pleasure Finding insane alternate titles for my artwork.
I would like to... Travel to Paris to visit the Bourdelle & Picasso museums.
On my night stand Joan Mitchell: Lady painter by Patricia Albers
Favourite city Old Québec city and Paris, bien sûr!
Wild aspiration Collaborate with a fashion house.
Dreaming of Renovating my familly’s ancestral home in Québec and traveling to England.