Dominique Fortin | La Fée d'Argent

Biography

Born Dominique Nadon-Fortin in Montréal (Qc) in 1974.

Formed in fine arts at Cégep de Saint-Laurent in 1997, and in jewelry at the École des métiers du sud-ouest in 2000.

Full-time painter-artist since 2003.

Represented in Montréal (Qc) by Galerie Saint-Dizier since February 2008.

Represented in Toronto (On) by Thompson Landry Gallery since July 2009.

Artistic statement

To take a true look at Dominique Fortin's work, one must store her rationality and open her mind to the World of Dreams and Childhood. Human figures, often the main theme of her paintings, evolve in a playful and fanciful universe which is mostly inspired b the artist's surroundings. Children naturally become part of Dominique's imagery as they are an intrinsic part of her life.

Her paintings could appear as enigmas or charades that seem difficult to decipher, but it is in fact about understanding the emotions and sensations being generated. Just as in ancient fairy tales, we allow the voice of youth and fantasy to take us in to a realm that is sometimes marvellous and sometimes frightening, but always bewitching.

Always balancing between realism and abstraction, her recent work invites us to take part in a theatrical scene where horses, birds, dancers nad various characters act in a carnivalesque ballet that is at once amusing and intriguing.

Dominique's creative process involves a great variety of techniques : collagraphy, scratching, projection, running paint, gilding, stencilling and image transferring, all enhanced by fabrics and other materials assembled in pictorial layers. Each painting offers the viewer multiple interpretations and as one gets closer, a variety of textures and symbols that were as yet invisible are revealed.

Dominique is an instinctual painter : the spontaneity of her gestures is revealed through a diversity of scarifications, penciled sketches and truncated lines. All these techniques, combined with the use of different media (acrylics, pencils, pastels, etc.), contribute to the visual richness of every painting.

The artist's personal touch is made apparent through numerous symbols and geometric patterns, such as spirals, crosses and typography. All these elements surround the subject, emphasizing the composition and giving rhythm to the painting, drawing our eye to the relation between subject and environment.

Gérald Hamel, 2009