Fallen Heroes Project
As an avid supporter of cancer causes, and having gone through immunotherapy for melanoma, ‘ Fallen Heroes ‘ is a fundraising project created by myself and Andre, also an artist ( andrechatelain.com ), to support Cancercare Manitoba Foundation and Cancer Quebec.
These tree ring artworks are specially priced and 50% of the proceeds go to Cancercare Foundations.
Living in the Laurentian among nature is where I love to be. The forest is my enchanting place.
I find calm there… a sense of belonging with nature, the birds, the bugs, the plants, the animals and the trees. Yes, those majestic sage pillars reaching for the sky. Trees are invaluable with some having been around for hundreds of years with stories to tell. They are incredibly important to our environment and to our well being.
Daily walks in the forest with my golden-doodle has led me to explore and discover the social network of the forest and forest animals.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul
John Muir
Life as a ‘forest walker‘ helped me to understand how trees are like human families. They are social beings and have a way of communicating between each other. They live in a community together with their children and nurture them as they grow. They have friendships and support each other, they share nutrients to those that are struggling or sick, they experience pain and they even have memories.
We have a lot to learn from these majestic pillars.
This wonder led my spouse Andre and I to explore the life of a tree and the knowledge they have cumulated. Knowing that you can tell the age of a tree by the number of rings it has, we set out to search for ‘fallen trees’. We remained respectful to the forest and cut small ( 2 – 3 inch thick ) cross sections of different trees and sizes.
We were impressed to discover the bold rings, scars, aging lines and images within each wood section. We found that the rings are unique for each tree with similarities to a human thumbprint.
From fallen trees in the forest, Andre and I take several steps to prepare the wood cross sections for imprinting.
It’s always exciting to see the unique, interior patterns of each tree, as this is where the stories lay. When the pieces have been sanded, leveled, fired, brushed, washed and dried, they are ready for imprinting on canvas.
From these wood pieces Andre and I create artwork that connects us to stories that live within our hearts and life in the forest.
We believe ART is a catalyst that can change lives. Art has the ability to add joy to one’s life while supporting an important cause.
TOGETHER we can do great things ! ART has that potential.
Kind Words
I love Hoot Hoot ! It reminds me of a story book that my Mum used to read to me as a kid – the Owl Babies.
They are beautiful ! Love, love, love the otter ! It reminds me of my grandkiddos swimming at the lake.
Lucky me ! I love that one ! I really love the idea behind it about integrating trees and supporting cancer research. It’s my birthday gift to me !
l absolutely love this painting. It means so much to have one of your works in my home. I will treasure it always.
