Artospective: Portraiture Paintings by Joel Martimbeault.

The Gift.

An Interview with Joel Martimbeault.

Who and where are you from?

My name is Joel Martimbeault and i was born in Manitoba Canada, but have lived most of my life in and around Montreal, Quebec.

How you got into this?

I only took up painting more seriously in my forties, visual arts seeming like the next step for someone who had always delved in creative and visual disciplines: graphic arts, woodworking and interior design. For the most part i am a self-taught artist, initially experimenting with color and texture with abstract landscapes. Moving into portraiture, i continued working with similar textures and bold colors. As I began this foray into portraits i also completed a certification as a life coach. This had a huge influence on how i approached painting from that point on. Bringing these 2 passions together influenced me to make the emotion the true subject of my work.

What is my driving force?

Connection.

The connection and intimacy with the subject that builds up through the process of painting. An opportunity to connect with the emotion, to experience it through art in a way i don't always allow myself to in everyday life. Connecting and moving people with my work. My greatest accomplishment is knowing that i can move people with my art.

What kind of work you do and why?

My process begins by first choosing the emotion i feel i need to explore; something personal i can relate to and connect with. I choose my subjects with the knowledge that they can channel those feelings, that experience. We find common ground and i get to experience it through them. It's a very intimate and rewarding process for me.

The eyes are where I first focus when I begin my work. There is where I can capture and immortalize the feeling that my subject portrays. With my expressive use of colour I hope to evoke the spiritual and emotional statement of my subject. I like to juxtapose the linear rhythms of my brushstrokes against the tactile and textural swathes of the palette knife. The quick application of paint allows me to express the immediacy of the moment; for I believe that emotions can change in a split second. The highs and lows of shadows create a contrast that may enhance or contradict the sentiment. My background as a life coach has allowed me to have a close relationship with feelings and emotions and I welcome the viewer to create their own interpretation of what the person may be experiencing.

In a time of selfies and social narcissism I want the emotion to take front stage, to allow ourselves to view the subject from within.