About

Biography

Johanne Brouillette is a Canadian abstract painter who has been living and working out of her studio located in the Laurentian Mountains for over 28 years.

Following close to 20 years painting in a representational landscape style, Johanne began studying pure abstraction and immediately connected with the style of the Automatistes painters such as Riopelle, Borduas and Ferron. She has found freedom of expression in abstraction pursued through automatism: an instinctive, unpremeditated form of creating art, and has created a fresh language all her own.

Brouillette is a jury elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and the Federation of Canadian Artists. Her abstract paintings have been included in over 80 regional, national and international juried exhibits and have been awarded several prizes. In 2020, the Society of Canadian Artists awarded her the prestigious Antoinette Stevens Medal “Best in Show”. Her artworks have appeared in several publications including House & Garden magazine in the United Kingdom, Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine in France and Art Folio Annual in the United States.

Her work is represented in galleries and both private and corporate collections worldwide. A few notable one’s are the Montreal Neurological Hospital, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Jean Lapointe Foundation in Montreal, Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, USA, Merchants Bonding, West Des Moines, USA.

She currently lives and works in the Laurentians with her husband and two small dogs.

Artist Statement

My large-format abstract paintings are imbued with intense raw emotion and quiet tranquility. Technically, the work is non-representational, but to say this would be a disservice to the countless natural inspirations in my daily life. Each painting is created in a gestural, expressionistic style, yet references the highly influential Canadian landscape around me.

Nature has always been a part of my life, most notably my summers spent at our family waterfront cottage in the Laurentians. I enjoy observing seasonal changes, allowing different textures, colours and shapes of trees and leaves to influence my work.

My paintings are created with thick multilayered, heavily textured oils that can take weeks, months and even years of building. I rarely use brushes, preferring the physical act of moving, scraping and removing paint with palette knives. The painting can go through many lives or “seasons”, changing drastically during the process, depending where my inspiration takes me. My hope is that my abstracted landscape paintings hint at something familiar, yet remain open ended to allow the viewer’s imagination to complete the story.

”I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”

Georgia O’keeffe

Curriculum Vitae

Invitational Exhibitions

2022 – Contemporary Abstraction, Moberg Gallery, Iowa
2022 – Square Foot Show, Paula White-Diamond Gallery, Waterloo
2022 – Big Ideas Show Spring and Fall, Paula White-Diamond Gallery, Waterloo
2021 – Summer Group Show, Moberg Gallery, Iowa
2021 – Summer Invitational Group Show, Red Sheep Gallery, New York
2021 – Spring Invitational Group Show, Red Sheep Gallery, New York
2021 – Contemporary Women Paint: Abstract Expressions, Moberg Gallery, Iowa
2021 – Diverse Voices, Artists of the Artist’s Voice, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 – Group Christmas Show, Moberg Gallery, Iowa
2019 – Kicking Abstract and Taking Names, Moberg Gallery, Iowa

Solo Exhibitions

2018 – Abstract Expressionism, Cailuan Art Gallery, Cornwall, Ontario
2018 – Notre point de vue n’est qu’une réalité, Piedmont, Québec
2017 – Regarde-moi, je suis là, St-Faustin Culture, Québec
2017 – Langage abstrait, St-Hippolyte Library, Québec

Jury Selected Exhibitions

2022 – August Abstract Show, Julia Veenstra, Hamilton, Ontario
2021 – Abstract2, Square Foot Online Exhibition, Julia Veenstra, Hamilton, Ontario
2021 – Mascouche Arts Festival, Online Edition, Québec
2021 – Best Largescale Artwork, Gallea, Montreal, Quebec;
2021 – Curators’ Selection Gallea, Montreal, Quebec;
2021 – Montreal Artists, Gallea, Montreal, Quebec;
2021 – Mardi Gras, Gallea, Montreal, Quebec;
2020 – Square Foot Online Exhibition, Julia Veenstra, Hamilton, Ontario
2020 – Federation of Canadian Artists, Limitless Exhibition, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
2020 – Society of Canadian Artists Annual Elected Members Exhibition
2020 – 4^th Annual Group Summer Show, Blue Crow Art Gallery, Toronto
2020 – Federation of Canadian Artists, Social Distancing Exhibition, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
2020 – Society of Canadian Artists, Annual International Juried Exhibition
2019 – Square Foot and Big Ideas Exhibition, Paula White Diamond Art Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
2019 – 51st Juried Exhibition, Society of Canadian Artists, Viva Vida Art Gallery, Pointe-Claire, Québec
2019 – Vancouver Salon, Elected Members of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Canadian Federation Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
2019 – Small Works Exhibition, Elected Members of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Canadian Federation Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
2019, 2018 – Mascouche Arts Festival, Québec
2018 – 33e Visual Arts Exhibition, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines
2019, 2018, 2017 – Expo-auction FASS art Saint-Sauveur, Galerie Rod
2018, 2017 – Expo-Concert in Mirabel
2017 – Acquisition of permanent works for the city of Blainville, Blainville Art Gallery
2017 – Rendez-vous Art-thé, Salle polyvalente de la gare de Piedmont

Group Exhibitions

2022 – Fall Exhibition St-Sauv-Art;
2018, 2019 – Annual Exhibit and Art Contest, ALPAP;
2017, 2018 – Annual Juried Exhibition, St-Faustin Culture Centre;
2017, 2018 – Accessible Art, St-Faustin Culture Centre;
2016 – 2019 – Annual Art Exhibit, Blainville-art, Blainville Art Gallery;
2016 – Exposition Un monde de couleurs, at the gallery l’Artiste in Montréal;
2016 – 5 couleurs, gare de Piedmont; and
2016 – Envolées artistiques de la Galerie ARTrium, Mirabel.

Awards

2020 – Best in Show, Antoinette Stevens Award, Society of Canadian Artists, Elected Members Annual Exhibition;
2020, 2021 – Best Emerging Abstract and Contemporary Artist of the Year, Folio Annual;
2020 – Honorable Mention, Artist of the Year, Circle Foundation For the Arts, 2019;
2019 – Best Global Quality Abstract Art, Césure International Competition;
2018 – The Gold brush at the Annual Exhibition in Mirabel;
2017 – 3rd place at the Annual Exhibition at the St-Faustin Culture Centre;
2016 – 2nd place at the Annual Exhibition of Blainville-Art.

Memberships and Affiliations

Federation of Canadian Artists, Active member (FCA)
Society of Canadian Artists. Elected member (SCA)
Blainville-Art, Professional Category (BVA)
Saint-Sauveur Artist Association (Saint-Sauv’Art)

Publications

March 2023 – CanvasRebel Magazine, Meet Johanne Brouillette;
June 2021 – Folio Annual, 2nd Edition, Best Emerging Abstract Artist of the Year;
February 2021, Visionary Project, The February Artist Selection: 3 Artists We Love, New York, NY
May 2020 – Folio Annual, Inaugural Edition, Best Emerging Abstract Artist of the Year;
April 2020 – Featured Artist Johanne Brouillette, Bold and Striking Abstract Art, Artsy Shark;
October 2019, Citiview Des Moines News, Female Artists Dominate the Galleries
June 2019, House & Garden (UK), Art Edit
July 2019, Circle Arts Foundation for the Arts, Vol. 15, Spotlight Magazine, France,
2019 – Artsy Shark, Summer Showcase Artist Feature, August;
2019 – Magazine Bonjour, Remax Laurentides
May 2017 – Journal Le Sentier, Brouillette en expo solo: Je suis là- Regarde-moi, St-Hippolyte

Corporate and Private Collections

Worldwide.