Interview
Monique J Dufour
Monique is a painter who spontaneously was guided to pick up a paintbrush for the very first time, in the summer of 2013, upon her return from a trip to St Paul de Vence, in the South of France. Little did she know, at the time, that she would be channeling energies from angels and other beings of light, that would serve to heal through my art. In 2016, after a lifetime in the corporate world, she left it all behind to begin a career of passion and love with new challenges, life lessons and spiritual growth. It is indeed a journey and she has chosen to share it through her art. When she paints, she is drawn to a palette of colours, divine sources channel energy and frequencies through her and guide her hands to create all that is beautiful from and for the soul.
Her career as a self taught artist began in 2013 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. She began selling her work locally and on Saatchi Art in 2014. In 2016, she was featured in the Pantone Colour of the Year on Saatchi and that's when she realized she truly wanted to paint full time. In 2016, she attended her first Artist Residency in Tuscany Italy, the experiences of those three months of being immersed in the culture and serene landscape, whilst living with artists from around the world will stay with her forever. In 2017, she travelled to Italy again for another three months. In 2018, she relocated to Spain where she now lives and continues to paint. That year, she was also invited and accepted to join Singulart to sell her work. She continues to travel throughout Europe and always bring new experiences home with her. She has exhibited her works live in Canada, Italy, France and Spain in curated exhibitions, solo exhibitions, group exhibitions as well as online exhibitions, and her art now hangs in private collections around the world.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I currently live in Spain. I am a self-taught intuitive Canadian Artist born in 1957 in Montreal, where I pursued a career in business while harboring a secret passion to paint. In 2013, I visited St. Paul de Vence, France, and upon my return I was motivated to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, and I have never looked back. In 2014, I began selling my art locally and on Saatchi Art. After painting part time for 3 years, in 2016, I left the corporate world and I spent 12 weeks at the Art Residency La Macina de San Cresci in Tuscany, Italy, which reinforced in my heart that art was my calling and passion, and in 2018, I was invited to join Singulart and most recently with Kooness.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work is about healing, peace, serenity and possibilities. When I first started to paint, it was a healing process for myself, though I was not aware of this at the time. As time went by, I realized that I was drawing from my own emotions and experiences. Painting was very liberating for me. Soon, my friends and collectors started identifying with my work and purchased them because they said that they felt a connection. That’s when I started to pick up energies and vibrations all around me, and was able to incorporate them in my paintings. Life, music, colors and nature are my sources of inspiration, and my paintings are a journey for both the artist and the viewer. I identify myself as painting from the inside out I paint from personal feelings and experiences, and my art is my process of storytelling. At times my art is very thought provoking, other times it can be a peaceful place or journey for the inner self.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“This is the best part of my work. I only plan the size of the canvas and the colors that I am drawn to paint with, blue being my favorite. I have no idea of where it will take me. I paint in a trance-like state, not knowing what I will create, and am drawn to paint with many layers, each layer being part of the story, and often with bold texture, with no restrictions. My abstract works encourage individual interpretation and resonance with the observer, which is my intention.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I can’t say that I really follow any art trends. Each year, I like to incorporate the Pantone color of the year in a few works. This coming year, I see myself as painting more minimalism, perhaps as a symbol of my life as it is now.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I assemble my own frames, then stretch the canvas, apply gesso. I always opt for high quality materials. My tools include a wide variety of brushes, spatulas, combs, rolling pin and many other kitchen items and whatever else strikes my fancy ! I work mostly with acrylics, India inks, molding paste, glazing medium, pigments. I do love to experiment with new materials and techniques.”
“My work is about healing, peace, serenity and possibilities.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Art for me is expression and flow. It’s also a safe place, not only for myself, but also for the viewer. We are immersed in the energy that comes to us from the sun and space, from the moving cells of everything that exists, we are like inside an engine always in motion, a flow in perpetual motion. To grasp it in art makes the traveler aware of the flow in which he is traveling and this I have experienced that which pushes you out of the daily life and then you perceive the energy flow of which we are part and makes you say “look how beautiful!” Like the wonderment of a child.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“I think it would be a painting entitled “Dreams”. Created in 2015 , colourful pods filled with adventures ! Dreams come to you in different shapes and colours. The artist followed her dreams, each one specific to a pod. This painting is filled with positive energy and she felt it was now time to pass it on and have someone else fulfill their dreams.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Each exhibition and award is an honor for me, to have been selected along side so many talented artists. The most important ones for me, was my first inclusion in a juried exhibition at Joshua Creek Art Gallery in Oakville, Ontario, Canada in 2016. The second was a group exhibition at the Gallery Sonia Monti in France 2019. The third one would be my acceptance to the Healing Power of Arts where I continue to show my works online as a finalist, in several juried exhibitions.”
