Artist Statement

Through the lens of my identity as a Francophone-Métis artist and guided by theories related to ecological thought, my art practice mainly centres on community life and how it relates to its natural, manufactured, socio-cultural, and historical environments.

My work often focuses on Old Sandwich Town, which is located in Windsor, Ontario. It is the oldest continuous French community west of Montreal and sits on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy, which is comprised of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa Nations. Sandwich Town has been faced with many challenges over the past several decades and has been striving to enhance its community life. The area’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities are among the venues through which my work evolves.

Accessibility, inclusiveness, and equitable treatment are the guiding principles of my work, at times resulting in the creation of multidisciplinary, collaborative, and socially engaged art projects. In these instances, the inter-connectedness of the subject matter, be it local history, culture, the social and/or the natural environment often parallels the inter-relationship of various topics in current ecological study.

My two-dimensional work is layered physically and conceptually, combining both representational and abstract elements. The process integrates acrylic painting with other mediums and techniques such as photo collage and intaglio. My tools of choice are dictated by whatever means are necessary to produce ambiguous push-pull effects and create an intimate space for the viewer.

On the whole, my aim is to provoke thought and discussion about the development of existing and future communities.