In Flanders Fields
Artist Statement
I created 75 of these poppy prints, to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII. Each poppy is a 14 colour serigraph/silkscreen on onionskin paper which is about 4 inches/life size. The onion skin paper is notepaper from the war that was used with carbon paper in a typewriter to send duplicate messages. I pulled the squeegee over 1050 times to create this piece. Yes, my arms and hands were tired.
I am selling them unframed for 75.00 with 75% of the proceeds going to Veterans Affairs. I am grateful to all men and woman that fought in the wars. @canadaremembers
Note: the fragile onion skin paper will not behave like a regular art paper and may wrinkle and unwrinkle as humidity changes. I have mounted them in a such a way that the paper can expand and contract accordingly.
Time marches toward the confluences of harmony and conflict. It is inevitable in nature and community that conflict will occur. It would be unnatural for life on this planet to exist without conflict. There is beauty in the brutality of the lioness taking down the zebra during a kill. If all the thousands of seeds in pinecones were to survive to adulthood, there would not be enough solid ground left for other life. All things in life march toward the final conflux of death.
The images in shades of black and white represent the loss of innocence each person suffers through aging. As each individual learns more about the world around them, it becomes more difficult to filter information in order to make decisions that satisfy their moral needs. Adults try to find a balance that will match their understanding with their feelings on what is best to do. There is a difference between fair and equal that causes conflict within each individual, as issues are not clearly solved in terms of black and white.
The color within the work finds the harmony within the conflict. The plant life struggles with the presence of the soldier’s boots, and pushing through is a beauty found by realizing that existence means dealing with conflict. People throughout history have had to deal with issues larger than their understanding. Each individual searches for the harmony within the conflict when there is a change of attitude toward the situation. Humans remember the colorful moments in their lives, while the everyday blends into shades of black and white.
Artist Bio
Monique has exhibited printmaking, paintings, sculptures, installations and book works in more than 225 significant solo, invited and juried group exhibitions in 10 countries. Her works are held in more than 44 public and private collections in 10 different countries. Her printmaking works push the boundaries of standard printmaking with enormous-scale printmaking, installation-based printmaking and three-dimensional printmaking.
Monique finds that her work develops well when she is away from her regular routine in her own studio, so she often accepts invitations or seeks out positions as an artist-in-residence in other locations. She was Artist-in-Residence for Disneyland Paris, Paris, France (2013), the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival (2013), the Saskatchewan Children’s Festival (2012), Bytown Museum, Ottawa, Canada (2010), Spalding, United Kingdom (2008), Nice, France (2006), Vallauris, France (2006), Mount Vernon, USA (2004), Wynyard, Tasmania, Australia (2003) and Coaticook, QC, Canada (2001).
twitter/insta: @moniquesart
monique@moniqueart.com