Painting and Interdisciplinary Art by Gaetane Cummings
Biodiversité, acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
Gaetane Cummings is a Montreal-based artist who originally trained in graphic design, before deciding to pursue painting and interdisciplinary art more seriously following a health issue. Much of Gaetane’s work deals with exploring the societal benefits of embracing diversity, especially in terms of the challenges faced by individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities.
Tellement minus, acrylic on canvas
Gaetane’s mixed media artworks from 2020 incorporate elements of abstraction and figurative painting, creating an interesting effect where layered, almost muddy oil paintings are balanced by areas of negative space, and more detailed moments of painting. There is a striking juxtaposition between these tightly rendered figurative elements, and the larger shapes and forms on the picture plane. Bodies tend to be sparsely expressed, in just shapes and shadows, where features like eyes and faces are often detailed so as to draw the viewer’s immediate attention.
Looking at these works really evokes the effect of remembering a person or scene hours or days after the fact, when only the most prescient details remain in focus.
