Photo of Monique Germaine 2010
Monique's studio is a host to a lifetime of exciting experiences, a love of life and her need to express and celebrate it through her art.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
"FREEDOM, TRUTH AND JUSTICE" ARE MORE THAN MERE CONCEPTS TO ME.
They are beliefs to live by and principles that are reflected in everything I do. They are not to be taken for granted but to be exercised daily.
Self-creation is most important to me. It is a conscious work of restoration and rising above the limits of ordinary experiences, a sort of climbing above the ego.
SELF PORTRAIT
I was born and raised in New Brunswick in a French Acadian family, the second of 14 children. While in Private School, in St.Basil, 12 miles from my home, I contracted tuberculosis. After a long recovery in a TB Sanatorium, I pursued my studies in a small college in rural Quebec, thirty miles east of Montreal.
The late 70's found me single with 4 young children. I soon found myself involved in Human Rights work which took me into many oppressed countries, many of them behind the old "Iron Curtain" in the Soviet Union..
Many trips to Europe in countries such as Spain, France, England, Greece and many Eastern European countries such as Russia, the Ukraine, Hungary and many more, have helped to familiarize myself with great Art and its Masters.
Studio in Prince George, BC
Photo by Jennifer Kohl, September 2, 2007
Monique Germaine est acadienne française, née au Nouveau Brunswick, la seconde dans une famille de 14 enfants. Elle déménage à Prince George en 1987.
Monique a étudié à plusieurs institutions de beaux-arts : Art Training Program à Edmonton de 1981 – 1984, Athabasca University à Edmonton de 1984 – 1985, Vancouver Vocational Institute en 1986, et des leçons privées de Tim White – artiste et professeur à Vancouver de 1986 – 1988. Aussi, elle a voyagé à plusieurs pays d’Europe et s’est familiarisée avec des grands maîtres d’art et leurs œuvres . Monique utilise la peinture à l’huile pour créer ses tableaux.
"D'UNE VIE DIFFICILE ET TROUBLÉE, Monique a tiré l’inspiration pour ses œuvres d’art. La peinture lui donne une grande liberté et lui permet de puiser dans l'inconscient. Ses tableaux sont conçus comme un casse-tête pour entraîner le public dans le mystère des choses."
Elle déclare: « Quand je peins, je me rappelle notre humanité et la création d’une œuvre d’art semble nous rendre immortel. Chaque tableau m’apporte sur une route spirituelle qui finit toujours avec le sentiment d’être amoureuse, sinon, le tableau n’est pas terminé.
Statements from different reporters:
CBC reportage de Monia Blanchet: blanchem@vancouver.cbc.ca viewed on November 6 2006, May 28 2007 and June 3rd 2007.
"D'UNE VIE DIFFICILE ET TROUBLE, Monique Germaine a tire inspiration. La peinture lui a donne une grande liberte et lui a permis de puiser dans l'inconscient. Ses tableaux sont concus comme un casse-tete pour entrainer le public dans le mystere des choses."
Teresa Mallam arts@pgfreepress.com "Germaine has used her art to speak out against social injustices like racism and violence but it also celebrated the beauty in life." July 7, 2006.
George Harris (curator) of Two Rivers Art Gallery "The often unsettling and dream-like quality of these paintings results from explorations of perception, reality, imagination and truth, in a kind of neo-surrealist spirit."
Josh Hammerstedt: THE PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN "She didn't choose that style, it kind of chose her, because she's the kind of person who likes mystery, and is not afraid to look beyond the surface." October 2005.
Christine Skorepa: PG This Week: "Much of Germaine's work depicts human struggle and strife." May 25 2003
Showcase paintings -- Curriculum Vitae -- Art Links -- Tour Vitual Gallery
