{"id":36503,"date":"2021-03-19T01:49:45","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T08:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=36503"},"modified":"2021-03-18T13:14:03","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T20:14:03","slug":"paintings-that-sparkle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2021\/03\/19\/paintings-that-sparkle\/","title":{"rendered":"Paintings that sparkle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yvette Gagnon holds one of her works. (photo from Yvette Gagnon)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yvette Gagnon, a local French-Canadian multimedia artist, uses a unique technique: she combines acrylic paintings with mosaics. The glass shards she glues to her canvasses create a three-dimensional effect, while supplying a glittery, festive atmosphere for every one of her joyful images. Her flowers wink and grin at you. Her trees hang over your head, their dense foliage providing shade from the sun and homes for the birds. Her works, decorative and bright, infuse many local homes with her enthusiasm and imagination.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with the Jewish Independent<\/em>, Gagnon reminisced about how her artistic path began.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother lived next door to my family when I grew up. She was always creating something, and I loved that she always included me in her little art projects,\u201d shared Gagnon. \u201cOne morning, I remember running in our backyard and I was blown away by the wildflowers that had opened over the night. I ran to my grandmother\u2019s house, to her craft room, and, with an idea in mind of what I was going to recreate, I started to work. When I was done, I was so proud of myself for having created something so beautiful on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Completely self-taught, creativity runs in her family. \u201cMy parents were very creative,\u201d she said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t call themselves artists. My father was a carver. My mother sewed all the clothes for our family. I believe my artistic gift came from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gagnon has worked different jobs over the years, some art-related, some not, but her creativity was always present, always illuminating her life. She was a painter before she started using glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my kids were growing up, I created a lot of folk art. It was popular in the \u201970s,\u201d she said. \u201cThen, I gradually progressed to teaching myself trompe l\u2019oeils and started painting murals for my clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of using glass in her paintings came when she was working as a home and office decorator. \u201cIt happened about 30 years ago,\u201d she said. \u201cI was picking up glass shelves for a client and I found myself looking at tons of shattered glass on the ground in the shop\u2019s backyard. I thought to myself: what can I do with this stuff? I asked the owner if I could take some, and he said, yeah sure. I took bags of glass home, washed it, put it in my closet, and started dreaming how I could create with it. Later, I used the glass to make large pieces for my clients. I think this technique has endless possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gagnon\u2019s method lends itself beautifully to various art styles and themes. One of the pieces she produced recently was \u201cThe Tree of Life\u201d for Jewish community members Irv and Betty Nitkin.<\/p>\n

She originally met them not through her art but through Jewish Family Services. \u201cI worked for JFS for three years, and my specialty was cooking. That\u2019s how I met Irv and Betty Nitkin,\u201d she explained. \u201cI\u2019ve been cooking for them once a week since the beginning. They have become like family over the years. They knew I was passionate about my glass art and they commissioned me to make \u2018The Tree of Life\u2019 for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trees and flowers are common features in Gagnon\u2019s art. She loves gardening, and her garden is a constant source of inspiration. She has created a large series of painting dedicated to flowers.<\/p>\n

Another inspiration is traveling. For years, she took in foreign students. \u201cI was a \u2018host mom,\u2019 and kids from all over the world stayed with me,\u201d she said. \u201cThey came from South America, Germany, France, the U.K. Long after they returned home, I might call them and say: I\u2019d like to visit for a week or two. We made great memories during those visits. Not only did I get to see my \u2018kids\u2019 again, but I also met their parents. Those trips were fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"image<\/a>
\u201cFrench Cottages\u201d is artist Yvette Gagnon\u2019s most recent series. (photo from Yvette Gagnon)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of her latest trips \u2013 to France \u2013 inspired her latest series of paintings, \u201cFrench Cottages.\u201d A former home-stay invited Gagnon to visit them. \u201cI spent a month in France. We walked around and talked. On the weekends, we drove to garage sales in the old villages. I went nuts taking pictures of the old architecture. Later, I couldn\u2019t believe how many photos I took there. I photographed doors, windows, stairways and flowers. When I looked through those pictures after I returned home, I thought they were gorgeous. They reminded me of what I experienced there. I decided to base my newest series on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, the pandemic put a stop to other travel plans, but Gagnon hopes the situation will change soon. \u201cI\u2019d like to go to Thailand,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have amazing art and nature. Maybe I would find my next series there.\u201d<\/p>\n

COVID also disrupted her exhibition prospects, as it did for the majority of artists. \u201cRight now, my only exhibit is at Hollyburn Country Club, but, unfortunately, only members are allowed in,\u201d said Gagnon. \u201cThe other exhibits were recently taken down. With COVID, it\u2019s really hard. I feel it is artists\u2019 biggest challenge now: finding venues for our art. But I\u2019ve been invited to display my glass art in virtual galleries in New York, London and South America. And, of course, the hallway in the building where I live, off Commercial Drive, has many of my pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n

In all her paintings, Gagnon uses exclusively clear glass. \u201cI never wanted to use coloured glass \u2013 I paint over the glass or leave it as is, especially on the black background. It all depends on my muse,\u201d she explained. \u201cGlass gives texture and depth to my pieces. They become more realistic with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past, she could get all the broken glass she wanted for free, but that is no longer the case. \u201cNow, for whatever reason, they don\u2019t give away broken glass anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to buy sheets of glass from a company in Abbotsford and then I break them up myself. I use every fragment of glass, large and small. I\u2019m frugal this way. My parents and grandparents would be proud of me. I learned my frugality from them. I don\u2019t waste anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

More often than not, the sizes and shapes of the glass in her storage bins direct her next painting. Wherever her glass leads, she follows.<\/p>\n

Olga Livshin<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yvette Gagnon holds one of her works. (photo from Yvette Gagnon) Yvette Gagnon, a local French-Canadian multimedia artist, uses a unique technique: she combines acrylic paintings with mosaics. The glass shards she glues to her canvasses create a three-dimensional effect, while supplying a glittery, festive atmosphere for every one of her joyful images. Her flowers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[989],"tags":[2466,20391,20392,6691,20393],"class_list":["post-36503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual-arts","tag-art","tag-glass","tag-nitkin","tag-painting","tag-yvette-gagnon"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}