"Where a flower wilts, a painting gives it a second life."

Biography 2026 At age 50, she began painting. She has been painting for 16 years. Manon describes her approach as realistic and hyperrealistic, with an elegant style. She seeks realism in her paintings: the transparency of glass, translucent surfaces, reflections, and vibrant colors—even when they evoke photographs. Her goal is not to reproduce a photograph, but to create an illusion of perspective and to capture a precise moment that cannot be reproduced in a photograph. She creates her own photomontages for her paintings, playing with mirror effects. She chooses color and composition to create an illusion of presence and depth. Many of the objects she selects relate to light, reflection, and transparency. She aims to create a mysterious visual effect. Her technique is inspired by the Renaissance, specifically the use of “vivid colors.” Oil paint offers her great freedom of execution; the glazes she uses allow her to play with distance and volume. She participates in the International Guild of Realism (IGOR) competition and is among the finalists for the painting “Vivid Intimacy / Intense Intimacy.” The competition had 800 participants. She participates in competitions. In 2023, she received an Honorable Mention for her work “Lightning Space Time.” That same year, she received an award for artistic excellence from the Circle Foundation for the Arts and won the Spotlight magazine cover contest. Artistic Journey Over the years, she has taken numerous training courses, purchased online classes, and participated in several workshops with renowned artists. She has also taken part in many competitions, where she has had the honor of receiving several awards and distinctions. Painting is part of her daily life: she paints every day. One of the artists she admires most is Thomas Darnell, known for his magnificent peonies. When she was just starting out, he gave her a piece of advice that still guides her today: “Keep painting, every day.” That simple phrase has had a profound impact on her journey. Thanks to daily practice, she has grown tremendously. Today, she is able to create the works she envisions. It is a reassuring milestone, but she remains convinced that an artist is always learning. Her goal is to push her work even further to achieve a level of photographic realism. There are still many techniques she wants to explore in greater depth, and it is this constant pursuit of excellence that fuels her passion. Training 2019 — Video workshop with David Gray 2021 — Video workshop with Tina Garrett 2021 — Video workshop with Omar Ortiz 2021 — Video workshop with Fabiano Millani 2022 — Video workshop with Antonio Castillo Avilleira Every year, she participates in various symposia, mainly in her region, to showcase her work and connect with the public. During the pandemic, she received numerous portrait commissions. At that time, she was still relatively unknown in the exhibition circuit. That is when she began to devote herself more to still life, an artistic realm that fascinates her today. She also participates every year in the International Guild of Realism’s international competition. Although she has not won first prize, she has received several honors of excellence and finalist placements, which she sees as meaningful recognition of her artistic growth. Awards and Honors 2025 Art & Colour 365 Magazine — Artist Recognition – Symphony of Petals 2024 International Guild of Realism (IGOR) — Finalist – Candy in Cups Art & Colour 365 — Artistic Recognition – Lobster for Dinner Art & Colour 365 Magazine — Artistic Recognition – Nutella for Breakfast 2023 International Guild of Realism — Finalist, Fall Salon Online Exhibition – Sweet in Cups Light Space & Time Art Gallery — 13th Open Art Exhibition – 8th place – Jelly Beans Light Space & Time — 5th Primary Colors Art Exhibition — Honorable Mention – Sweets in Cups Circle Foundation for the Arts — Artistic Excellence – Nutella – Spotlight Magazine Cover Contest Teravarna International Jury Art Competition — Honorable Mention – Lobsters for Dinner 2022 Bronze Medal — My Spouse’s Hands — Spring Exhibition of the Circle of Painters and Sculptors of Quebec 2021 Luxembourg Art Prize — Certificate of Artistic Merit awarded by La Pinacothèque Camelback Gallery — Bronze Award – Shades of Red – Dalai Lama Light Space & Time — Special “Open” Mention – My Husband’s Hands Light Space & Time — Special “Special 555” Mention – The Man in the Woods Artistonish Magazine — Featured (June 2021) 2020 Portrait Society of Canada — Certificate of Achievement – Miracle of the Portrait 2020 Today Since January 2026, she has been a member of the St-Sauv’Art association. From July 17 to 19, 2026, she will have the pleasure of exhibiting at the Saint-Sauveur Symposium, a wonderful opportunity to showcase her most recent works and meet art lovers. Her artistic journey is guided by a simple conviction: mastery comes from daily practice. Each painting represents a new opportunity to learn, grow, and push the boundaries of her art. Artistic Approach Her work follows a resolutely realistic approach, where technical mastery serves emotion and light. Her goal is not to faithfully reproduce a photograph, but to create a painting that possesses its own presence, depth, and sensitivity. She wants the viewer to feel the texture, the light, and the poetry of the work even before observing its details. She works primarily in oil on canvas, and occasionally on wood panel, using the traditional grisaille technique followed by successive glazes. This approach, inherited from the old masters, involves first building tonal values in monochrome before layering thin, transparent veils of color. This process gives her paintings a depth, chromatic richness, and luminosity that go beyond what a simple photograph can offer. Each work emerges from a carefully crafted composition. She composes her still lifes with a focus on flowers, which she pairs with glass objects, mirrors, porcelain, or other everyday items. These objects become partners with the light: they create reflections, transparencies, and plays of color that fuel her artistic exploration. Once the composition is balanced, she photographs it, then uses Photoshop judiciously to correct certain details or adjust the composition. This image becomes the starting point for the painting, without ever replacing the observation and interpretation that take place at the easel. The process begins with a grisaille created from a mixture of ivory black, yellow ochre, Prussian blue, burnt umber, and white. This tonal structure forms the framework of the work. She then applies numerous glazes made with colors she prepares herself, layer by layer, until she achieves the desired depth, nuances, and luminous vibration. This method requires patience, rigor, and precision, but it allows her to achieve a quality of light that lies at the heart of her approach. What inspires her above all is the encounter between light and matter. The transparency of glass, the reflections in mirrors, the sparkle of water, the delicacy of petals, the folds of fabric, and the texture of colored paper are all elements that spark her imagination. She seeks to transform ordinary objects into scenes imbued with beauty, elegance, and contemplation. While her practice draws on classical techniques, it is fully rooted in the present. Digital tools allow her to prepare her compositions with precision, while painting remains the space where the hand, time, and sensitivity give birth to a unique work. Through each of her paintings, she seeks to celebrate light, the quiet beauty of everyday objects, and the richness of looking. Her ambition is to create works that invite the viewer to slow down, contemplate, and rediscover the poetry hidden in the simplest things.