François Carrier
Matter, colour and minimalist designs blend with suggestive symbols in François Carrier’s art.
Similarly to engraving techniques, François Carrier traces lines onto sheets of masonite which are heavily coated with plaster. The relief created by the layers of matter and the shallow lines sculpted into them allow the fibrous surface of the board to show through. Although the line is an important element in his work, it is not a dominant one; graphic and very minimal, the line is expertly etched into the textures of his works and blends with the different components.
At times, he colours the backgrounds of his works with graphite before applying the plaster. At other times, this seems insufficient, so he adds traces of graphite to the surface of the painting once it has been covered. He then colours his works by applying linen oil mixed with pigments to the textures.
The artist’s task is to find light in an often sombre universe. Despite the fact that his colours are uni-tonal, the desire to elicit depth still remains. Carriers work is seeped in a desire for luminosity.
Although the artist lets chance and fate shape his inspiration, the lines etched into his works sometimes introduce figurative elements. The spontaneous nature of his gestures generates elements which seems to be inspired from reality: although Carrier takes notice of this fact, he tries to not think about it too much. His foremost objective is not to represent reality. In fact, Carrier’s goal is to be suggestive. Through line, shape, colour and matter, Carrier never renders a specific subject but manages to suggest ideas and emotions that can easily be felt by each and every one of his viewers on a deeply personal level. By depicting universal, even fundamental elements, Carrier hones in on what unites us all: our humanity.