L'isolation

Dance has always been an important part of my life; I grew up dancing and figure skating. Last year, I suffered from a concussion that put my life on hold and I discovered that painting was one of the few things that I could do to relieve my symptoms and feel like I was in control of my life. 

When the pandemic hit Montreal, my sister bought me multiple canvases so that I could paint and take my mind off of all the stressful changes happening around me. This painting, which I have titled L'isolation, describes how the pandemic was making me and, I'm sure, many others feel. 

During these hard times, I wished that I could be this expressive, joyful and artistic dancer, but the crisis around me felt like it was pushing in from all sides onto this dream. These feelings are represented in the painting by a dress floating in the abyss. The dress represents a soul searching for their ''authentic self'' while their world is attempting to suffocate the light within them. The pain caused by this dichotomy results in an unexpected self-discovery, creating something different, but beautiful. I used red instead of a traditionally “sad” colour, because, even if I was isolated, I still felt young and alive which was making everything feel more intense. For me, red was the perfect colour to represent this type of energy.