ARTIST: MONIQUE J. DUFOUR

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

I am a Canadian Artist born in 1957 in Montreal, where I pursued a career in business while harboring a secret passion to paint.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

In 2013 I visited St. Paul de Vence (France), and upon my returnI was motivated to pick up a paintbrush and I have never looked back. In 2016 I became a full-time painter after leaving the corporate world and spending three months at the artist residency La Macina di San Cresci, (Tuscany, Italy), this experience was life changing in many ways, personally and professionally. The vibration and energy itself played a big part in pursuing this new career path.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

In 2018 I moved to Spain, where I now live, in a quaint village full of traditions and culture, this has brought new perspectives and inspiration for my work. I am an intuitive self-taught painter, and I identify myself as painting from the inside out. I paint from personal feelings and experiences, and my art is my process of storytelling.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

My life experiences, music and colors are my sources of inspiration, and my paintings are a journey for both myself and the viewer. Art for me is expression and flow. It’s also a safe place, not only for myself, but also for the viewer. We are immersed in the energy that comes to us from the sun and space, from the moving cells of everything that exists, we are like inside an engine always in motion, a flow in perpetual motion.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

To grasp it in art makes the traveler aware of the flow in which he is traveling and this I have experienced that which pushes you out of the daily life and then you perceive the energy flow of which we are part and makes you say, “look how beautiful”! Like the wonderment of a child.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

My work is about healing, peace, serenity and possibilities. When I first started to paint it was a healing process for myself, though I was not aware of this at the time. As time went by, I realized that I was drawing from my own emotions and experiences. Painting was very liberating for me. Soon my friends and collectors started identifying with my work and purchased them because they said that they felt a connection.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

That’s when I started to pick up energies and vibrations all around me and was able to incorporate them in my paintings. I paint with music and music paints through me, orchestrating a symphony of colors, movements, energies, and vibrations. When I paint, I am drawn to select a palette of colours and I paint in a trance like state, not knowing what I will create, or for whom.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

I am drawn to paint with many layers (each layer being part of the story) and often with bold texture, with no restrictions.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

My abstract works encourage individual interpretation and resonance with the observer. At times my art is very thought provoking, other times it can be a peaceful place or journey for the inner self.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

This summer 2024 , I spent time again at the Artist Residency, La Macina di San Cresci, Tuscany and rediscovered and reconnected deeply with the peace and serenity of the mountains and valleys.
The lushness of the landscape, the trees and forest and flowers, birds singing, fireflies lighting up the dark sky, all of this embracing my very soul, inspired me to paint this new collection of paintings entitled “Nature – Near and Far”.

Image courtesy of Monique J. Dufour

In these paintings, I captured dynamic landscapes that dance between reality and abstraction.
I used palette knives to create a broad, expressive scene, and a bold color palette to evoke the raw beauty and dramatic contrasts of nature. These pieces embody the tension and harmony found in the natural world, inviting viewers to ponder the delicate balance of our surroundings. I currently paint with acrylics, and I continually explore new techniques and color palettes and embrace new challenges.
It is an unfolding journey.