1. Please tell me a little bit about where you were brought
up and the area you now reside at.
A- I was born and raised in Montreal,Canada in 1948, I
now live & work near the
the St-Lawrence river in LaSalle just a few mile from
where I was born.
2. What are the basic steps to becoming such a
wonderful Artist?
A- Thanks for the compliment, I got live up to that
now, he he !. I started drawing before
I could write, I've always used images to express
myself, just naturally and instinctively
drawing what I felt, hoped or dreamed. Becoming a good
or great artist demands that you
be passionate about your art, it takes years to master
anatomy, perspective, composition,
light and shadow or volume rendering of course but
the most important factor remains
that you learn how to get in touch with your
inner self , everybody is unique and
special so when you tap onto that inner source you
automatically create original art,
art that touches others like yourself. There are no
real shortcuts to creating authentic
art but by being true to yourself you end up
convinced thus convincing.
3. If you were stranded on a desert Island, what
things would you want to have with you?
A-A guitar, a fiddle and painting material would keep
me busy for sure, I spent most of
my life feeling likeI was stuck on a desert Island,
you know I've been escaping from this
less than perfect world through playing music,
painting and writing ever since I can
remember.
4. When did you develop the first piece of art that
you were truly proud of? What was it?
A- Honestly, being a perfectionist I have to say I've
always been fairly proud of most of
my work but it always seems to be the next one that
promises to be most proud worthy.
That's what keeps me going.
5. What are your biggest inspirations? Which are your
favorite Artists?
A- Music, people and nature inspire my daydreams and
they in turn inspire my work.
My favorite artists have always been the old masters
like LeCaravage, Rubens, Durer,
Bouguereau and of course the Pre-Raphaelites, they
continue to amaze me.
6. Do you listen to music when you paint? What kind?
A- Definitely! I live, eat and paint music, I listen
to whatever music keeps me in the right
space for the work I'm doing and that includes just
about every genre from Classical to
Rock and everything in between.
7. How many hours a week do you devote to Art?
A- That varies but an average of about thirty hours a
week is pretty accurate.
8. What are some do's and don'ts that you can give to
the up and coming young Artists
out there?
A- Paint for yourself, be honest ! Don't just follow
trends and if you get into a slow
creative period don't force it, it will come back,
just stay receptive !
9. How do you see Art changing for the future?
A- The wonderful thing about art is that it never
really changes, trends come and go,
new methods develop, styles evolve naturally to fit
different ages but it remains basically
the same.And every nuances are welcomed, for instance
the new craze for digital art
shows classical influences just like traditional
artists such as myself are influenced by
computer art. I see the future as a continuation of
the present but what I particularly
like about the period we're entering now is the
tendency towards figurative expression
as opposed to abstract experimentation, times are
changing.
10. What challenges do you have yet to fulfill in your
life?
A- I just want to keep painting and influence this
trend back toward imaginative/figurative
work, I hope to live to see a majority of art
galleries and museums open their doors and
hearts to the new breed of figurative artists, I know
the public will appreciate it.
11. How would you describe you style of Art?
A- I paint like a poet writes & a musician plays, it's
very intimate, each piece is like a page
from my diary. In my close to thirty year career It's
been labeled Fantasy or Visionary art,
Surrealism, Symbolism, Romanticism, Figurative even
Realism and I forget what else.
I've always been hard to describe and my art reflects
that also. I paint what I want to see,
my visions ! Using traditional methods and a palette
of earthy and predominantly warm
colors to give my work an oldish look so the best way
to view them is still by candle light.
12. Do you have a style that you like over your other
styles?
A- I'd have to say no to that, I do appreciate all
figurative work that pulls me into a
dreamlike atmosphere or touches me deeply. Pictures
that tell a story !
13. What other studies, hobbies or learnings have
assisted you in portraying your Art?
A- Everything I've ever seen or experienced assists me
in that way.
14. Tell me the history behind what I consider your
best piece of art....
The Medieval Picture... The Letter.
A- I'm glad you like it , thank you! I created two
versions of that painting about five years
ago, one in oil, the other is in acrylic by the way.
It's one of the few paintings that was
directly influenced by a couple of books I'd just read
on King Arthurs legend at the time.
Both were done amazingly fast, the vision was very
clear in my mind - Guenevere holding
a letter from Lancelot while King Arthur enters the
court. The image was going to be used
for a medieval fair in my town although that didn't
happen it's one of my most popular
medieval painting still.
15. Could also tell me about the picture depicting Old
Montreal. What a labor of love !
A- That's a very unusual painting from my catalogue,
it's always a popular piece and yes
it is one that I cherish, it's very personal. Of
course visitors to Montreal usually go
there for good reasons like the European style
restaurants, the Boutiques & Art galleries,
etc. I had to sketch the buildings on the spot but I
painted the scene in the studio
afterwards, the large crowd is actually a mixture of
souvenirs from my younger bohemian
years, I had some great times there back in the late
sixties and they are with me still in
memory as well as on canvas since I still own that
piece.
16. Tell me about the time you usually spend on
studying your subject matter.
A- It always depends on the nature of the painting,
some are simply improvised, others
demand a lot of research and I'll go to great extent
if I have to. My Canadiana series of
nostalgic paintings for instance demanded many months
of laborious research. But
most of my work is improvised and based on intuition
actually.
17. Do you feel as if you'll be leaving a legacy
behind for other Artists and Art lovers to cherish?
A- I know I've influenced some people already, I've
been teaching art for many years and
I certainly hope to leave a legacy behind but that's
not entirely up to me !
18. Anything that I may have missed that you'd care to
comment on?
A- We've covered a lot of ground in very little time
already I thank you for giving me this
opportunity to use words instead of pictures to
express myself here, if I may just add that art
is a powerful mean of communication and an important
tool in shaping society so to all artists
reading this interview I say your mission is an
important one and its worth all the effort you
put into it !
19. Thank you for the compliment. What's in the future for Marcel?
A- I'll be one of the featured artists in" Watercolor
Fairies" an abundantly illustrated
book by author David Richi that should be out in June
, there's the new line of
prints & other products with my illustrations
available from my site as well as Cafepress
& Zazzle. I'd really like to get a calendar out on
the market but my future is in the hands of
editors and galleries really, I'm always looking for
representation, I can't do it alone.
Thank you and good luck !!
