In 2001, after 30 years in the advertising world as an art director and illustrator, Montreal artist François Chartier finally began pursuing his artwork full time. “I felt the need to pursue in greater depth my own artistic journey through painting. I deeply think that artwork should inspire!” he says. “I love to create joyful, colorful and luminous atmospheres in my paintings, and I hope that they will remain, long after I am gone, a source of inspiration and wonder.”
SERENITY, oil on canvas, 48 x 60"
His bright, luminous oils capture his still life subjects in crisp detail. Lately, many of his works have an added layer of being submerged under water. “My choice of painting subject is usually dictated by the rhythm, shape, color, light and shadow I obtain by staging objects or flowers,” he adds. “The themes of many of my paintings explore the relationship of light with reflective and transparent surfaces, as they echo my journey to understand these qualities and convey my sense of wonder and intrigue over them. I aim to tell a story that expresses my unique vision, to create an image that first moves me and hopefully moves the viewer.”
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT, oil on canvas, 48 x 60"
Chartier enjoys the impact of large-scale paintings, adding that it is extremely important that he’s in sync with the image before he begins the paintings. This can sometimes take months.
MARIE ANTOINETTE, oil on canvas, 44 x 72"
“I try as much as possible to personalize each painting with my own vision to make them unique,” he says. These days, the artist is working on a solo show of flowers floating underwater surrounded by air bubbles. Chartier is represented by Galerie d’Art Richelieu in Montreal, Quebec, and Plus One Gallery in London. —
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