Pourquoi Pas art exhibit

I write every day in my journals, and sometimes I use painting as a personal diary, a way of exploring the meaning of feelings and life experiences. I started painting with watercolour in December 2020; it’s my “pandemic hobby”. I painted landscapes, still lives, portraits, but also images from my dreams. We analyze dreams a lot in psychotherapy. Some dream images fascinate me and connect me with a part of myself I didn’t know well, and they inspire a painting.

May 2022 art exhibit

During all of May 2022, my art is exhibited at Pourquoi Pas Espresso Bar in Montreal.

Pourquoi Pas (Why Not, in french) is a lovely independent café in the Village district that I frequent since ~10 years. I’ve always been fascinated by how much the baristas and patrons are talkative and have interesting lives. Whenever I go there, I hear some people talking together, often with passion. They talk about art, relationships, philosophy, life in the city, their studies or their work, and coffee of course! This place has special meaning to me because going there, talking with strangers or even just overhearing conversations has always made me feel inspired, and given me new thoughts. My girlfriend and I even made new friends there!

The café owner offers their space to one artist every month. It’s a wonderful community building concept. My girlfriend had an exhibition there in November 2021, which I was very proud and excited about. And then I was inspired to also display my art, so I asked for a spot.

In this exhibit, watercolours framed with a dark mat are images from my dreams. Those with a white mat are from my awakened experience. I displayed paintings and drawings from 2019 to this year, as well as four poems.

Opening night

There was an inauguration event on May 4th. I had new friends, old friends, parkour friends, family, my girlfriend’s friends, mutual friends, and people who just walked in because they saw the chalkboard sign on the sidewalk advertising the vernissage. My girlfriend gave me lots of support, helped me with the art installation, and made gluten-free dairy-free cookies and cake for the event ❤️! I felt so happy and socially fulfilled!

The experience of sharing my art

I haven’t shared images of my paintings on my blog or on social media before; I’ve only shown them to a few close friends, family members, and my therapist. They’ve all encouraged me to share my paintings on my online platforms, but I’ve been shy and unsure how to present them.

Displaying my art publicly for other people, acquaintances and strangers to see was a significant experience. During the opening event, I had some practice talking about my art and I got to feel people’s reactions in real time. I loved hearing about other people’s thoughts and feelings towards my art. It added new layers of meaning to my own creations. I found it easy and liberating to speak with vulnerability about my creative process and inspirations. This exhibition and the interactions it generated inspire me to be more vulnerable, help me structure my thoughts, and give me confidence.

Future blog post ideas

In the next few weeks and months, I’m going to write blog posts about my paintings in my blog’s art section. I’ll display a picture and write one or two short paragraphs to describe the inspiration and the process.

In the meantime, you can read my poetry. This is an art form I started to practice more recently as a way to explore the English language and expand my vocabulary beyond the domains of computers and business. I write short form poems that are light, play with spacial orientation, and associate with visual imagery.