Giselle Paquette has been an art educator and specialist for over 20 years. She is the founder and coordinator of the Dance Festival 'Step into Motion', an organisation that promotes dance in the schools and Eastern Ontario. Giselle was one of the writers of the new elementary dance curriculum and involved in writing documents for Visual Arts and Dance, Drama and Literacy in association with CODE, OSEA, TVO and the Ministry of Education of Ontario. She currently works for the Upper Canada District School Board as an art and French specialist. Paquette has travelled extensively as an artist and specializes in the art of printmaking, specifically woodcuts. Recently her focus has been watercolour. In the future she plans to publish a series of artworks and poetry.

Abstract

Dragonfly is a part of a series of reduction prints. The aim was to experiment with several cuts and patterns using tools.

It is a woodcut on printed on rice paper out of a series of twelve prints.

It is an essential piece because after that it directed the creative process work in a specific direction.

The theme of the dragonfly expresses the fragility of life.

I was taking my daily walk when I saw it on the ground. Inert and lifeless the dragonfly’s blue wings were glistening in the sun. The lace extensions reminded me of my mom’s crocheted doily’s. In my hands, I carried it home like a precious gift. In the studio with pen in hand I started to sketch to find the right composition. It had been quite some time since my last visit. The wooden tools were not sharp. The scent of pine filled the room. This perfume that inspires artists and woodworkers. The body and form of the dragonflies are fascinating. This inspiration followed in the rest of my work.

Je prenais ma marche journalière quand j’ai vue l’insecte inerte par terre. Les bleus de ses ailes rayonnaient et le denteler me rappelait les crochets de ma mère. Doucement je pris la libellule dans mes doigts et me dirigea vers la maison. Dans le studio je sortis ma plume et commença à dessiner les compostions qui pourraient être intéressantes. Cela faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas touché à un outil et le bois. L’odeur du pin remplissait la pièce. Une senteur qui inspire les travailleurs de bois. Le corps et la forme de la libellule sont fascinants. Cette inspiration se répéta dans le reste des pièces.