brigitte huard

see list of images below*

{BRIGITTE HUARD ANSWERS OUR QUESTIONS}

What medium(s) do you work in?
My first love is drawing and for it I use a variety of mediums. I love sculpture an originally went to school to pursue it but I came out covered in oil paints and it just stuck.

What question do you wish would be asked in an interview and how would you answer it?
What is the most important thing an artist should aspire to? Growth. Nothing else matters. Everything changes and moves along regardless of your resistance.There are plenty of things to get systematic about and mired in on an everyday basis, your creativity and ideas should not be part of that. Do something totally different every so often - things that makes you completely uncomfortable and frustrate you. You won't regret it, and if you do, forget I said anything.

Why art? and why art in Hamilton?
It was the most logical and practical career choice my right brain could make.
Hamilton because I live here. Carpe diem, and so on.

Who or what inspires you?
Expressive lines, mistakes, underdrawing, Ragtime, negative space, Wunderkammer, fragility, birds, sea monsters, 1950's Girl Groups, journeys, humility, evocation, winter, subtlety, tall tales, connections, art deco, nonsense, jolie laide and words like "hornswaggle".

Any wisdom you'd like to share about living as an artist?
-Study and learn as much as you can then push it out of your mind and do whatever feels right. No one can agree on what "art" is anyways so don't worry about it.

-Work two or three jobs but never accept having to do it forever, even if it feels like forever.

-Teach others and you may actually end up practicing what you preach.

-Stop putting down your own work, give others a turn, then defend it.

-Enjoy working on series but beware of them. Remember that first cat figurine that was so cute at the time, so you bought a couple more? Then everyone started giving you cat figurines as gifts and then you had to explain the whole awful cat figurine journey to that person you were interested in. You end up lucky if someone doesn't refer to them poetically in your obituary. Throw a bird in the mix, go nuts.

-Don't get too fancy with your explanations about your work; you'll bore everyone to tears. It, like you, should aim to be open and accessible and not take itself too seriously.

-Don't hold on to your work: sell it, give it away, throw it out. Just don't sit there pining over that one thing you did well/ badly that fateful Tuesday afternoon 6 years ago.

-Don't worry about what everyone else thinks, they are usually worrying about themselves and/or what you are thinking of them.

-Draw zombies, then show eight year olds how to draw them. Be very busy at the end of class during pick-up.


Is there anything in your art that you are afraid people might discover?
No, otherwise I wouldn't put it out there.

Born in Ottawa, Brigitte Huard spent her childhood and early teens living in Montreal and Quebec City, before moving to Burlington, Ontario in 1992. She graduated with a B.A. Honours Art degree from McMaster University in 2001, and in 2006 graduated from the Advanced Studies post-graduate program at the Dundas Valley School of Art.
She has exhibited work in over thirty solo, group, and juried shows, and has volunteered for various local arts organizations, in particular the Women’s Art Association of Hamilton. She has been an art instructor for the John Howard Society, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Burlington Art Centre, and the Grimsby Public Art Gallery where she is the current Education & Media Coordinator.

*Image 1: Craft birds 2. Oil on canvas, 2009
Image 2: Craft birds 3. Oil on linen, 2009
Image 3: Cross-Contamination Two. Joint painting with Michelle Doerner. Oil on canvas, 2010
Image 4: "The Good Girl". Charcoal, conté and oil on paper, 2010
Image 5: "Tangerine". Charcoal and conté on paper, 2010.
Image 6: "Don't put your shit on me". Charcoal and conté on paper, 2010.


brigitte huard