France Jodoin - 'Above and Below'

FRANCE JODOIN “ABOVE AND BELOW”

FRANCE JODOIN

‘ABOVE AND BELOW’ ENTRE CIEL ET TERRE

JODOIN IN HER STUDIO IN COWANSVILLE, QUÉBEC 4

FRANCE JODOIN France Jodoin crée des univers évanescents entre le réel et l’imaginaire. Contrairement au monde dans lequel nous vivons et que nous connaissons, dans celui qu’elle peint, le temps et les frontières entre la terre, la mer et le ciel s’évaporent et de cet effacement, une force se dégage; les architectures dévoilent et gardent leurs secrets, les personnages se meuvent avec élégance, d’un pas assuré et rassuré. Il y a dans chaque tableau quelque chose de magique, de subtil et de puissant qui incite le spectateur à se demander ce qui se passe et pourquoi, ce qu’il y avait avant, et ce qu’il y aura après? « Mes tableaux sont un collage de différents éléments d’information; ils ne représentent rien, ni personne, ni aucun lieu en particulier. Je m’inspire d’une multitude d’expériences sensorielles : un voyage que j’ai fait des années plus tôt, un bout de film ou des idées abstraites qui s’imposent à mon esprit et que je transpose sur la toile.

Ce qui m’inspire, ce n’est pas nécessairement ce que j’ai vu, mais ce que j’ai ressenti. Ça peut me rester dans la tête des années; des idées remontent à la surface, un peu comme les vagues viennent et repartent -- je ne contrôle pas ce processus – et je travaille à partir de ça. J’essaie de créer des lieux où les gens peuvent se reposer, comme le font les paysages. Pour moi, un paysage n’est jamais agressant. C’est reposant, méditatif, contemplatif. Je veux que les gens qui regardent mes tableaux prennent le temps de prendre le temps. Et je leur donne carte blanche pour ce qui est d’interpréter les images. »

France Jodoin réside et travaille à Cowansville dans la région des Cantons-de-l’Est au Québec. Depuis plus de 15 ans, elle expose ses œuvres dans différents musées et galeries au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Europe.

The worlds that France Jodoin brings to life in her paintings capture the fleeting spaces between what we know and what we imagine. We recognize the worlds she creates, and yet unlike our world time and borders between land, sea and sky gently but powerfully dissolve away, architecture reveals and guards secrets, and people move gracefully, knowingly — without fear or threat. Each painting holds a subtle but powerful spark of magic, igniting in the beholder a desire to ask what is happening and why, what came before and what comes next.

“My paintings are a collage of many pieces of information. They are never specific to a place, person or object. I am inspired by a multitude of sensory experiences: a trip I may have taken years ago, a clip from a film, or abstract thoughts that I am compelled to express on canvas.

What inspires me is not necessarily what I have seen, but what I have felt. It can rest in my mind for years.

Ideas come to the surface, not unlike waves that come and go – waves whose ebb and flow I do not control. I try to create places where people can rest, like landscapes do. For me, a landscape is never aggressive. It is restful, meditative and contemplative. I want people who view my paintings to take the time to take the time. Each piece shares in common an invitation to the viewer to become part of the narrative.” Jodoin

France Jodoin lives and works in Cowansville in the Eastern Townships, in the province of Quebec. She has been exhibiting her paintings for more than 15 years in museums and galleries in Canada, in the United States and in Europe.

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A CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTIST…..

1) What was the inspiration for calling the show “Above and Below”?

In all my work, from the very beginning, there have been two fundamental elements: the sky, and water (if there is earth, water is part of it). Between the sky and the water are the subjects of my work — architecture, trees, people, birds, flowers. Together, they create a mise en scène, and the narrative is left to the viewer to create.

2) Are you formally trained as an artist/painter? What motivated you to become a painter?

No. I am a self-taught artist. I have always been interested in art. I was a professional translator for many years before I became an artist, but it was never something that brought me a deep sense of satisfaction, nor did I ever feel I was in the right place and doing the right thing.

There was no decisive moment in my life that led me on the path to become an artist. Certainly, a flame was lit when I signed up for a live model art class given by my sister in Montreal. However, I never thought for a moment I would take it any further than that. I do recall that at the end of that three-hour class, I seemingly had not taken a breath. I was mesmerized by that feeling. What was it? What happened in those three hours that made me completely forget the translation work on my desk and the deadlines I had to meet? I ended up taking this class with mixed media for three years. During that period, I translated less and less and painted more and more. Finally, I abandoned translation and dedicated all my time to studio work.

3) Are your landscapes from imagination or do you draw inspiration from real places you have visited?

Both, but imagination plays a bigger part in the process. I might refer to the photo of a castle I visited, but in the end I will keep a few elements only of that picture. The place visited serves as the underpainting if I can say. Then imagination kicks in.

4) Which artists inspire you in life and in your work?

I am inspired by Vilhelm Hammershøi, Anders Zorn, Jean-François Millet, Antonio Lopez, George Clausen, Arthur Streeton, John Constable and J.M.W. Turner, to name a few. In life, my husband, the artist Kevin Sonmor, is my greatest source of inspiration through his ethics, his discipline and his career as a painter.

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5) As the art world adjusts itself due to COVID-19, has this effected how you show/promote your work?

My work and the way I work in the studio have not changed. I am privileged to be surrounded by wonderful people who represent and promote my paintings incredibly well in the COVID-19 environment. I had two exhibitions earlier this year, right at the beginning of the pandemic, and the shows were promoted on the galleries’ websites and though social media. I had a telephone interview with Radio-Canada in Toronto.

6) We notice study work is extremely important for you? Can you explain why it is an important process for your finished product/painting?

Studies are preparatory works for the bigger works. I do studies on paper, using painting media and techniques that are not exclusively oil paint. Studies help me to think outside the box, to “break the line” as I say. I am fundamentally an oil painter; studies allow me to explore new territories, new techniques — monotype, watercolour, gyotaku printing for example. What I love about studies is that they become variations on the same theme. I have done 80 monkey studies, as many lighthouses studies and seascapes.

Always, something new comes out of these exercises and contributes to extend my vocabulary as a painter.

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Inhale the Different Dawn, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 54” x 60” 8

Une heure est une mer entre toi et moi, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 48� x 60�

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Les collines en syllabes pourpres, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 30� x 30�

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Les faubourgs d'un secret, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 48� x 60�

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Les cloches gonflées de ciel, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 36” x 30” 12

So Short a Thing to Sigh, 2020. Huile sur toile lin / Oil on Linen. 36” x 30”

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Peu nombreuses les tâches du vent, 2020.

Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen 48” x 24”

The Evening on the Day Leans, 2020.

Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen 48” x 24”

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Tisée la toile de la vie, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 72” x 48” 15

Doesn't - Always - Move, 2020. Huile sur toile de lin / Oil on linen. 72” x 48” 16

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