Interview
Camille Girard
Camille Girard is a contemporary and neurodivergent artist who lives in Quebec, Canada. Her work consists of all the whimsical, strange and colorfull creatures and characters she wants to create. She has expertise in multiple mediums and is currently working on a graphic novel that will also features otherwordly creatures. She is also a dragon mage, a person with an affinity for dragons and embodies their energy and is an alchemist who plays big and helps others expland. She dictate her reality and considers herself to be a shapeshifter.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Like most people, I have been creating visual art since I was a child, but I started doing art ‘seriously’ at around age 10-11. Being a pre-teen in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I was inspired by speedpaints on Youtube, I saw people making theses and wanted to be able to do the same.”
What inspires you?
“My main focus is creatures and characters from other worlds. My inspiration comes from anything whimsical, colorful, strange and imaginative. This can come from a vast number of things but those that come to my mind are video games, things that pop in my head, cartoons and mythology.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Aside from ‘fantasy’ and ‘creatures’ there isn't exactly a specific theme. There is no underlying message in my work, I create the subjects in my work solely because I have to the desire to create them. Everything I do is because I want to do it and there is no other reason. I am, however, working on a graphic novel with more precise terms. It tells the story of a female sphinx who lives in a hyper religious country. During her adventures she will have her world view shattered not once, but twice.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe it as the fruit of my imagination.”
Which artists influence you most?
“There is a few artists I can say had the more influence on me. Some of them were Youtube artists. Others were the creators of thoses wolves and dogs animation and comics in the late 2000s. The Mangaka Yoshihiro Takahashi is one person whoses manga with dogs inspired me beyond social media. The Italian surrealist artist Luigi Seraphini is probably my favorite artist with his uniquely weird artwork.”
What is your creative process like?
“Before starting a piece, I already have the image in my head. Before starting to put it outside of my brain, I first choose which medium(s) I want to use. Then, I start working on it with the aid of references and other things most artists use to help.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I personally don’t really put much thought on what my art role's in society is. Same for the work of other artists. When I meet other people, artist or otherwise, I don't ask myself what role they have in society. But since I am being asked this question, it seems obvious that the role of an artist isn’t fixed, there is a lot of things that artists can do to contribute to society. From music to the infographics required to create company logos and labels, as well as the entertainment industry and forensic designers, art has a much bigger presence is society than many would like to admit. In the next decades, I believe that it will be more common for artists to be freelancers and that our world will become more suited for this type of art career.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“In 2025, my art was exposed at a La vitrine des artistes peintres du Carrefour Trois-Rivières Ouest and at a Festival in my city. I am planning to go to the Symposium Festiv'arts in Quebec City.”
