picking up the pieces with multi media artist yvette gagnon

Picking up the Pieces By M.J. Hudon with multi-media artist, yvette gagnon

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “vivacious” means — attractively lively and animated; spirited or full of life — and I can think of no better word to describe multi-media artist, Yvette Gagnon. A French-Canadian firecracker, she is an energetic, fun-loving woman with a strong work ethic and frugality that lead her into using shattered glass to enhance her already beautiful paintings. Keep reading to learn more about Yvette and the beauty she creates from chaos.

M.J.: Yvette, where are you currently located and how did you get there?

Yvette: I am currently located in East Vancouver British Columbia, Canada and it’s not far from where I was born. I’ve lived in B.C. all my life and moved into Vancouver about four years ago with my partner. We live in a very cool neighborhood called The Drive. Vancouver is very like Spokane. It has all the lakes, trees, and beauty. We’re so lucky!

M.J.: Yes we are. :) Did you go to school to learn art; are you self-taught, or a blend of both?

Yvette: I am completely self-taught and being creative comes very intuitively. I grew up surrounded by family. There were six of us kids and our parents who were hard-working, passionate, frugal, and very creative. They (my parents) were all selftaught, if anything broke down or needed repair, they figured out a way to make it last longer, and they passed that ability down to us kids.

M.J.: What got you started using glass as a medium?

Yvette: I was picking up glass shelves for a client — I used to be an interior decorator — and my order wasn’t finished so I decided to walk around the building. I turned the corner and I couldn’t believe how much shattered glass there was on the ground and my first thought was “what can I do with this stuff?” All excited, I asked if I could take some and the owner laughed. He said, “It’s like sand on the beach, take as much as you want!” I still didn’t know what I was going to do with it but I ran to my car, got all my grocery bags, and filled them with different thicknesses of shattered glass. I went home, washed all the glass, put it in a closet, and very soon started dreaming about what to do with it. That was 30 years ago and since then I haven’t stopped creating with glass. It’s just so unique and it has endless possibilities.

M.J.: Was it colored glass or clear?

Yvette: I only work with clear glass. I don’t know why, but I do not want to work with any colored glass. I paint everything. If you visit my Instagram you ’ll see that I paint the glass but I also leave a lot of my glass natural, especially with a black background. It’s wicked and totally gorgeous! I use the glass for texture to give depth and realism to my pieces.

When I paint the glass, I glue it all into place. Then I start painting on top of the glass to give it more depth.

M.J.: What kind of paint do you use?

Yvette: I use acrylics, and ink, as well. Alcohol ink on glass is beautiful because it becomes transparent. So the color is there but you still see the glass. It is a really cool effect!

M.J.: Sounds like you’re having a lot of fun.

Yvette: *Chuckling* Yeah, I’m having a good time. It’s like having a sandbox with all the toys in it.

M.J.: *Now I’m chuckling* that’s

great!

Yvette: Yeah, I have lots of toys. I love to have toys and what I mean by that is I have paints, and pencils, and inks, and glue... So I’m really, really a mixed media artist but my focus is to make sure that I put as much glass on the piece as possible.

M.J.: The dimensional quality of your art is dreamy and beautiful. What inspires your work?

Yvette: I am inspired by all sorts of things. With my new series — French Cottages — I was going through some old pictures of my trip to the South of France. I couldn’t believe how many pictures I took of windows, doors, stairways, and flowers! It was gorgeous and the pictures reminded me of what I experienced over there. I started to laugh because I realized they were all of the things I absolutely loved! I also love how I can create a 3D effect and tell a story visually. So, I thought, why not do them? That’s how the French Cottage series was conceived.

M.J.: What drew you to France, beyond the obvious?

Yvette: Over the years, my ex and I took in students from all around the world. And my “host-daughter” from France invited me to go spend time with her. So I spent one month in France with her and we walked and walked and walked. We would go to garage sales every weekend in these old villages and I just went nuts taking those pictures.

M.J.: Sounds lovely. Have you done a lot of traveling?

Yvette: I’ve done a fair amount of traveling. Again, because of being a host mom, I had kids from all over the world: South America, Germany, France, and the U.K. So I’ve had opportunities to go see them. It was kind of like payback time.

Yeah, ya know, I would call them and say, “Okay, it’s payback time! I’m coming to spend a week or two weeks with you.” We made great memories because not only did I get to visit my kids again but I got to know their parents too. It was a lot of fun.

M.J.: So when the pandemic is under control, is there any place you’d like to go?

Yvette: Um, you know I’d like to go to Thailand. I’m drawn to the amazing art there and I’d love to go see what might inspire my next series.

M.J.: So, when you are starting a new piece, do you plan it all out or create as you go?

Yvette: My process is both organized and disorganized. I definitely envision my glass pieces before I start...Sometimes, for me, it can be inspired by a dream, a picture, or even just a canvas. Then I have a mini-plan. A starting point.

I usually work on several pieces at a time because I get bored. So I work on three or four at a time and I am definitely keeping in mind that it has to work with shattered glass. I usually don’t sleep well for the first night because my brain is working out the details.

The next day I start a rough sketch; then the work usually just takes over. I follow my impulses and all hell breaks loose. I go nuts! Some would describe it as a zone you cross into and I totally agree. I start with painting, then usually hours of gluing glass to the piece. It’s the process I love the most about glass art. It’s very meditative and the pieces of glass just fit right.

When I emerge from my peaceful daze, I am a little out of myself. The final touch is usually adding more details and then VOILA! It’s finished.

Thankfully, my partner, David, takes care of the business end of things. All the paperwork, finances, and stuff so I can do what I do. He’s great!

M.J.: What was the most challenging piece you’ve done to date?

Yvette: The most challenging piece for me was a triptych I made for my son as a gift. He gave me a set of three canvases and they had a painting on them already. They had texture too, so when he asked me to create something on them I decided to do a large tree and had to make sure that the texture didn’t interfere with my painting or ideas of the branches. The trunk was the most difficult but, as it turned out, the texture added to the effect and it turned out beautifully. Especially the glass leaves and tassels. In a certain light, it kind of has a sort of luminescence to it because I pearlized a lot of the surface top layers so there’s kind of this glow when you’re at a specific angle in the room. It’s very unique.

M.J.: 2020 has been challenging, to say the least. What do you do in your spare time, or do you have any?

Yvette: I have created a lot of art in 2020 ...a hobby I really enjoy is cooking and reading.

M.J.: What is your go-to comfort food?

Yvette: I’m a bread-a-holic. I LOVE my bread. That is so French Canadian. My mother made bread all the time and there were so many meals with bread. I think my next favorite is popcorn. I love it even though my teeth don’t. *lol* I grew up with popcorn because it was a cheap snack for a family of eight.

M.J.: What do you like to read?

Yvette: Positive books, books that inspire, and anything unique and different where you can’t guess the ending. I don’t watch TV, read the paper, or listen to the news or radio. It’s an awful way to start a day. It’s like getting on a scale to check your weight every morning and it’s like an f-you if you’ve gained weight.*I’m laughing so hard right now in total understanding and Yvette laughs along*

I avoid all of that, which is funny because I end up hearing about it eventually anyway. Instead, I just focus on what I need to do, what I love to do.

Yvette: Yes, it keeps me sane. Creating, for me, is like breathing. I need to express that true part of me, the part I love.

M.J.: If you could meet any two people — living or dead, real or fictional — who would it be, and why?

Yvette: It would be my parents and grandmother. I would love to tell them how much I appreciated the gifts they passed along to me especially my creativity, their hard work ethic, and their frugalness. Because of it I saw possibilities in the shattered glass sitting on the ground waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. My grandmother I would love to thank for her never throwing anything away and her endless art projects that she included me in.

M.J.: If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

Yvette: I definitely think it would still be artistic because I can’t stand paperwork. I’ve always fantasized about being a window dresser...I love the idea that it has endless possibilities. They are only limited as to how they use the space plus they have a roof to suspend things from. It’s like a room full of creativity, plus you have a whole store full of stuff to choose from.

M.J.: Where can all of us fans find your art? Please list any galleries, upcoming shows, or websites.

Yvette: Find me on Facebook @ Yvette’s Glass Art or Instagram @ Yvettesglassart

You can also see me in a YouTube video by Bonnie Kilroe at: https://youtu.be/p-p2npmN7tY and I have several pieces at Hollyburn Country Club. All events are canceled due to COVID.

M.J.: To finish up, do you have any advice for artists just starting their careers?

Yvette: Yes ...create every day. There are no mistakes. If you hate what you painted, paint over it. Have fun; give your art away as gifts, for raffles, or donations. And most of all, be thankful for your gift.