Sandrine Pelissier, watercolor portraits

I grew up in France but have been living in Canada for the last 12 years, I am currently located in North Vancouver and work from a studio on Pemberton Avenue.

Watercolor is my medium of choice because of the unique way it allows me to render light. The transparency of this medium can make it look like the painting is lit from behind and the light is shining through the paper In my portraits, I like to tell stories about the people around me. I am very interested in childhood fantasy or fairy tales (I wish it would snow Flowers, Hair Balloon, Georgia, the Spanish dress and the Eclectus Parrot). I also like to induce a dialogue with the viewer in some paintings dealing more with introspection and mood (Mixed, In the studio).

Those portraits are not about likeness or knowing the people that are being painted, as I see my models as actors in a movie, they are the faces that will allow me to tell a story or to show emotions. Those faces are a source of endless fascination and I find the subtlety that can be achieved with watercolor well suited to the complexity of the human face.

My technique involves the accumulation of many transparent layers of watercolor. Then I like to incorporate mixed media in the background, work sometimes with some contouring. I also sometimes like to add some drawing on top of the painting or some graphic elements.

BC cityscapes and landscapes are another great opportunity for me to explore light, with reflections on water, windows, street lights, and rain on shiny sidewalks.

Since 2002 I am an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and obtained the Associate Membership status in 2010. I am also a signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and San Diego Watercolor Society since 2010. My paintings have been exhibited in numerous juried exhibitions in Canada and in the United States. I had a feature article in the August 2009 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine, have been published in a few books including the next book of the Splash series,( North Light Books’ hardbound showcase of the best in contemporary watercolors) Splash 11 New directions: the Best of Watercolor, Splash 12 Celebrating Artistic vision , and the book, Best of Watermedia Worldwide (Kennedy publishing). I will also be part of Splash 13 Alternative Approaches, still in edit.
Sandrine Pelissier
Sep 19, 2011

Scroll to Top