From Turquoise Waters

About From Turquoise Waters

This contemporary abstract mixed media piece by Paul Fournier captures the turquoise-colored waters of the Caribbean.

Paul Fournier resides among the most significant painters in the Canadian art world—a masterful artist whose lyrical and colourful expressionist work is distinctively his own. He works ‘free form’, without a sketch and chooses colors as he works—a highly intuitive process that results in uniquely colorful artwork. Traces of Fournier’s influences—the storied abstract artist Jack Bush and Matisse, the French artist and leader of the early 20th century Fauvist movement can be seen in his lyrical form and inspired palette.
This mixed media piece illustrates a view of the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean—its sea life rendered in bright yellow, orange, hot pink, purple, orange and green appears to float on the canvas.

"There is a beauty and a sense of rightness about things that happen immediately.” Paul Fournier

“Fournier’s passionate dialogue with both nature and the stuff of painting links even his most diverse works. No matter how potent the allusion, Fournier as a highly intuitive artist with a profound belief in the expressive power of his materials, always makes us aware of the sensuality of paint, the excitement of the act of painting.” Karen Wilkin, Art critic

Paul Fournier was born during the Great Depression in Simcoe, Ontario. He first studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1959 and went on to study printmaking at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1967. Fournier also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from McMaster in 1996 where he’d also been the artist in residence. During a career that spans six decades, Fournier has had solo exhibitions in several Canadian cities and in the U.S. His work is held in private collections in North and South America, and Europe. Public collections include the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, the Sculpture Garden in Washington and the Tate Museum in London.