Desbiens, Mauril

Born and raised in Quebec, Mauril left his hometown of Chicoutimi to let the sea guide him; he went down the coast of the United States all the way to the Caribbean. Later, he settled in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where he let the artist in him shine and opened his own art gallery. Although he returned to solid land, the ocean has never completely left his heart. Mauril’s work can be distinguished by its affiliation with the sea, and a constant concern for authenticity. While before he was defined by sailing, his ultimate fulfillment came from his innate ability to make you visualize what you might not otherwise see.


Artist Statement

Mauril's inspiration was born from deep waves, cool winds, the rhythm of the spray, in the mist that envelopes your body and heart. Some works are almost monochrome while in others, colour appears as the only motivation. Movements may be languid or emotional explosions, lingering on or ending abruptly. Shaded areas that hold the eye as if to stop time. Creativity has first place in his work. It must be inexhaustible because it is the soul of the artist. The view of a small boat still moves him, so he must refrain from reducing the boat to its simple reproduction. The work must translate the same vibrations he felt when seeing it for him for to consider it complete.

Mauril’s work begins with chaos; that he puts on the table, on the floor, or on an easel, a canvas softened by several layers of Gesso. He has in hand, oil, acrylic, spatula, with mixtures of all kinds. Just like the Alchemist in search of gold, he makes and unmakes the subject. A sailboat, a wave, or a reef, emerges and then changes until he finds what the painting should be. He will refine the creation for a few hours, a few days and even months. Until the figurative abstraction becomes a work of art.