France Fauteux

The artistic process

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My artistic interests have long focused on the world of animals. At first, I was fascinated by their form, agility, and physical beauty. Through observation, reading, and research, I discovered they had psychological and emotional capacities very much like our own. Captivated by these similarities, I wished to humanize my animal sculptures by giving each of them human emotions and expressions. An emotional bond is thus created, enabling the observer to feel attachment, respect and, then, appreciation for their differences.

Always fascinated by diversity on the one hand and by similarities on the other, I went from more realistic animal creations to completely imagined ones, so that I might better explore their forms, portray their emotions, and bring out the likeable side of their differences.

Then came the third stage, which led to my great leap forward. I created two complete imaginary universes peopled with fantasy characters, all very different and all ceramic-made. I brought them to life by writing, for each one, a marvellous adventure story.

Choosing the subject, matters a lot. The crucial choices for me, however, are the movement, the expression, the texture, and the colour that impregnate my creation. The most exhilarating moment is when I texture the sculpture. Only then does it come to life. Only then does it begin to breathe, vibrate, and communicate, because the texture is its own language and much of its expression.

If texture is the sculpture’s language, colour is its sound and melody. Extensive research has enabled me to develop slip coatings that come in a wide range of personalized colours. After firing, my creation takes on its true colour and can give voice to its emotions.