Johanne Galipeau Artist: Indochine Coming Workshops

The Sidney Fine Art Show was a delight, lots of interesting work and lots of people. I spent the week end in Victoria for the occasion, had lovely visit with family, shopped for a neat new pair of boots to replace my good old Blundstones, and made a quick stop at Opus to buy cold wax.
back in the studio, my new paintings have a certain flavour reminding me of Vietnam. It is like an interlude, a detour because I have tons more images in my head that relate to the series The Edge and I would like to paint them next. It doesn't really matter in what order the paintings come, and it is fun just to marvel at the creative process and notice what is happening. This new work has both figurative images and abstract ones, and has the scent of South East Asia to me. It is reminiscent of a trip to Vietnam three years ago. I think I'll call this series Indochine. Like the movie in which Catherine Deneuve plays a French heiress at the head of a rubber plantation in the colonial Saigon of the 1930's. Indochine is also the world of Marguerite Duras. There was always an attraction for me to visit that part of the world and I loved it from the moment I stepped out of the plane, now years later, paintings are bringing that trip back to life in a different light. I am intrigued to watch what is going to come out of the studio in the next while.

Details from Rice Field


Rice Field 36" x 60" oil and cold wax

This week will see me in the studio getting the space ready for the first workshop next Sunday. People will learn to use oil paint and cold wax and work in layers to slowly build up the surface.With the use of different techniques like stenciling, rubbing, and printing, they will make various textures on the canvas and create their unique piece of rich abstract art. I am looking forward to teach this workshop again, the results are always stunning.