GuY HECTOR
ART HOUSE GLOBAL
representation for global artists
CHARLIE CLERMONT
Text: Danielle Park Wiseman, Photo: Jackson Long
How Charlie Clermont Finds Healing Through Kintsugi
Clermont's memorial portraits are the result of a raw and cathartic creative process. Her compositions, made of bold pigments combined with spatial and figurative allusions, conceal the darkness and anxiety of her childhood.
Each painting contributes to defining an emotional self-portrait, so to speak. Through the repetition of splashes, washes, and shading techniques, symbolic motifs are represented in masterful compositions. These physical and metaphorical representations transform into a comforting narrative, a quest for balance and order amidst imbalance and chaos.
With a background in graphic design and experience within an architectural firm, the artist escapes defined structures and relies on her experimental process to find healing. While both disciplines involve the creation of visual communication, Clermont's work invites us to experience her universe and to engage in introspective reflection on our own.
In her most recent creations, Clermont is interested in Kintsugi, a Japanese art form consisting of repairing broken ceramic objects with golden lacquer. By accepting her flaws and imperfections, Clermont uses her art as a metaphorical outlet. “Every broken memory is unique and belongs to me. My canvases highlight these scars and are part of the painting's design. Finding beauty by creating art is an integral part of my process and allows me to aspire to healing.”
From brush to canvas, Clermont uses her environment to harmonize imaginary forms with authentic experiences. Whether it's the organic patterns observed on a tree leaf during a nature walk or the skate marks left on an ice rink, Clermont draws inspiration from ephemeral moments that escape us or are easily forgotten. She also studies the shapes and patterns of aerial landscapes. Seeing the world from above offers the dual advantage of appreciating Earth's beauty from an unusual perspective while revealing a spiritual outlook.
For Clermont, artistic creation is not only an experimental practice blending techniques, materials, and ideas; painting also leads to self-discovery and embodies resilience. Rather than concealing her insecurities, her compositions confidently reveal how to appreciate and embrace the "breaks" of our past, and how to foster hope through possibilities.
Charlie Clermont is a contemporary Quebec artist, currently living and working in Quebec City.
