PASCALE PRATTE

Born in Montreal in 1974, artwork has always played a role in Pascale Pratte's life.  From the very early age of 10 she started creating and selling her artwork in a kiosk in old Montreal, then by 14 she was selling her drawings in the form of greeting cards in Quebec, France, and Belgium.  Pursuing her studies at the CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal in graphic design and later in digital art, by 27 she traded her computer for brushes.

Pascale Pratte's work is based on the representation and magnificence of women and their femininity through a resolutely modern approach. With their languid gazes, the women created by Pratte all have one thing in common, a boundless power of seduction. This power is not due to their flawless beauty, but rather to the magnetism that emanates from her subjects. Pascale Pratte manipulates shapes and colours with the agility and the assurance that her training in drawing, sculpting, painting, 3D computer graphics and graphic design have imparted upon her.

Over the years Pascale has experimented with different approaches and mediums, continually refining her process in creating her contemporary female portraits.  Most recently, Pascale has been creating a series that she refers to as her Cœur de Cendre collection. Using oil paint and paint thinner, along with charcoal dust collected from the trees that surround her, she uses washes of colour over the faces creating works with even more depth and texture.

“For every painting of the CŒUR DE CENDRE collection, I choose a piece of wood that I burn and transform into a powder. This charcoal dust is my finishing touch. Sprinkled over the finished painting it brings a texture, a grain, I would even say a soul to the portrait.”