“ROSE” – 36” X 36’ – Acrylic and mixed media on canvas.
Last year, when we lived on Le Plateau in Montreal, our kind neighbours across the street Justine and Louis offered me old newspapers found within the walls of an old triplex in the neighbourhood. In the past, they were used to insulate homes from the harsh Quebec winters.
One of those newspapers, dated April 2nd, 1949, inspired me to create this unique piece.
I now introduce you to ROSE born in Coaticook in the Eastern Townships in 1887. She just celebrated her 62nd birthday with several “Old Fashioned” cocktails. The morning after, the woke up with a terrible headache that she is going to magically cure with two ASPIRIN (see advertisement: “Aspirin stops the headache quickly” under her left eye).
Once her headache went away, Rose takes the opportunity to do a light load with her favorite laundry detergent OXYDOL (see on the beast’s forehead). While the load is spinning, she serves herself a bowl of CORN FLAKES, smokes several EXPORT cigarettes and peacefully reads TOTO and TITI comics from the Montreal newspaper La Patrie.
Finally comes Happy Hour, she lines up several cigs, concocts her favorite cocktail in order to “pick herself up”. The next morning, the same scenario starts again with headaches, Aspirin, Corn Flakes, the newspaper La Patrie and a large number of cigarettes and this, not necessarily in that order.
Embedded within the layers of paint, I challenge you to discover original ads found in the precious newspaper, Old Fashioned cocktail recipe, fabrics of my mother-in-law and plaster in texture.
May this creation make you smile every time you look at it and reminds you the importance of living each moment fully. However, perhaps not at the same intensity as our dear Rose, who sadly passed away on the eve of her 63rd birthday.