Mariclair Plante, painter
Mariclair Plante develops a practice rooted in Contemporary Poetic Abstraction, driven by inner intensity and a profound sense of transition.
Her free and embodied gesture gives form to emotion.
Each contemporary abstract painting becomes a meeting point between vital force and inner fragility, where every brushstroke speaks as a quiet language of the soul.
Artistic approach
Artistic approach — Mariclair Plante
As a Canadian contemporary abstract artist working in Contemporary Poetic Abstraction, I see creation as a space of fertile tension — a place where strength and fragility coexist and enter into dialogue. My contemporary abstract paintings are fueled by inner intensity and a continuous sense of transition.
While nature remains an essential anchor through its quiet force and resilience, it is above all the human experience — in its contrasts and vulnerabilities — that runs through my work. Each painting becomes a meeting point between the external world and the inner landscape, a territory where abstraction reveals the emotional complexity of living.
I paint without preconceived ideas, fully present to the moment. My process is intuitive and sensory, yet guided by an ongoing search for balance between control and surrender. Layers accumulate, are scraped back, and re-emerge, forming a tactile memory of gesture and time. Texture, movement, and material depth are central to my contemporary abstract practice.
My travels and artistic collaborations — particularly in Tunisia — have profoundly expanded my vision. Live painting performance revealed art as a shared breath, a visual language capable of connecting across borders.
In a world saturated with images, I strive to create spaces of resonance.
Through original contemporary abstract artwork, I propose a sensitive cartography where matter, light, and emotion invite viewers to slow down and experience presence.
Biography
Biography — Mariclair Plante, Canadian Contemporary Abstract Painter
Mariclair Plante is a Canadian contemporary abstract painter based in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Her practice unfolds within Contemporary Poetic Abstraction, a visual language shaped by instinct, material exploration, and gestural presence. Growing up in a rural environment deeply connected to nature and creativity profoundly shaped her intuitive relationship to texture, movement, and process.
For her, painting became an essential language — a space of freedom, intuition, and embodied presence.
A full-time professional artist since 2005, she has developed a rigorously structured self-directed practice sustained by continuous studio work and consistent production. Her autodidactic formation, nourished by experimentation and ongoing study of artistic thought, informs a coherent and deeply engaged body of work. Since 2013, she has devoted herself entirely to her artistic practice.
Her contemporary abstract paintings explore material depth, layering, and movement, giving rise to compositions where tension and openness coexist. Far from figurative narration, she privileges evocation, leaving viewers space for personal interpretation and emotional resonance.
Her visual vocabulary — acrylic, ink, gold leaf, charcoal, collage, and marble powder — generates stratified surfaces where memory, fracture, resilience, and connection are inscribed. Each original artwork becomes a space of transition and transformation.
Her work engages in dialogue with poetry and music, notably through the interdisciplinary project Traverser, exploring themes of fracture, breath, and unity. Invited by the Ministry of Culture of Tunisia, she participated in a national live painting tour across six stages throughout the country — a formative experience that expanded her intercultural perspective.
Recipient of multiple distinctions, Mariclair Plante’s work is now held in private and institutional collections in more than fifteen countries.
Selected Awards & Distinctions
2023 : Mention honorable, Circle foundation for the Arts, Greece
2023 : Talent Prize Award, Teravarna, Los Angeles, Abstract international juried
2022 : Bronze Medal, Mondial Art Academia, France, Abstract Art
2022 : Represents Canada as guest artist at the event Africa and Middle East Digital,
Health Conference, Tunisia
2022 : 1e Prix Platinum Best of Red abstract, Camelback, Arizona USA
2021 : Mention honorable Mondial Art Academia, France, Grand prix jury Art Abstrait
2021 : 1e Prix Platinum Best of Abstract, Camelback, Arizona USA
2021 : 2e Prix, Mascouche, bourse ministère de la Culture et des communications du Québec
2021 : Certificat Mérite Spécial, Art Abstrait Light Space &Time, Floride
2019 : Médaille d’Or Art Abstrait, exposition collective Fontdouce, France
2018 : Prix Comité Couleurs Urbaines Granby
2018 : Gagnante du Choix Desjardins le Manoir Festival des peintres de Mascouche
2018 : Mention honorifique Lyst'art Lysters
2018 : Médaille d'argent en art abstrait compétition internationale Césure
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023: Solo exhibition, The Whole Universe Is in the Eye, Gasnal & Gasnal, St-Hyacinthe
Solo exhibition, No limit, Galerie W Gatineau
2021: What Hangs by a Thread, Up2 Meet, Bromont Dépayser/Rapatrier, Chambly Cultural Hub
2020: Back to Basics, EG St-Sauveur Gallery; 2019: Following in His Footsteps, Beaulnes Coaticook Museum
Life Imprints, EG Gallery Mont Saint-Sauveur; Free Spirit, Métissage Mégantic Gallery
2018: The Great Outdoors, Quebecor Exhibition Centre, Sherbrooke
Interior design, Immex Sherbrooke Group
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Sherbrooke
Selected group exhibitions
2024: Collective of 3 artists, Emotional Diversity: Three Voices, One Harmony, UP2Meet, Bromont
Danville Art Symposium
2023: Collective of 4 artists, Pêle-Mêle 4 Univers, UP2Meet, Bromont
Invited artist at the AAPARS exhibition-competition, St-Bruno de Montarville
2021: Danville Art Symposium
2020: Diary of a confined person, EG St-Sauveur Gallery
2019: Collective exhibition CAPSQ, Fontdouce, France
Here we stretch time, John Henry Pope Cultural Centre, Cookshire-Eaton. Food for Thought, Le Studio Gallery, Georgeville.
Dare to go yellow, Brompton Cultural Centre
Selected professional experiences
2025: Represented by the Béliveau Art Gallery, Mont Tremblant, QC
2020: Represented by the Archambault Gallery, Lavaltrie, QC
2025: Live painting on 6 different stages, Canada-Tunisia International Cooperation Festival, Ministry of Cultural Affairs
2022 to 2025: Represented by the Bloom Gallery in Montreal, QC
2023 to 2025: Represented by Galerie W, Gatineau, QC
2020-2023: NAK Gallery, Ottawa, Ont
2023: Live painting on stage at the Robe Rouge Foundation Gala, Hull, QC
2023 and 2020: Live painting on stage, MAC Foundation, Bromptonville, QC
2022: Live painting on stage in Hammamet, Tunisia, International Conference on Digital Health
2015: Self-employed artist and painter, Mariclair Plante Painting Studio
Art critic
Lou-Ann Albiol-Ducos
Editorial, Fairs and Exhibitions Assistant, Almine Rech International (2025)
The strength of Mariclair Plante’s portfolio lies in its remarkable synthesis of lyrical abstraction, textural sensitivity, and natural rhythm. This is beautifully expressed in Danse de la nature, a vertical composition where vibrant greens, ethereal bluish tones, and subtle violet accents merge in a dynamic yet harmonious flow. The layered applications of paint and gestural movements possess an organic emergence, as if nature were reimagined through a dreamlike prism.
Her ability to guide the viewer’s eye without imposing a fixed interpretation reveals the depth of her imagination and emotional resonance. In this work, the artist’s authority becomes evident — both chaotic and ordered, intuitive and poetic. The painting exemplifies the compelling power of her portfolio, generating a calm energy and an evocative sense of tranquility.
Ainhoa Fernández
Art Gallerist and Curator, Garna Gallery, Madrid, Spain (2025)
The artist demonstrates a high level of technical sophistication and confidence in her abstract approach. Her color palette is consistently nuanced, rich, and multidimensional. The interplay between earthy tones, jewel-like accents, and ethereal whites or transparencies creates a luminous and immersive surface.
Texturally, whether through brushwork, glazing, scraping, or mixed media, her surfaces display tactile complexity that invites attentive viewing. Compositionally, she reveals strong intuitive mastery. Even within abstraction, a sense of depth emerges through tonal variation and the strategic placement of contrasting forms. The compositions feel balanced yet fluid, structured without ever becoming rigid.
Denis Jacques
Grand Master of Fine Arts, Founder and Director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Quebec, Honorary Member of the Institute of Figurative Arts of Quebec (2022)
“You paint strong abstract works — something quite rare. Many, under the pretext of abstraction, merely produce incoherent gestures. A good painting, whether figurative or abstract, must meet the same analytical criteria: balanced and dynamic composition, flexible yet controlled drawing, nuanced values, and harmonious color relationships. Originality, diversity, and sincerity of feeling.
Nature inspires you — and rightly so. It is our only true master. Nature itself produces magnificent abstractions. Everything in nature is beautiful.
It is often human-made work that becomes questionable when we forget that we are part of nature. Nature teaches us that true beauty lies in subtle nuances.
I have long reflected on these ideas regarding abstract art. Your work finally gave me the opportunity to put them into words.”
Robert Bernier
Art Critic and Historian (2020)
“Each of her canvases carries its own story, expressed through what remains unsaid and through an infinity of gentle nuances infused with softness and poetry. This explains the sense of voluptuousness one experiences when engaging with her work — a body of art that may well reach significant heights in the years to come. Without question, the name Mariclair Plante will leave a lasting imprint on contemporary painting.”