Katherine Godbout

There are those who choose to literally dive into the artistic world, others like to occasionally venture into it, and others are almost born into it: the latter is the case of Katherine Godbout, our featured volunteer.

Who is Katherine? A Montreal girl who a few years ago decided, on a whim, to come and settle in Sutton, a town she knew for having visited on weekends or holidays, but also for having exhibited in 2009-2010 at the Galerie Les Imagiers, at 19, Principale N, in Sutton.

Her background? Katherine’s mother taught fine arts and art history at UQAM; her father liked to draw and still teaches drawing live models at the CEGEP in Old Montreal. As a child, Katherine also drew then studied arts before doing a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations. And life being what it is, communication, community spirit, sustainable development, and of course arts influenced all Katherine’s professional decisions.

A picture framer position in a shop in Montreal, on the Plateau, enabled Katherine, among other things, to earn a living while continuing to devote herself to her art. It was thanks to this job that she met many artists and discovered LE V.I.P. : Le Virus d’Improvisation Picturale, a national league of pictorial improvisation located in Montreal—a non-profit cultural organization. Katherine joined the Les Rouges (Les Fourmis) Morbidique team and the four teams of this group of professional painters would meet once a month to apply the principles of improvisation to pictorial creation. Katherine has kept found memories of this creative improvisation.

Recognized for her picture framing expertise, Katherine opened a small workshop on the top floor of Galerie Art libre at 6, rue Principale Sud, in Sutton. Since she had a good network of artist friends, the transition of our picture framer from Montreal to Sutton went rather smoothly. Then change of course, Katherine moved the framing workshop to her home, which gives her more time for her artwork.

For Katherine does love to paint: as a matter of fact she exhibited small formats in Sutton in 2015, at both the Galerie Art libre and the Galerie Art Plus. She also participated, in 2015, in the Cowansville Promenade des arts.

 

Looking at the list of all Katherine’s exhibitions is very impressive: solo exhibitions, collective exhibitions, and events, she has been quite busy since the 1980s. Katherine summarizes her artistic journey: “Some artists find quickly; as for myself, I like to take my time.” You will not be told Katherine’s age, for she is still quite young, but you can be assured that she has a rich experience.

And what is Katherine’s link with D’Arts et de rêves? It must be said that renting the space over the Galerie Art libre facilitated the first contact with Nicole and Henri, two of the three co-founders of the residence-workshop and cultural park. From the start, Katherine was fascinated by the project which she finds quite remarkable because of its multidisciplinarity, the park, the sculptures, the accessibility, the possibilities, and the vision, and yes, the determination and dreams of the three co-founders. And what does D’Arts et de rêves bring to a volunteer such as Katherine? It is really the pleasure of working with other people, of settling into a community, of contributing to the creation of a place where one can express, create, an inspiring place that will attract even more people to our region—how can one not believe in such a project… Katherine worked hard right from the start by transplanting the perennials—that was before the demolition of the house and the garage, then she did some cleaning and painting, but with large brushes and rollers this time. Katherine hopes to contribute even more whether it be for occasional chores or who knows…

What does Katherine wish for D’Arts et de rêves? Nothing but the best, much visibility, and the support of all Sutton residents.

Our third volunteer column will be published on June 21 2017. Who will it feature?

To be continued…