LAURA ST.PIERRE Fransaskois artists find inspiration in Saskatchewan
Inspiration is what it’s all about! Some artists are inspired by their history, by their identity, by Saskatchewan. When they paint, write a song or a book or capture a stunning moment by photo, our artists are inspired and in turn, they inspire us... Here are four fransaskois artists that do just that!
MARIO LEPAGE, FRONTMAN FOR THE GROUP PONTEIX
Awarded Producer of the Year at both the Western Canadian Music Awards as well as the Saskatchewan Music awards, Lepage has come a long way since his humble beginnings with his loop station. He began experimenting with multiple instruments and learning how to record his psychedelic pop music in St. Denis, Saskatchewan where he grew up and built himself a recording studio 15 years later.
“I like living outside the city,” he says “It’s a great place to recharge, reflect and be creative, especially after weeks of chaotic touring.” It’s in the Fransaskois Hamlet where he wrote most of his album “Bastion”. He’s also produced other Western Canadian artists such as Shawn Jobin, Éemi and Rayannah (with whom he won the WCMA for Producer of the year).
He’s proud of the historical influence and contribution of francophones in Saskatchewan and recognizes that his heritage has helped to shape who he is. His roots are vividly apparent in his songwriting, and the music he creates is expansive, full of depth and space, not unlike the prairies which surround him.
Ponteix’s most recent album Bastion serves as a symbol of resilience. The name represents authenticity and staying true to oneself, much like the name of the project. Bastion is deeply linked to Saskatchewan, it’s landscape and that “distance from everything that grounds me closer to nature”. The land which he came from and its history has made the multiinstrumentalist a defiant force, with the passion and desire to dive deeper.
Ponteix performs an intimate solo set tonight at the 9 Mile Legacy Brewery during the JUNOFEST in Saskatoon.
MARTINE NOËL-MAW
Novelist, playwright, translator and editor, Martine Noël-maw considers herself to be an artisan of words and has succeeded by combining three things she loves in life: writing, research and travel. She met with Yann Martel in 2003 while he was Writer in Residence at the Saskatoon Public Library to get his take on her work and that gave her the push to become the writer she had always dreamt of being.
In her award-winning novel Dans le pli des collines (In the Fold of the Hills, Ekstasis Editions), lives are shaken when a persistent rumour tarnishes the reputation of Dr. Andrew Murray who has dedicated his life to treating tuberculosis patients at Fort San, the Qu’appelle Valley sanatorium in Saskatchewan. This captivating novel bears witness to a bygone era that should not be forgotten.
Martine’s latest work, Will & Ernest, is a play inspired by the life of Will James, the famous true American cowboy, writer and artist who concealed his French-canadian identity from the world. The play, which was first produced by La Troupe du Jour, focuses on the last months of James’ life. It is a touching story of pride, regret and redemption. Will & Ernest will soon be published, in French and English, by Éditions de la nouvelle plume of Regina.
“I write in Saskatchewan, mainly about Saskatchewan, in French. I love Western canadian-based stories,” she says. She promotes her works as well as the fransaskois culture in Canada and abroad.
For more, visit www.martinenoelmaw.wordpress.com.
She describes herself as “a visual artist who’s a mom to a kid and three dogs”. Laura St. Pierre is so much more. St. Pierre explores her relationship with the natural environment through a multidisciplinary art practice that includes installations, sculptures, photography and public works.
A very well-known curator, Serge Murphy, said of her work:
“It is dedicated to us, it addresses our engaged consciousness, and to make its message more meaningful, penetrable, it borrows from the codes of beauty, feeding us images again that are at once immediate and/or disturbing...”
Being francophone, while not always hanging around francophone people, she feels she’s always had a bit of a dual identity. It may not be surprising then, that as she works, she creates an imaginary character, inside herself that sees the world differently than she does.
Recently, St.pierre’s artwork was displayed in Winnipeg, at la Maison des artistes, in Baie-saint-paul during the Biennale de Québec, at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton, and at the Galerie d’art Stewart Hall in Pointeclaire. Moreover, her series of photographs, “Les Semeuses”, was displayed at Vivianeart, in Calgary. Her installations, sculptures and photographs have been exhibited throughout Canada and in Europe.
Next September, she will be presenting a video work, at the 2020 Biennale of Contemporary Art, at the Remai Modern, in Saskatoon.
Visit St.pierre’s website at www.laurastpierre.com.
JACQUES POULIN-DENIS
Jacques Poulin-denis identifies as a multidisciplinary artist and father who is interested in the human condition. He is a dancer, a choreographer and a composer, who created his company, Grand Poney, where he acts as artistic and managing director.
He sees dance as a strong means of expression. “It allows me to have the most interdisciplinary voice that lives within me. It allows me to work with music, movement, speech and sound. I love the dramaturgy that I can access with dance,” Poulin-denis says.
He remembers touring rural Saskatchewan with his band, Jean Capot Quartet to places like Gravelbourg and Zenon-park. His parents instilled within him the notion that anything is possible, that being part of a minority group is unique and valuable, and the idea that his voice deserves to be heard.
That sense of self is reflected in his works. The notion of resilience, stemming from his cultural identity and the challenges encountered to express it, is present in many of his works.
In fact, last November, he delivered a moving piece on the subject, at the annual Rendez-vous Fransaskois for 200 leaders of the fransaskois community. He spoke of his overcoming a serious accident that might have felled most aspiring dancers. Instead, he has become an acclaimed national and international dancer and choreographer. For many of those who know him in our community, he is the embodiment of courage and resilience!
His next project, “Poney Rides”, will take place in April, in Montreal.
More information can be found at Poulin-denis’ website, www.grandponey.com/ jacques-poulin-denis.