About 10 years ago, I acquired a lot of 25 unused root beer bottle caps on eBay. Several are vintage, and most feature the old-school cork liners that were phased out during the 1960s. While a few brands are familiar, most are completely new to me. They represent classic, all-American root beer brands, though several are or were available here in Canada as well.
According to my iPad, I completed the original photo study for this painting on December 3, 2016. It has been sitting on the backburner for a decade. Executing a painting like this is an intense exercise in precision and exactitude. It requires meticulous attention to lettering and colors, exploring sheen and shine, and creating the illusion of different types of metal without ever touching silver or metallic paint. For me, this is the purest form of photorealism and hyperrealism—an exploration of both technical challenge, pop culture, and nostalgia.
For the composition, I stacked the bottle caps directly on top of the cover of the Taschen Pop Art book. The book features Roy Lichtenstein's iconic artwork M-Maybe (A Girl's Picture). Because of this placement, his signature Ben Day dots (the tiny red dots) appear discreetly in four distinct areas between the caps.
The Ben Day dots printing process was commonly used
in vintage color comic books and became a visual hallmark
of Lichtenstein's celebrated style.
There is a deliberate, conceptual layer to this arrangement: by stacking vintage, mass-produced bottle caps onto a book celebrating Pop Art, I wanted to create a direct dialogue between mid-century commercial design and high art. The caps aren't just sitting on a background; they are interacting with the very artistic movement that elevated everyday consumer objects into gallery spaces.
This painting is signed on the bottom right edge of the Frostie bottle cap.
This painting will be part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-
''Still Lives Silent Places''
held at the Fog Forest Gallery
from October 16 - November 6, 2026. Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm
Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.
To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery. Fog Forest Gallery 14 Bridge Street Sackville, NB, Canada (506) 536-9000 website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/
12 x 12", acrylic on cradle aluminum panel painting #302, 2025, black floater frame
Growing up, I read all of the graphic novels of the Adventures of Tintin. I've always had a kind of adventurous spirit and a desire to travel. I suspect that globe trotting with Tintin through those pages awoke something inside me during those formative years.
The genesis for this painting was planted back in 2016. My wife, Suzanne, and I visited the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels. Amidst the displays of artefacts, one specific object grabbed my attention: a replica of the Crabe Extra tin from Hergé’s classic Tintin adventure, The Crab with the Golden Claws (Le crabe aux pinces d'or).
Crabe Extra from The Adventures of Tintin, The Crab with the Golden Claws
Belgium Comic Strip Center, Brussels - 2016
Fast forward to two Christmases ago. My son, Jean-Luc, surprised me with a figurine of Hergé himself. The artistic wheels soon began to turn. I started wondering: What if Hergé was to cross the Atlantic again? What if I plunged Tintin's creator directly into a brand-new adventure right here in New Brunswick? To ground this Franco-Belgian comic icon in my home province so he could conceive his next book.
When I was a teenager in the late 1970s, I spent my summers working at the United Maritime Fishermen (U-M-F) fish processing plant in Cap-Lumière, NB. Instead of painting Hergé’s fictional crab tin, I went searching online for some memorabilia from my youth. I found an image of the exact vintage U-M-F "Fresh Lobster Meat" can that was used to pack and freeze lobster during the time I was there. After downloading the pic, I cropped the Lobster image with Photoshop, found the same fonts for the lettering and proceeded to create my own label. Bought a $1 can of water chestnut which corresponded to the exact size I needed and voila!
Top- original UMF Fresh Lobster Meat Can, circa pre 1980
Bottom- facsimile can that I created
Using that label as my anchor, I meticulously hand-painted the background using a liner brush, tracing the lobster anatomy in a precise, greyscale pattern. The background is an homage to two masters. While the clean, unvarying lines mimic legendary ligne claire (clear line) comic style, the decision to invert the image as a negative—painting them light against a dark field in a rhythmic, repeating grid—is a direct nod to Andy Warhol's pop-art silkscreen prints. It is a full-circle moment: Warhol famously met and painted a portrait of Hergé in the late 1970s, citing the comic artist as a massive influence.
The "Hergé à Québec" exhibition, which ran
from June 21 to October 22, 2017
Musée de la Civilisation, Québec City
Beside the U-M-F tin stands Hergé himself, sketchpad in hand, seemingly plotting his next mystery while standing atop the 2019 New Brunswick Tourist Guide Booklet featuring the iconic Miscou Lighthouse. This booklet represents a piece of local history in its own right—it was the very last physical guide the province ever printed before going entirely digital.
During the depth of the pandemic, when our province was part of the Atlantic bubble, we took the opportunity to explore our province and vacationed twice in the Acadian Peninsula. Among the attractions is the Véloroute - a 300 km cycling path. I had the opportunity to cycle across the picturesque Miscou Island.
This is the narrative that I came up with to create this painting. But, after the painting was completed, a bizarre, intriguing twist occurred that this work could easily be reinterpreted with much darker undertones.
In November 2025, Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête revealed that between 10% to 30% of the lobster catch in Atlantic Canada is diverted to the illegal black market worth up to $681 million annually. The exposé utilized undercover operations to document how catches bypass mandatory weighing and regulations before being laundered through commercial supply chains and distributed internationally by organized crime.
During one of the opening scenes of this investigative report is an aerial view of the Miscou Lighthouse (at 2min:26 sec). Click HERE to watch the episode.
When I introduce a marble in a painting, it often reveals that I am playing a mind game with the viewer. OK, now let's do a reinterpretation of this imagery using this new information- Hergé plays the role of a Radio-Canada reporter doing the investigation on the illegal lobster catch, using a black background to represent lobsters being sold on the black market with each lobster worth 100 million dollars...
This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-
''Still Lives Silent Places''
held at the Fog Forest Gallery
from October 16 - November 6, 2026. Opening reception - Oct. 23, 2026 - from 4:30 to 6pm
Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.
To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery. Fog Forest Gallery 14 Bridge Street Sackville, NB, Canada (506) 536-9000 website- https://www.fogforestgallery.ca/
painting #301, 2025-26 / black wooden floater frame
ENGLISH TO FOLLOW
Il s'agit d'une œuvre jumelle de la précédente, rendant hommage à l'auteure Antonine Maillet. L'emplacement de cette peinture est la dune de Bouctouche, plus précisément l'Éco-centre Irving et sa promenade à Saint-Édouard, au Nouveau-Brunswick.
Les deux livres figurant dans cette composition sont ses deux premiers romans. "Pointe-aux-Coques", publié en 1958, lui a valu le prix Champlain, suivi de "On a mangé la dune" en 1962. Ce second ouvrage marque une rupture stylistique majeure : Antonine Maillet commence à s'éloigner du français classique pour laisser la jeune protagoniste du roman s'exprimer avec ses propres mots. Cette démarche a ouvert la voie à l'usage du parler acadien qui allait plus tard assurer à l'auteure une renommée internationale. Ces deux romans sont semi-autobiographiques ; le village fictif de Pointe-aux-Coques s'inspire de Richibouctou-Village et du Cap-de-Richibouctou (Cap-Lumière).
Peu après avoir obtenu un baccalauréat es arts , elle a rejoint la congrégation des Sœurs de Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur en 1950, à l'âge de 21 ans. Elle a fait partie de cette communauté religieuse de 1950 à 1967. Au début de sa carrière, tout comme ses parents, elle a exercé le métier d'enseignante. Son premier poste d'enseignante se situait à Cap-Lumière, vers 1950. Selon mon défunt père, l'école se trouvait à environ 400 mètres de la maison où j'ai grandi. Ma marraine, alors nommée Rachelle Cormier, a enseigné à ses côtés durant cette période. Cormier était également le nom de jeune fille de la mère d'Antonine Maillet, laquelle est la narratrice de son premier ouvrage.
Ces livres existent bel et bien individuellement, mais sont réunis en un seul volume pour cet édition. Bien que son éditeur canadien soit Leméac (Montréal), cet ouvrage a été publié en 1977 par Marabout, en Belgique. Je l'ai commandé en ligne auprès d'un libraire français spécialisé dans les livres usagés. Toujours à l'aide de Photoshop et de quelques astuces de numérisation, j'ai créé deux nouveaux dos de livre et ensuite recouvert un second bouquin de même format pour réaliser "On a mangé la dune".
Bien entendu, les fleurs lui sont destinées. Quant à la boîte de soupe Campbell's, je tenais à y ajouter une touche d'humour et une référence à la cuisine acadienne. La boîte de soupe Campbell's est évidemment un clin d'œil à Andy Warhol. Situé à Camden, dans le New Jersey, le siège social de Campbell's se trouve juste de l'autre côté du fleuve Delaware, à seulement 4 km (2,5 miles) de Philadelphie. Si le périple d'Évangéline, l'héroïne de Longfellow, s'achevait à Philadelphie, Pélagie — personnage du roman "Pélagie-la-Charrette" d'Antonine Maillet — y arrive en 1776, au chapitre 12. C'est là qu'elle rencontre Beausoleil Broussard, avec qui je partage un ancêtre commun : Michel Sansoucy Richard, venu de France entre 1651 et 1654.
Antonine Maillet s'est éteinte le 17 février 2025, alors que je travaillais sur cette peinture. Par un curieux hasard, ce matin-là, en descendant l'escalier, j'ai entendu mon épouse Suzanne — qui regardait la chaîne Radio-Canada ICI Télé — annoncer la nouvelle de son décès. En tournant les yeux vers l'écran, j'ai vu une image figée de l'écrivaine marchant sur la même promenade en bois que celle figurant dans mon tableau. Bien qu'elle ait passé la majeure partie de sa vie d'adulte à Montréal, elle possédait un magnifique chalet en forme de phare, située à quelques kilomètres seulement de cette promenade.
Elle était la tante de Cécile Maillet, l'une de nos amies les plus proches, également infirmière. Je me souviens avoir brièvement rencontré Antonine Maillet au début des années 1980, chez ses parents. Je dois beaucoup à Cécile. À l'automne 1986, c'est elle qui m'a convaincue de suivre, à ses côtés, un cours de dessin de perspective de dix semaines enseigné par Sylvain Arseneau. La dernière séance était consacrée à une initiation à la peinture acrylique. Quelques mois plus tard, je réalisais ma première toile en toute autonomie. Elle a également joué un rôle majeur dans mon éveil spirituel. Malheureusement, alors qu'elle s'apprêtait à prendre sa retraite comme d'infirmière, elle a été percutée par l'arrière par un camping-car lors d'une sortie à vélo et a subi un traumatisme crânien majeur. Elle est décédée l'an dernier, à l'âge de 69 ans, après avoir passé plusieurs années en établissement de soins de longue durée.
Antonine Maillet et sa nièce Cécile partagaient le même type d’idéalisme : elles étaient des femmes indépendantes, anticonformistes — des esprits libres.
Cécile Maillet
L'un des aspects de la peinture que je trouve particulièrement difficile est la représentation d'éléments flous. Lorsque j'ai réalisé l'étude photographique sur place pour ce tableau avec mon Google Pixel 7, seuls les livres et les fleurs étaient parfaitement en focus; j'avais omis de photographier la structure elle-même, notamment les rampes et les planches de la passerelle. J'ai eu beaucoup de mal avec la zone située immédiatement à gauche, derrière les livres. La semaine dernière, j'ai décidé de retirer le vernis de cette partie à l'aide d'essence de térébenthine distillée pour retenter ma chance afin de créer une image plus harmonieuse. C'est là que mes compétences en dessin de perspective m'ont bien servi : j'ai en effet réinventé cette section en y intégrant une rampe totalement différente.
Ces deux tableaux rendant hommage à Antonine Maillet ont été conçus à l'origine comme soumission au programme d'acquisition pour la Banque d'œuvres d'art du Nouveau-Brunswick (2026). Malheureusement, ils n'ont pas été retenus par le jury. Cette exposition leurs donne une fenêtre de voir le grand jour.
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A postage stamp of Antonine Maillet was issued by Canada Post on November 27, 2024. One has been affixed on the back of each frame.
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Un timbre à l’effigie d’Antonine Maillet a été émis par Postes Canada le 27 novembre 2024. L’un d’eux a été apposé au dos des deux cadres.
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This is a sister painting of the previous, paying homage to author Antonine Maillet. The setting for this work is at the Bouctouche Dune, more precisely, the Irving Eco-Centre and Boardwalk in St-Edouard, NB.
The two books for this composition were her first two novels. "Pointe-aux-Coques" published in 1958 earned her the Prix Champlain followed by "On a mangé la dune" in 1962. The second work marks a crucial stylistic break. Antonine Maillet begins to detach herself from classical French, allowing the young protagonist of the novel to express herself in her own words. This paved the way for the use of the Acadian dialect that would later bring the author international renown. These two novels are semi-autobiographical. The fictional village of Pointe-aux-Coques is based on Richibouctou-Village and Cap-de-Richibouctou (Cap-Lumière).
Right after earning her bachelor's degree. Maillet joined the congregation of the Sisters of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur in 1950 at the age of 21. Her time in the religious community spanned from 1950-1967. Early in her career, like her parents, she started out as a teacher. Her first teaching job was in Cap-Lumière around 1950. According to my late father, that schoolhouse would have been located 400m from the house I grew up in. My godmother, then Rachelle Cormier thought with her during this period. Cormier was also Maillet's own mother's family name who is the narrator of her first offering.
These specific books do exist individually, but in one single volume for this edition. While her Canadian publisher is Leméac in Montréal, this book was published by Marabout in 1977 out of Belgium. I ordered it on-line from a French used book retailer. Again, with the help of Photoshop and some scanning tricks, I created two new spines and wrapped a second book of the same size to create "On a mangé la dune".
Of course, the flowers are for her. As for the Campbell's soup can, I had to add some humour and Acadian cuisine in the mix. In English, these titles translate to "Clam Point" (Pointe-aux-Coques) and "We Ate the Dune" (On a mangé la dune), while "Clam Chowder" is the translation for Chaudrée aux coques. Of course, the Campbell's Soup can is a wink to Andy Warhol. Located in Camden, New Jersey, the Campbell's headquarters sits just across the Delaware River - only 4 km (2.5 miles) from Philadelphia. While Longfellow's Evangeline's peril ended in Philadelphia, Pélagie in Maillet's "Pélagie-la-Charette", arrives in Philadelphia in 1776 at chapter 12. Here, she meets Beausoleil Broussard with whom I share the same ancestor- Michel Sansoucy Richard who immigrated from France circa 1651-1654.
Antonine Maillet died on February 17, 2025 while I was working on this painting. Ironically, coming down the stairs that morning, my wife Suzanne was watching Radio-Canada ICI Télé and announced her passing. As I looked at the TV, the image on the screen on pause was her walking on the same boardwalk as in my painting. While she had lived most of her adult life in Montreal, she owned a beautiful cottage in the shape of a lighthouse only a few kilometers from the boardwalk.
She was the aunt of one of our closest friend and fellow nurse Cécile Maillet. I remember meeting Antonine Maillet briefly during the early 1980's at her parent's house. I owe a lot to Cécile. During the fall of 1986, it was her who coaxed me to join her in taking a perspective drawing course over a 10 week period with Sylvain Arseneau. The last session was an introduction to acrylic painting. A few months later, I would complete a first painting on my own. She also played a great role in my spiritual awakening. Sadly, pending her retirement from nursing, she was hit from behind by a motorhome while on a bike ride and suffered a major brain trauma. She also passed away last year at the age of 69, after spending several years in a nursing home.
Antonine Maillet and her niece Cécile shared the same kind of idealism: they were independent, nonconformist women—free spirits.
One aspect of painting that I find particularly difficult is painting anything that is out of focus. When I did the photo study on site for this painting with my Google Pixel 7, only the books and flowers were in full focus. I omitted to take pictures of the structure itself, railings and deck board. I truly struggled with the immediate left section behind the books. This past week, I decided to remove the varnish on that section of the boardwalk with distilled turpentine and give it another go in order to create an image that was more harmonious. This is when my perspective drawing skills served me well. I did re-invent that section with an all-together different railing.
These two paintings paying homage to Antonine Maillet were initially conceived as a submission to the 2026 New Brunswick Art Bank acquisition program. Unfortunately, they were not retained by the jury, but this exhibition still gives them a window to see the light of day.
This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-
''Still Lives, Silent Places''
held at the Fog Forest Gallery
from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.
To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery. Fog Forest Gallery 14 Bridge Street Sackville, NB, Canada (506) 536-9000 website- http:/fogforestgallery.ca
J'ai grandi à Cap-Lumière, au Nouveau-Brunswick, à moins de 30 km de Bouctouche. Cette ville est connue pour être le lieu de naissance de la célèbre romancière, dramaturge et universitaire acadienne Antonine Maillet (1929-2025), ainsi que de K.C. Irving (1899-1992), milliardaire et homme d'affaires ayant bâti un empire couvrant les secteurs de l'énergie, de l'exploitation forestière, du commerce et des médias. Leurs contributions à la société diffèrent radicalement, tout comme leurs héritages respectifs. La dynastie industrielle de K.C. Irving exerce toujours une influence économique et sociale sans pareille sur le Canada atlantique — et plus particulièrement sur le Nouveau-Brunswick —, tandis que l'héritage d'Antonine Maillet a permis de porter l'histoire, l'identité et la langue parlée unique du peuple acadien sur la scène internationale.
Ce tableau rend hommage à cette grande dame. J'ai choisi le site du Pays de la Sagouine pour encadrer cette composition. Cette attraction touristique a été inaugurée en 1992 sur l'île aux Puces, située sur la rivière Bouctouche. Elle a vu le jour grâce au succès de la pièce de théatre La Sagouine, écrite par Mme Maillet en 1971. Ce succès doit autant au talent de conteuse de l'auteure qu'à l'interprétation magistrale de Viola Léger (1930-2023). Durant 45 ans (de 1971 à 2016), cette dernière a incarné le personnage plus de 3 000 fois, que ce soit sur scène, au cinéma ou à la télévision, au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Europe. Au fil des ans, ce lieu touristique a évolué pour devenir une forme de théâtre vivant où de nombreux personnages créés par Mme Maillet prennent vie dans des sketches, tout en célébrant la culture, la cuisine, la musique et le folklore acadien.
Antonine Maillet et Le Pays de la Sagouine.
La comédienne Solange LeBlanc, qui décrit le site est ma deuxième cousine.
En 2023, sur la partie terrestre du parc, Le Pays de la Sagouine a inauguré en partenariat avec le studio multimédia de renommée mondiale Moment Factory — un parcours nocturne enchanté de 1,5 km baptisé « Akadi Lumina ». Ce parcours forestier multisensoriel mêle une installation lumineuse saisissante, un spectacle laser, des projections vidéo et une bande sonore originale puissante pour créer une expérience immersive magique et féerique. Il évoque également l'histoire du peuple acadien : sa joie de vivre, sa résilience, son folklore et son passé maritime.
Akadi Lumina- 2024-10-14
Les livres que j'ai choisi de mettre en vedette sont les deux œuvres pour lesquelles elle est le plus connue. "Pélagie-la-Charrette" a été publié en 1979 et lui a valu le prix Goncourt, largement reconnu comme la distinction littéraire de langue française la plus prestigieuse au monde. Dès son annonce, l'ouvrage est devenu un best-seller, s'écoulant à plus d'un million d'exemplaires. J'étais alors en douzaine année au secondaire. Notre école en a rapidement acquis un grand nombre, et sa lecture est devenue obligatoire pour un résumé de livre lors de notre cours de français. Je me souviens que c'était une lecture assez difficile. Pendant que je peignais, je me suis rafraîchi la mémoire en écoutant le livre audio lu par la brillante Diane Losier, disponible sur Radio-Canada Ohdio (disponible ICI). Maillet demeure à ce jour la seule Canadienne à avoir reçu le prix Goncourt.
Contrairement au poème narratif épique "Evangeline" de Longfellow, qui suit la protagoniste après la déportation des Acadiens par les Britanniques en 1755, 'Pélagie-la-Charrette" propose un contre-récit audacieux et contestataire. Alors qu'Évangéline est une figure romantique et tragique qui souffre en silence et se soumet à son sort, Pélagie est une veuve hardie et déterminée, pleine d'espoir, de courage et d'une obstination rebelle ; elle guide activement son peuple dans une odyssée de dix ans pour regagner sa terre natale depuis le sud des États-Unis.
Le second livre comprend deux de ses pièces de théâtre : La Sagouine et Évangéline Deusse. Comme ces deux livres sont assez minces, j'ai créé, à l'aide de Photoshop, un nouveau dos de livre combinant les deux ouvrages pour les besoins de ce tableau. J'ai également dû inverser le sens des titres et du nom de l'auteur sur le dos du livre, car tous les ouvrages publiés en français se lisent du bas vers le haut, et non du haut vers le bas. En intitulant la pièce "Évangeline Deusse" (la seconde), Maillet créait délibérément une version moderne et réinventée de l'héroïne légendaire de Longfellow. Ce titre indique clairement que ce personnage constitue une rupture totale avec l'Évangeline originale du XIXe siècle — cette victime tragique, jeune et soumise qui subit son exil en silence. À l'opposé, l'Évangeline Deusse de Maillet est une femme de 80 ans obstinée, indépendante et joyeuse. Malgré son âge et son déracinement, elle refuse qu'on la plaigne ou qu'on l'arrache à sa terre.
Les deux livres de gauche appartenaient à ma grand-mère partenelle.
L'illustration sur la couverture de "La Sagouine" est le "Portrait d'une vieille femme" (vers 1564), œuvre de l'artiste flamand Pieter Brueghel.
L'exemplaire d'Évangeline Deusse porte une dédicace
adressée à ma grand-mère ; elle lui avait été offert par ma marraine pour Noël.
« Pour Edmée, cette Évangéline Deusse, qui aime bien les gens qui ont passé le cap des quatre-vingts ans » — Antonine Maillet
"La Sagouine", interprétée par Viola Léger, fut en fait la toute première pièce de théâtre que j'ai assisté, alors que j'étais une jeune adulte (à la fin de l'adolescence ou au début de la vingtaine). La deuxième pièce à laquelle j'ai assisté mettait également en vedette Viola Léger dans le rôle principal, cette fois dans Harold et Maude. Le rôle d'Harold était tenu par un jeune acteur encore inconnu, Roy Dupuis, qui allait bientôt devenir une vedette majeure du cinéma et de la télévision Québecoise tout au long des années 1990 et au début des années 2000. Mme Léger a siègé au Sénat du Canada à Ottawa de 2001 à 2005.
Avec Viola Léger, Pays de la Sagouine, 1994.
Cette oeuvre marque une étape importante puisqu'il s'agit de ma 300e peinture originale.
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ENGLISH TEXT
Growing up in Cap-Lumière, NB, we lived less than 30 km from Bouctouche. This town is known for being the birthplace of celebrated Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar Antonine Maillet (1929-2025) and of K.C. Irving (1899-1992), a billionaire and businessman who built an empire spread across energy, logging, commerce and news media. Their contribution to society are completely different as are their legacies. K.C Irving industrial dynasty still holds unparalleled economic and social influence over Atlantic Canada, particularly New Brunswick, while Antonine Maillet's legacy served for elevating the history, identity and unique spoken language of the Acadian people to the world stage.
This painting is an homage to the great dame herself. I chose the setting of Le Pays de la Sagouine to anchor this composition. This tourist attraction was established in 1992 on L'Île-aux-puces (Flea Island) located on the Bouctouche River. It was developed following the success of the one-woman play of La Sagouine written by Maillet in 1971. It's success was not only attributed to her narrative as a story teller, but to brilliant interpretation by Viola Leger, whom for 45 years (1971-2016) embodied the character more than 3000 times on stage, film and television in Canada, the United States and Europe. Over the years, this tourist attraction has grown to become a form of living theatre where many of Maillet's character come to life in sketches while celebrating Acadian culture, cuisine, music and folklore.
In 2023, on the mainland of this park, in partnership with world-renown multimedia studio Moment Factory, Le Pays de la Sagouine opened a 1.5km enchanted night walk trail called Akadi Lumina. This multisensory forest journey blends striking light installation, laser show, video projection and a powerful original soundtrack creating a magical and whimsical immersive experience. It also recall the story of the Acadian people - their joie de vivre, resilience, folklore and maritime history.
The books I chose to showcase are the two for which she is best known for. Pélagie-La-Charette was published in 1979 and earned her le Prix Goncourt (Goncourt Prize). Widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in French literature in the world. When it was announced, it instantly became a bestseller, selling over 1 million copies. At the time, I was in grade 12. Our school quickly acquired a large lot and it became compulsory reading for a book report. I remember that it was somewhat of a difficult read. While I was painting, I refreshed my memory by listening to the audiobook read by the brilliant Diane Losier, available on Radio-Canada Ohdio. Maillet remains the only Canadian to ever be awarded Le Prix Goncourt.
Unlike the narrative epic poem of Evangeline by Longfellow that follows the protagonist after the deportation of Acadians by the British in 1755, Pélagie-la-Charette takes a direct defiant counter-narrative to it. While Evangeline is a tragic, romantic figure who suffers quietly and submits to her circumstances, Pélagie is a bold and determined widow driven by hope, courage and stubborn defiance who actively leads her people on a 10 year odyssey back to their homeland from the American South.
The second book are two of her plays, La Sagouine and Évangéline Deusse (the Second). Since both of these books are rather small, with the help of Photoshop, I created a new spine combining both books for the narrative of this painting. I also had to flip the titles and name of the author on the spine, since all books published in French read from bottom to top instead of top to bottom.
By calling the play Évangeline Deusse (the Second), Maillet was purposefully creating a modern, reinvented version of Longfellow’s legendary heroine. Her title directly signals that this character is a complete rejection of the 19th-century original Evangeline as a tragic, youthful, and submissive victim who quietly suffers her exile. By contrast, Maillet's Évangeline Deusse is a stubborn, independent, and joyful 80-year-old woman. Despite her age and her displacement, she refuses to be pitied or uprooted.
La Sagouine played by Viola Léger was actually the first ever live play that I attended either as a late teen or early twenties. The second play that I attended also featured Viola Léger in the lead role in Harold & Maude. Harold was played by a then unknown young actor named Roy Dupuis, who would soon become a major star in Quebec cinema and television throughout the 1990's and early 2000's. Viola Léger was appointed to the Canadian Senate in Ottawa from 2001-2005.
This work marked a milestone, being my 300th original painting.
This painting will part of my two-person show with Jon Wilkinson entitled-
''Still Lives, Silent Places''
at the Fog Forest Gallery from October 16 - November 6, 2026.
Gallery hours - Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.
To acquire this painting, please contact the gallery. Fog Forest Gallery 14 Bridge Street Sackville, NB, Canada (506) 536-9000 website- http:/fogforestgallery.ca
I will be having a two-man show with the late great Jon Wilkinson(1940-2012) at the Fog Forest Gallery in Sackville, NB. The exhibition entitled - Still Lives Silent Places opens on October 16 and runs until November 6, 2026.
The opening reception will be held on Friday October 23 from 4:30 to 6 pm. All are welcome.
My lot will comprise of 14 paintings, 13 new, plus one recent. This post is a sneak peek of the paintings that I will be presenting. I will be creating a post for each during the following days.
The Fog Forest Gallery is located at 14 Bridge Street in Sackville, NB. Please note that gallery hours are limited to Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm or by appointment.
14 x 11", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel
painting #304, 2025
Call it happenstance. As I was about to start this painting, Radio-Canada Television (French CBC) aired the PBS documentary, Mr. Polaroid during an episode of Découverte on October 26. While focusing mainly of Edwin Land's long process of inventing the Polaroid camera and how quickly it evolved thereafter, it also surveys several of his many inventions and his involvement with the US government.
Two years ago, I landed on this book while browsing in the small book aisle at Homesense. ANDY WARHOL Polaroids 1958-1987 was published by Taschen in 2020 with model, singer-songwriter, actress Grace Jones on its cover.
The original Polaroid OneStep camera was introduced in 1977. It became an instant best seller and a global phenomenon.I once owned a One Step during the mid eighties, which was probably influenced by Nick Rhodes, the keyboard player of Duran Duran who was becoming a photographer in his own right and often hung out at the Factory with Andy Warhol (he appears on page 374).
A week after acquiring this book, I found a listing for a One Step Polaroid camera on eBay. I knew instantly that I was going to use it as a prop for a painting. In the meanwhile they were displayed together in an open shelf console television table in the den next to my studio.
The One Step Polaroid Land Camera uses SX-70 film. That code was often used as reference for the iconic square format of the picture with a distinctive white border that is wider on the bottom if you wished to write on them. Polaroid images are known for their soft-hued, slightly out-of-focus, and dreamy visual style. The colors may not be perfectly true to life, and lighting can be unpredictable, contributing to an authentic, "imperfectly perfect" charm that digital photography often imitates with filters.
Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 at the age of 58 following complications after gall bladder surgery. I would actually complete my first original painting that same month. I've always felt a strong attraction to his body of work. While furniture shopping at IKEA shortly after my wife and I married in 1986, we stumble upon the last remaining Warhol exhibition poster of Ingrid Bergman (with hat) printed by Galerie Borjesön in Malmö Sweden. Since it was the last poster and the one in the display case, I asked if I could buy it. After consulting the floor manager, it was discounted for $2. These are still available and often sell upwards of a grand.
The Andy Warhol self-portrait image used for my painting is from a serigraph on canvas he created in 1964. Like many of his serigraph prints, he used that same image and produced a whole series in various colors. Christies recently sold one at auction for 3,300,000 USD. On August 10, 2002, the US Postal Service (USPS) issued a 37 cents stamp honoring Andy Warhol using the same 1964 imagery. This is quite possibly the least amount of money you can spend to acquire a Warhol. I've affixed one of these stamps on the back of my painting.
As for Andy Warhol's Polaroids, they are also highly sought after. These were often used as reference photographs for his silkscreen prints of celebrities and other subject matter. Artsy has a page dedicated to these original photographs, selling upwards of 20,000 USD each.
This painting is part of a group exhibition entitled
16 x 12", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel
painting #303, 2025
These two local history books belongs to the clients who commissioned this painting. Both grew up in Acadian villages, but in different provinces. This painting is an homage honoring their ancestors and Acadian roots.
Father Anselme Chiasson, the author of Chéticamp, histoire et traditions acadiennes (1961) is also the co-author of Sainte-Anne-de-Kent (1886-1986) which was co-written by Arthur Poirier, father of one of the clients.
Father Anselme Chiasson (1911-2004) was an Acadian Catholic priest, historian, ethnographer, and folklorist. He was a staunch defender of Acadia, both for it's language and culture. His name is associated with the founding not only of the Université de Moncton, but especially of the Centre d'études acadiennes (Center for Acadian Studies) which, under his leadership, became a reference on Acadian history, culture, and genealogy. While representing the Church and preaching the faith throughout his life, he denounced injustices toward the Acadian community.
He played a prominent role in promoting historical research. In 1960, he co-founded the Acadian Historical Society in New Brunswick with Father Clément Cormier and journalist Émery Leblanc. He also served as an archivist. In 1961, he founded Les Éditions des Aboiteaux, the first publishing house in Acadia, of which the book of Chéticamp pictured above was published that same year. He himself is the author of some fifteen books.
On the occasion of his 70th birthday, author Antonine Maillet wrote: "Of all the Acadians I know, Father Anselme Chiasson is the most Acadian." Father Chiasson was named an officer to the Order of Canada along the designations of Chevalier to several French orders.
While these books carry significant importance to their owners, the Sainte-Anne-de-Kent book is especially significant to me personally. Upon graduating from Nursing School, I would spent the next five years working in a rural hospital located in this community. It is here that I would meet my future wife and where I did my first painting. The artwork on the book cover is by the artist René Hébert. Hébert was born in Moncton in 1932. He studied fine arts at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal. He initially worked as a graphic artist in Toronto before moving to Sainte-Anne-de-Kent along the Northumberland Strait where he would set up his art studio and raised his family with his wife. He paints with an economy of brush strokes using bold and expressive colors exploring rural life and the landscape of Eastern Canada. He was a friend of the Quebec artist Tex Lecor. It's evident that they were influenced by the artists of the Group of Seven. I visited his studio during the mid 1990's and acquired one of his iconic paintings.
Prior to the publishing of this book, the wooded Roman Catholic Church in Sainte-Anne-de-Kent depicted on the cover had received the designation of Provincial Historic Site. The interior featured 48 iconographic frescos and paintings by local artist Édouard Gautreau, a Murano glass chandelier and sculptures by its' architect Léon Léger. I remember attending mass here and zoning out of what the priest was saying as my head was always going around in circles looking at the artwork. That church was often referred to as the Acadian Sistine Chapel. Sadly, on June 29, 2005, the church was hit by lightning and quickly burned to the ground. Only a few removeable pieces of artwork were saved. Growing up in Cap-Lumière, I was an alter boy while attending church in Richibouctou-Village. A massive painting of Saint Antony of Padua also painted by Edouard Gautreau hung above the alter. It's certainly the first great work of art that I saw as a child and have probably spend hundreds of hours admiring it. Sainte-Anne-de-Kent is also where my own mother was born and grew up.
As retirement was looming for the couple who commissioned this painting, they decided to leave big city life, change province and built their dream home on rural ancestral land. This painting is to grace their new house. I proposed using my Preserve mason jar for the peonies, her favorite flower. The original purpose of these canning jar is to preserve food. Symbolically, I often use them as a vehicle for preserving memories. The composition rests on is a Danish/Scandinavian inspired mid-century modern side table. This piece of furniture had sentimental value to her since it brought flair and style to her former workplace. I was pretty much given full artistic license as they wanted the artwork to be painted in my signature style. I chose an outdoor setting as I wanted the peonies to bask in natural light.
During the late 1980's, I became a fan of the Canadian alternative rock band Chalk Circle. In 1987, they released an album entitled, Mending Wall. The inspiration for the title was borrowed from a Robert Frost poem of the same name. Good fences makes good neighbors, a line from that poem also appeared in the lyrics of their song N.I.M.B.Y. (not in my backyard). Since then, every time I see a fence, the Robert Frost reference always comes to mind. With that said, I've opted for a fence in the background as I've done in several previous painting.
Mending Wall, a poem by Robert Frost
N.I.M.B.Y (not in my backyard) - by Chalk Circle
Music video filmed in Dartmouth and Peggy's Cove, NS.
