Robert Gougeon
(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
GOUGEON_ROBERT_2022_Hope-1_55.88-x-71.12-cm_acrylic-on-canvas
GOUGEON_ROBERT_2022_Hope2_50.8-x-50.8-cm_acrylic-on-canvas2
GOUGEON_ROBERT_2022_Hope3_50.8-x-50.8-cm
GOUGEON_ROBERT_I-am-Hear-1-A-lecoute-1_60.96-x-76.2-cm-24-x30-in_acrylic-on-gallery-canvas_2021.jpg
GOUGEON_ROBERT_I-am-Hear-2-A-lecoute-2-_60.96-x-76.2-cm-24-x30-in_acrylic-on-gallery-canvas_2021-copy.jpg
Biography
A second career artist of some 30 years exhibited widely in solo and group fora (currently in a long-term exhibit of eight paintings at UK Heathrow Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge). Approved as a ‘professional’ Artist by the Canada Council for the Arts. Have been published and interviewed. Artistic formation achieved through years of courses, workshops and practical engagement. Hold an MA in Geography and retired from working in several federal government departments, primarily in areas relating to natural resources, Indian and Inuit relations and Canada’s north.
Statement
The Nest
A nest shelters and harbours birth and love, a place for family and hope. It is however, often threatened and desecrated by harsh elements and attackers that prey on the weak. I add thorns and distractions for protection, but that is not enough, as the suffering of survival and the sorrow of death are unavoidable. The nest inevitably awaits the renewal of life.
While simultaneously listening, feeling, and reflecting, I push and refine with palette knife and the spontaneity of experience. Limited acrylics, layered texture, a luminous background, and vivid colours dancing in the strokes and indefinite shapes define my composition. I seek clarity of execution and depth of the story. A simple but emotionally laden work is born begging for repeated interaction with the viewer thus gradually revealing its meanings as a piece and message as a series.