The Gallery at Queen’s Park presents:
“Lines of Thoughts”
by Elsa Chesnel
Exhibition Dates: Feb 6 – 24, 2019
Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 6, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, Feb 10, 3-4pm
Free Admission.
Exhibition Statement
Elsa Chesnel has always been seduced by charcoal, by the black mess engulfing her as the drawings emerge. With charcoal as her preferred medium, Elsa set out to express feelings through contrast. The limitations of Chesnel’s medium of choice, however, pushed her to use acrylics to express herself in larger format, which in turn allowed for experimentation with colour.
When creating, Chesnel loses herself in shapes and volumes, then refines and discovers meaning through lines as she explores her own thoughts. The artist is as much a part of the process as a part of the final product. In many ways, Lines of Thoughts is Chesnel’s own version of Rorschach’s inkblots.
Artist Bio
Self-taught in the visual arts, Elsa Chesnel rejected integrating into a French Art School to concentrate on immigrating to Canada. This decade of apparent setback in her artistic growth came back with a vengeance of darkness and colour, sending her staggering toward abstract artwork. She regained her footing remembering Kandinsky’s reckless curves, experimenting with Sonia Delaunay’s bold colours, and discovering Joan Mitchell’s aggressive softness.
