Françoise Dunstan

I like working mostly in acrylics, because of its versatility and its short drying time.  This particular quality lends itself to spontaneity and the introduction of other media such as collage, crayons, inks and pastels.  My stimulus has always been colour, usually it takes over my paintings, the subject matter itself becoming of secondary importance.  I strive to maintain freshness and composition rather than accuracy and rendition.

I have always been interested in painting, inspired by my Grandmother’s own interests and the colours and animation in the Mediterranean upbringing that I had, growing up on the Cote d’Azur and Corsica.  I formalized that interest with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (obtained with Great Distinction, in 1996).  Since then I have exhibited and sold my work in Canada, Britain and France.

I love to play with colour, and the west coast of Canada offers such great possibilities, with the nuances of aqua in the transparency of the water, and the greens and grays of its coastline.  But mostly I love to go back to the Mediterranean to soak up all of the colours there, where nature is dryer, starker, and the colours are harsher, carrying with them the intense heat.  Both environments are a wonderful inspiration.