Jessie Donaldson
Lucas Morneau
BIO:
Lucas Morneau is an interdisciplinary artist from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Morneau received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts at Memorial University – Grenfell Campus in 2016, where he spent a semester abroad in Old Harlow, England, and will be a candidate for the Master of Fine Arts (Studio Art) program at University of Saskatchewan in late 2016. Lucas Morneau has exhibited in exhibitions in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, including juried exhibitions at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery andGrenfell Campus – Memorial University, and in exhibitions in England. Using photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation, and performance, Morneau’s work oscillates between the known and the unknown, while playing with perception and healing the viewer.
1. When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
What I find funny is that I never really wanted to become a professional artist until I was in my second year of my Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) degree. I entered the program with the intentions of going on to do medicine, but became hooked.
2. What mediums do you work in and why?
I am an interdisciplinary artist and am currently working with light and space. Originally a photographer, I realized that much of my work was influenced by light and wanted to work with light itself. From there, I started to do research into light and its effect on the body.
3. How do you get ideas for your artwork?
Light really has an influence on me. For example, the colour temperature difference between a tungsten lamp and midday light has had a big effect on my work. From there, I use minimalist structures as a matrix to hold the lights I use, whether they be LEDs or full-spectrum CFL lights.
4. What other artists influence your artwork?
I find that many people today use the word ‘inspiration’ inappropriately, as inspiration is something that is monumental and life changing. One artist that not only has influenced my work, but also has inspired me is James Turrell. During the summer of 2014, I and twenty other classmates travelled to the United Kingdom to spend three months studying. We went to galleries daily to view important works spanning from different time periods of art history. The pace was hectic. One day, our professor took us to see the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. While there, I saw my first James Turrell installation, Sensing Thought, 2014. Sensing Thought had, at the time, made me slow down for the first time that semester and pause. Every thought, every emotion, and every stress had left my body as I sat in from of the vertical rectangle of light. After 15 minutes of looking at Sensing Thought. I realized how much time had passed. I forced myself to continue looking at other works. After a year of back in Canada, Sensing Thought’s lights are still glowing in my mind. The piece remains vividly glowing, slowly shifting colour. It became the turning point in my art practice, making me realize what I would want to discuss in my works and how I would want to show them.
5. What are the “big” themes in your artwork?
My work oscillates between the known and the unknown, while fooling perception to create a feeling of both comfort and ease. With my work, I hope to create a meditative experience while making the viewer question what they see before them and whether or not it is an illusion.
6. What is the greatest challenge you face as an artist working in Nfld & Lab?
Due to the fact that I work with computer parts and addressable LEDs, I have to order in the vast majority of my supplies, which increases the cost of my materials.
7. What is the best thing about working as an artist in this province?
The arts community is so accepting here, especially on the west coast of the province. All artists come together here, regardless of interest and their areas of specialty.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to see myself working as either a full-time professional artist or working at the university level as a professor while working part-time as a professional artist.
9. If you werenʼt an artist, what would you be doing?
I would probably be working in the field of medicine or psychology.
10. If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?
Frost breath. Joking. I would love to be able to have a solo exhibition at the Tate Modern.
Lorraine Matthews
BIO:
Lorraine Matthews was born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is currently in the process of finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Memorial University-Grenfell Campus. While completing her undergrad, Lorraine found a love for relation aesthetics and other unconventional art practices. Lorraine’s strong connection with Newfoundland and Labrador is a frequent subject in her work. She hopes that one day she will settle on the island and continue her art practice with a cup of tea in hand.
1. When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?
I was always certain I would be an artist ever since I can remember. My dad would always paint and draw with me. The fire department coloring contests would be the highlight of my time in elementary school.
2. What mediums do you work in and why?
I work in a variety of mediums. I am trained to work with metal, ceramics, oil paint, film photography and most forms of print making. I like coming up with an idea and then finding the right medium that would suit my idea.
3. How do you get ideas for your artwork?
I find it very hard to get an idea when I sit and think about ideas. My ideas come from experiences. I make a point to travel, talk to people and share stories and these are where my ideas are generated. My sketch book is filled with stories, dreams and drawings of my everyday experiences.
4. What other artists influence your artwork?
An artist that have been influencing my work lately is John Hartman. I am really inspired by the way he paints a landscape.
5. What are the “big” themes in your artwork.
Lately, my artwork has focused a lot on the idea oh home. For me, home is when I’m with people that I love or in a place that I love.
6. & 7. What is the greatest challenge you face as an artist working in Nfld & Lab? What is the best thing about working as an artist in this province?
For me, being an artist in Newfoundland and Labrador is a blessing. Being in a smaller area allows me to focus on things in a smaller scale. Where there are too many people, or places to see I feel overwhelmed and find it hard to take the time to focus and study one thing. I am also constantly being inspired by the landscape and small town lifestyle that surrounds me.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In ten years I see myself travelling around the world creating and always finding my way back here, to Newfoundland.
9. If you werenʼt an artist, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t an artist, I would be a teacher. It would be lovely to find a way to add creativity to a lesson plan everyday. Also, watching other people think creatively is inspiring.
10. If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?
If I could have one wish granted, it would be to have Newfoundland stay the safe, mystical, and heartwarming place that it is forever.
Photograph by Amber-Lynn Thorne