BIOGRAPHY
Born in Ste-Anne de la Rochelle, a quaint corner of Québec, and settled in Sherbrooke since 1980, Marie-Claire Plante, also known under the artist name Mariclair, has carved a unique path in the world of art. Her artistic journey began in 1995, far from the academic beaten tracks. A self-taught artist, Mariclair has sculpted her way through an unconventional education, woven from the threads of her encounters, experiences, travels, readings, and workshops led by renowned masters.
One such meeting, a workshop on creative thinking led by the painter-sculptor Laurent Bonet, marked a decisive turning point in her career. This experience revealed and nourished a burning passion that had been dormant within her, propelling Mariclair into the complex and fascinating meanders of abstract art. Mariclair Plante's work unfolds in a series of collections, each exploring a specific theme: "Vision," "Energy," "Emotion," "Perception," "Ikebana," and "Cocooning." Her method is dynamic and sensory, plunging the viewer into an ocean of deep and unexplored feelings, through vigorous and expressive gestures.
After numerous solo and group exhibitions, Mariclair's works have won the hearts and souls of collectors around the world, making her a rising star on the international art scene. Since 2012, she has accumulated an impressive collection of awards in Canada, France, and the United States, testifying to the growing recognition of her talent.
Marie-Claire Plante is represented by several major galleries, both in Canada and internationally, a true testament to the quality and relevance of her work.
According to Mr. Robert Bernier, an art expert and historian, "each of her canvases has its own story which is expressed, however, through the unsaid, and an infinity of nuances, all rounded with gentleness and poetry. Her creations awaken a feeling of voluptuousness in those who approach them, heralding the potential of her work to reach prestigious peaks in the future. Without a doubt, MariClair Plante leaves an indelible mark on the contemporary pictorial landscape."
ARTISTIC APPROACH
In the bustling universe of contemporary art, the painter Mariclair stands out for her unique ability to create a visual dialogue originating from lyrical abstraction, which constitutes one of the pillars of her artistic approach. Venturing down the paths of automatism, the unconscious, and abstract expressionism, Mariclair crafts thrilling works that are in constant evolution and imbued with a visual poetry that transports the viewer into dimensions where finesse and subtlety meet.
Mariclair's work is a dive into the vibrant heart of her emotions, ardent feelings that are deeply authentic and lend a palpable emotional intensity to her work.
Every canvas of Mariclair is a universe in itself, reflecting various aspects of the human being and embodying the artist's positivism while suggesting a perpetual transformation. In this state of being in weightlessness, far from daily turmoils, "pictorial synchronicities" shine through—a initial gesture that, like a dance, translates into a fluid movement culminating in a harmony that is both powerful and almost elusively delicate.
The sensitivity emanated by her work evolves towards an unconscious truth, making each canvas an experience filled with hope, vitality, an expression of life, and freedom. Mariclair invites the viewer to a unique moment, engaging in deep personal introspection.
Mariclair's creations have crossed borders, being exhibited around the world, from Canada to Europe and the United States, thus testifying to the universal reach of her art.
Denis Jacques, a grand master in fine arts, founder and director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Quebec, in a vibrant testimonial, expresses his contemplation of Mariclair's work: "You paint good abstracts, which is very rare. […] Nature inspires you, and rightly so. It is our only master." These words resonate as an ode to the splendor of nature, an eternal source of inspiration for Mariclair, who, through her works, reminds us of the intrinsic beauty of our environment and our place within it. Natural abstracts, with their fine nuances and refined aesthetic, are reflected in her art, offering a new perspective on beauty and artistic expression.
Mariclair's art, beyond its aesthetic beauty, invites deeper reflection on our relationship with nature, the importance of emotional authenticity, and the role of art as a vector of personal and collective transformation.
Marie-Claire Plante: ''Tramontante''
Text by Robert Bernier
Art historian and expert
Tramontana is the name of a wind blowing in the western Mediterranean. In Catalonia and Languedoc, the tramontana comes from the north-north-west from the mountain ranges. Here, he is the image of the creative wind that swept over the work of artist Marie-Claire Plante one day in 2014, bringing with it a fundamental renewal of his artistic vision.
Marie-Claire Plante has been painting for more than 25 years and for a long time in oils with a figurative and traditional approach. A style with which she will feel more and more cramped over time. So in 2014, she enrolled in a creation workshop directed by Laurent Bonet. Unparalleled pedagogue, the latter favors the exploration of materials, the expression of inner feelings. This experience will turn out to be a response to his dissatisfaction at the time. She had indeed, finally, found her artistic correspondence with her inner and outer worlds. From now on his first inspiration will be his experience and his non-figurative path.
Finally freed from her constraints, Marie-Claire Plante has been painting since that day, listening to her emotional feelings. This commands a state of being in suspension finally free from interference. What some call the quest for emptiness. She comes to this state by meditating and listening only to the drum of her heart. It is from there that the correspondences spring up in "synchronicity" with his gestures which then become both the antennae and the vehicle of his emotional universe.
Moreover, it is the initial gesture which will guide all the others expressing a great whole, indefinite and nevertheless singularly present.
Marie-Claire Plante works in Indian ink on the structure of everything that will follow. This step may or may not disappear under the successive layers of pigment that will follow. She paints according to the impulses of the moment and will use this or that other medium giving shape to textures. These are also a fundamental element in his visual language because they play both an aesthetic and expressive role. They are the pivots or, if you prefer, the doors through which pass his happiness and his need to paint. Especially his emotional communication on the web. The work thus reveals itself without premeditation by a sum of spontaneous impetus.
Also, each of his paintings has its own story which is expressed however by the unsaid and an infinity of nuances all in roundness with softness and poetry. This explains the feeling of voluptuousness that one feels in contact with his work which tomorrow could well reach great heights. Without a doubt, the name of Marie-Claire Plante will leave an indelible mark on our painting today.
ARTISTIC CV
Individual exhibitions
2023
Tout l'univers est dans l'oeil, St-Hyacinthe, Gasnal &Gasnal
No limit, Gallery W, Gatineau Qc
2021
Change of scenery / Repatriate, Chambly cultural center
Ce qui ne tiens qu'à un fil, UP2Meet, Bromont, QC
2020
Back to basics, Galerie EG St-Sauveur
2019
Follow in his footsteps, Musée Beaulnes Coaticook
Footprints of Life, Galerie EG Mont Saint-Sauveur
Free spirit, Métissage Mégantic Gallery
2018
The great outdoors, Quebecor Exhibition Center, Sherbrooke
Interior space, Groupe Immex Sherbrooke
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Sherbrooke
Collective exhibitions
2023
Pêle-Mêle, 4 univers, L'espace Up2Meet, Bromont, Qc
Guest artiste Exposition concours AAPARS, QC
Symposium, Thetford Mines
2021
Symposium Art and passion Ste-Julie
2020
Diary of a Confined, Galerie EG St-Sauveur
2018-2019
Here we stretch time, John Henry Pope Culture House, Cookshire-Eaton
Food for thought, Galerie Le Studio, Georgeville
Dare yellow, Brompton Culture House
Without theme, Art Sutton Gallery
Imprints, Visa Art, Magog
Fall exhibition, Association of Affiliated Painters of the South Shore
2017
Intempor'Elles, Galerie l'Artiste, Montreal
Symposium with selection, Sainte-Flore
Symposium with selection, Danville
Studio Georgeville Gallery, Georgeville, Qc
Symposium Estiv'Art Magog honorary president
2016
Gruais-Grondin Art Gallery, Quebec
Magog Visual Art Center, Magog
Studio Georgeville Gallery, Georgeville
The great artistic trip, Sherbrooke
AAPARS St-Hilaire exhibition-competition
2015
Magog Visual Art Center, Magog
2005 to 2015
Several group exhibitions and symposiums across Quebec
Awards and recognition
2023 Honorable Mention, Artist of the Year award, Circle foundation for the arts
Honorable Mention, Mondial Art Academia, prix grand jury, abstract art
2022 Bronze Medal, Mondial Art Academia, prix grand jury Abstract art
2022 1e Prix Platinium Best of Red Abstract, Camelback, Arizona, USA
2021 1e Prix Platinium Best of Abstract art, Camelback, Arizona, USA
2021 Honorable mention Mondial Art Academia MAA, prix grand jury Abstract art
2021 2nd Prize for Abstract Art, Mascouche, Ministry of Culture and
communications from Quebec
2021 Special Merit Certificate, Light Space & Time Abstract Art, Florida
2019 Gold Medal Abstract Art, collective exhibition Fontdouce, France
2018 Granby Urban Colors Committee Award
2018 Winner of the Desjardins Choice Manoir Festival of Painters of Mascouche
2018 Honorary mention Lyst'art Lysters
2018 Silver medal in abstract art international competition Caesura
2017 Honorary President Symposium Estivart Magog
2016 First honorary prize in all categories at the AAPARS competition exhibition
2016 Special Merit Certificate for the work Lavande en tormente,
Abstract Art Competition Light Space & Time online gallery, Florida
2016 Works selected in front of a jury, exhibition and event catalog Visa Art, Magog
Press kit
Art Magazine Édition 6 2022 https://artmagazine.ca/lemagazine/edition6automneautumn2022?view=article&layout=edit&id=304
What to do this weekend?
Cynthia Dubé, Estrie Plus.com, November 23, 2018
The great outdoors by Marie-Claire Plante
Steve Bergeron, La Tribune, Sherbrooke, October 24, 2018
Marie-Claire Plante, The great outdoors / Quebecor Center
Le Vadrouilleur Urbain, October 17, 2018
Marie-Claire Plante's passion intact
Jean-François Gagnon, La Tribune, Sherbrooke, August 3, 2017
Magazin'Art 2015-2016-2017-2018-2019
Donations
Auction Sherbrooke School Board Foundation
Automn'art, Auction for the benefit of the Cegep de Sherbrooke foundation
