Northern Exposure

Canadian artist Shawn Robichaud aims to paint the mood, light and effects of his natural surroundings

Canadian artist Shawn Robichaud aims to paint the mood, light and effects of his natural surroundings

Where does one begin! I have been fascinated by art at a very early age in life, where my mother would find me quietly drawing in my room for countless hours while others were playing street hockey. Where I am today is the path my yesterday has brought me. Since my last painting in 1990, I have rekindled my passion after 27 years in what I would call hibernation. In late October 2017, I decided to pursue my love for painting again. It is without a doubt that I am a landscape artist, even though I have tried every form of media and applications and continue to this day doing pencil sketch, using dry pastels and so on. It is without question that painting with oils is my choice of medium. I am blessed to live where I am, surrounded by nature once leaving the doorsteps of my home. While exploring for inspiration during my hikes, I am in constant pursuit of finding that unique image or photo which incorporates the rawness of our northern landscapes, its beauty of all four seasons along with their moods and colours. In my choosing the next painting, it needs to speak to me; I need to start visualizing myself painting it in my mind before choosing my work. The excitement comes in mixing most [but] not all of my colours before application. The joy is to recreate in my own style which is torn between two worlds, which I believe is impressionism and realism. Not really sure where my style and work fits in,

all I know is that once holding a brush I start creating what I do best. I strive to capture the moment I experienced firsthand in my work so others can also experience a similar experience themselves during their lifetime who also love to escape the city life in finding nature in its untouched state. I have always been fascinated and inspired at a young age [by] the Canadian Pioneers of Art, the famous Group of Seven. They all shared the same passion I want to carry out today, which is capturing the rawness of our landscapes today before they change tomorrow in my very own style. In every painting I try to capture the mood of the moment in how the light or the sun effects its surroundings by paying much attention to blending the right colours in capturing warm colours and marrying them together with cold colours. The challenge in painting landscapes is not to paint everything you see. This is where squinting of the eyes comes

in to capture truly what will be of importance in bringing your painting to life. While choosing my work I try to paint not only what inspires me but also calendar image not taken with a camera but created with oils and brush. I don’t understand today why I walked away from the gift that was given to me and neglecting it for so many years, but moving forward I am challenging myself in always bettering my skill set and paying more attention to details as well as stretching my patients in taking my time and not rushing to finish my work. This I believe will be an ongoing journey. If I could end by saying this: even though I follow so many great artists worldwide and appreciate their styles and methods, I must not and cannot ignore my own skill set and style. By not allowing myself to feel pressured by the art world and by focusing on my own talents that is where one will find...freedom [to] evolve your own personal masterpiece.

Roosters on the Move, oil on canvas, 36 x 28 cm (14 x 11") Not a landscape scene, but nonetheless wanted to paint these roosters taken from my In-laws’ farm. I love how the light penetrates through the roosters comb and how the highlights reflect on his body. It was an absolute pleasure to paint this piece and felt I did it justice.

Peaceful Moments, oil on canvas, 41 x 51 cm (16 x 20") One of my old fishing spots for brook trout has been one of many scenes I’ve been wanting to paint. Finally had the opportunity. I wanted to catch the movement of the water and feel that I managed to succeed in making the water come to life.

Morning Glory, oil on canvas, 41 x 51 cm (16 x 20") This moment was captured early winter morning on our way to my in-laws where this image was taken while the sky was completely covered with clouds, creating a somber feel and yet revealing so many different hues of pink, purple and blue truly something of beauty that needed to be captured on canvas.

The Light Reveals All, oil on canvas, 51 x 41 cm (20 x 16") This scene was captured while venturing off into an old abandoned farm house where I had the opportunity to capture this stunning moment of the afternoon light coming through the open gaps. Although not a landscape scene, I wanted to paint and capture the warmth and how the light in itself create a real gorgeous look with the play of dark and light.

Vermillion Rapids, oil on canvas, 41 x 51 cm (16 x 20") Only minutes away from where I live is an old river formed years ago from glacier melts. This river system eventually makes its way into the Great Lakes. I captured this moment while walking the shoreline of the river. A moment not to be missed with a mixture of warm and cold colours.