Interview
Claudia Dorey
Claudia Dorey orbits around art. It is a way for her to express her emotions and thoughts. This type of introspection has allowed her to merge serenity and vulnerability. Art has helped her improve her health immensely, has given her a sense of direction and a purpose. She would not be living this life if she hadn’t found this incredible way of sharing her internal aches. She stands in her Montreal based studio, and all she can see is safety, worthiness, and love. Her style does not consist of a technique but rather of a work method. Her imagination leads every time. She does not predetermine what she will create. She follows the journey along the way.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I don’t have a background in the arts apart from signing. I was always greatly oriented toward sports. I played football, tennis, and American flag football. They were my main hobbies, and school was my main occupation. Everything was going well. I went through life without questioning it. One day I was at a football game, and I got immensely confused. I didn’t know what was happening. I felt disconnected and out of place. I had been playing for over ten years, but even that counted for nothing. I went home that evening and felt like I knew nothing, not myself. Everything was crumbling, but I wasn’t sad because I didn’t know what was happening. I felt ill for two days, so I scheduled a meeting with my doctor. After the appointment, I went to sleep. I was exhausted. I woke up the following day, and I couldn’t move.
My body was aching like it never had before. I couldn’t hold my own weight. I had a pounding headache. My thoughts weren’t clear, and my environment was unfamiliar. I entered a period of chronic pain for three years. Most days, I couldn’t walk and could barely think. I felt powerless. My body was failing me, and I had never felt so lonely. Everything that made me, sports, singing, and socializing, was abruptly gone. My days consisted of surviving. Walking wasn’t something I could take for granted anymore. I would sometimes write, but the focus it required was challenging, so it wasn’t something I could do on a daily basis.
Eventually, I started painting. It was the only way I could adequately communicate without too much mental or physical effort. It was my way to yell without increasing my headache, a way of expressing my distress and my pain. The only thing that made me feel heard.”
What inspires you as an artist?
“My inspiration would have to be my environment. The people who make me feel deeply because they are a part of me. As well as an immense amount of personal growth. All this has me going through a spectrum of emotions. My environment helps me find a medium that communicates with my body's needs. My inspirations are:
The people who have or still surround me.
My subconscious.
My city.
My health issues.
My trips (for the eye-opening reality of different cultures).”
“I am my inspiration because I am a product of my environment.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My recurrent theme is always putting the world, my reality, and our system into question. It doesn't matter whether it is regarding feminism, spirituality, unconditional love, or education. The general idea is to remind people that their perspective is not reality and to stay open-minded.”
How would you describe your work?
“A reflection of everyone. It is a mirror. There is so much going on in all my paintings that whatever catches that person's eye first represents something about how they grew up and were educated. My art is a way to communicate with my subconscious. I let my hand speak for itself, and once I finish a painting, I introspect on what I was trying to tell myself. Painting is speaking from the heart to help the brain understand.”
“My art is a way to communicate with my subconscious. I let my hand speak for itself, and once I finish a painting, I introspect on what I was trying to tell myself. Painting is speaking from the heart to help the brain understand.”
Which artist are you most influenced by?
“I couldn’t say an artist has greatly influenced my style, although Frida Kahlo is someone I feel I can relate to because like me, she also had health issues and used art to heal and talk about her journey.”
Take us through your creative process. What’s it like?
“As I mentioned before, art is a way to create a line of communication between my subconscious and conscious. I never choose a color scheme. It’s as though my body knows what it is doing. It comes so naturally. I put on instrumental music, and usually, my first instinct is to do an abstract painting. From there, a world unfolds, and I add details for all to see.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist's role in society is to show future generations how mentally awakened we were at that time. It provides introspection and self-growth, and if everyone valued looking within, this world would be a better place and a more enriching one. Artists also show how important it is to do the things we love, as time is not endless. ”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“WIP, the feminist vernissage - through the Montreal university.
I had an exhibit on March 10th, 2022, and a second on November 11th, 2022.
I also had a four-day exhibit at the marché Bonsecours July 2022
I also had an exhibit with raw artists in Canada on may 7th in Montreal and one upcoming on February 24th, 2023 in Toronto https://rawartists.com/ClaudiaDorey
I also have a few lined up in spring.”
