Andre Paradis

Nature’s expression in various parts of the world is my primary source of inspiration. Travels over the past 20 years have put me in intimate contact with a variety of landscapes, the very matter from which I draw the emotions of my abstract landscapes. Mountains, lakes, minerals, rocks, mosses, earth, forms, odours, sensations and finally qualities of light and contrast between northern and the southern countries are the elements and senses from which I construct my paintings.

My work is done essentially on canvas. More than a simple support, the canvas lends its intrinsic qualities, its grain and texture, to my painting. After many years of research, the use of recycled glass powder is almost constant in my work. Well-tuned with my environmental convictions, recycled glass brings transparency, thickness and volume to the subject. Mixed with acrylic medium, the strokes of colour are thick, sensual and tactile, almost a sculpture within the painting.

Spatulas are my main tools, used to snatch from the depth of the first layer of the paste-like coating, images born of my thoughts. It is through the act of creating that I make contact with my process.