Candace Lourdes
Drawing and Painting

I paint overlooked objects that have been used to express a lifetime of
kindness through everyday exchanges.

I was myopic early in my youth, and became fascinated with things close up.

Now, I observe treasured objects that resonate with the memory of countless tasks, conversations, and loving words. Moments of rest, indecision, prayer, the pause before we speak, the communion with ourselves or with others are the quiet moments celebrated in my canvases. Small everyday beauty can be overlooked just as easily as the seemingly insignificant kindnesses of everyday exchanges.

While earning a living in commercial art, promoting food and beverage, I have come to appreciate the universal significance of small pleasures shared with friends and family. It was Mick Coulas who strongly encouraged me to develop my larger work in still life. It is my life with him that has inspired me to capture the caring attentiveness required to count small blessings with an open heart.


Biography

Born 1960 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Candace Lourdes grew up on a grain
farm. She trained at Ontario College of Art, studying design, photography,
drawing and painting. Photography became a strong influence on her manner of
composition. She currently makes her living as a commercial artist in
partnership with Mick Coulas in Toronto, Canada.