Carol Bernier

Un lieu à soi (A Place of One’s Own) is a solo exhibition of 27 new works by Montreal based artist, Carol Bernier. The title of the show is inspired by Virginia Woolf's book A Room of One's Own, in which she talks about the importance of a solitary space to create. Themes of prevailing through adversity and exploring the resilient boundaries of the self are present throughout this body of work, captivating viewers with dynamic compositions. During an intense period of creation, Bernier reflected on the power of art and its ability to generate space in one’s life for the better. Hoping to breathe life into her own works, she turns to painting to aid her through difficult times explaining how it gives her the oxygen she needs. This latest series invites the viewer to lose themselves in the emotions that the works evoke, while at the same time stimulating our imaginations.

Born in Montreal in 1963, Carol Bernier's passion for the arts manifested itself at an early age and continues to this day Creating beautifully layered abstracted landscapes, seascapes and skyscapes, she is an artist who completely relies on her instincts. She never starts a painting with a preconceived idea, allowing her intuition to lead her as she puts the first touch of colour on her canvas. It is by deepening this dialogue with her canvas that an image begins to form in her mind. Her artistic practice is highly meditative and the source of utmost self-reflection.

Captivated by light and transparency, she creates stunning compositions with layers of overlapping fields of rich jewel tones. The artist’s brushstrokes do not reveal themselves through a logical or linear sequence but are rather natural and spontaneous.  Bernier uses her art to address the artist’s eternal challenge; how to use the work’s inherent power to present the viewer with an internal reality, revealing something strangely familiar and yet ultimately intangible.