France Jodoin (born 1961) is a Canadian contemporary artist known for her maritime scenes. Painted in a semi-abstract style, her work is a modern interpretation of European Romanticism. Her work is found in Quebec museums, and in galleries in Canada, France and the United States.
Early life Jodoin was born 1961 in Sainte-Madeleine, Quebec, a rural community in Monteregie.Fonda, Nick. “France Jodoin: Cowansville artist draws international attention”, The Record. Sherbrooke: 17 Apr. 2013. Web. Print copy. A graduate of the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Jodoin attended the Ottawa School of Art and the Saidye Bronfman Centre in Montreal.Quebec Ministère des Relations internationales (MRIFCE) "Trois québécois exposent à la Galerie Théo de Seine à Paris". Web. In 2000, she moved to Montreal where she participated in group shows at Cirque du Soleil, and at Thomas More Institute Annual Art Exhibition at Galerie Loto-Quebec. Her first solo exhibition was mounted at Sylvianne Poirier Art Contemporain (Montreal) in 2002.
Career In 2004, as artist-in-residence at Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, Jodoin painted scenes of ships at sea.Cady, Patrick. "France Jodoin: Un lever de lumière", Vie des Arts. Montreal: vol. 53, n° 214, 2009, 58-59. Print. Web copy. By 2009, nomads and wanderers became her dominant theme,Christine Klassen Gallery "Nomads - France Jodoin", 2010. represented by "boats without sails".Boucher, Sarah. De toutes petites histoires / Simple Short Stories. Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke: 2012. Print. . Preface Painted with fine lines in oil on linen, her style is likened to European Romanticism, and is described as a "bold take" on landscapes by Victorian painter J. M. W. Turner."Gallery Listing" Avenue Magazine. Calgary: 8 Dec. 2011. Print. Web. In 2009-11, a series of solo exhibitions at Beaux-arts des Amériques (Montreal), The Weiss Gallery (Calgary), and at Galerie Saint-Laurent + Hill (Ottawa) established her reputation in Canada.
In 2012, Jodoin exhibited with artist Kevin Sonmor at the Musee des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke. Curated by museum director Sarah Boucher, the exhibition led to interviews with Patrick Masbourian and Jacquie Czernin in Montreal,Czernin, Jacquie. "Breakaway" CBC Radio, Montreal. 20 Jan. 2012. Web. and favourable reviews.Drolet, Clément. "De petites histoires sur grands formats". Zone-Art, Montreal: 8 Feb. 2012, Web.Martin, Laura."France et Kevin, un couple bien assorti", La Tribune. Sherbrooke: 16 Feb. 2012. Print. Web. Web copy.Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network. Web. At the same time, a Quebec ministry publicized Jodoin's exhibition with sculptors Nathalie Gauglin and Patrick Cady at Galerie Theo de Seine in Paris.Art Actuel: Le magazine des arts contemporains “Nathalie Gauglin et France Jodoin”. Paris, Nov. 2012.
Following a trip to India in 2011, Jodoin’s iconography increasingly included figures, florals, birds and, in 2013, animals.Surette, Susan. Musée Bruck Press Release: "Making Monkeys". Web. A student of intaglio, aquatint and etching at Atelier Circulaire (Montreal), her 2012 solo show at the Centre d’art de Kamouraska, Quebec, and 2013 solo exhibition at Musée Bruck in Cowansville, Quebec, included works on paper as well as paintings. During this period, Jodoin exhibited internationally at Pryor Fine Art in Atlanta,Prior Fine Art, Atlanta. 2011. Web. with gallery Beaux-arts des Amériques at Art Naples in Florida (2011),Art Naples exhibition catalogue. 2011. p53. Print. Web. and with Boston’s Newbury Gallery at Art Hamptons in New York (2013).Art Hamptons International Fine Art Fair. Web. In May 2015 she was an artist-in-residence at the Cill Rialaig Project, Ballinskelligs, County Kerry, Ireland."Events Calendar." France JodoinWeb.
Jodoin's work is found in the collections of the Musee des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke, Centre d'art de Kamouraska, Cirque du Soleil and in private collections.Skinner, Kelly. "Collector's Items: Artistic Union", Simply Buckhead: Living well in Atlanta. Feb. 2013. p61. Print. Web.
Jodoin lives and works in Cowansville, Quebec, and is married to Canadian artist Kevin Sonmor.
References and links
Further Reading: Chassé, Bernard. "Intuition" France Jodoin: Nomades/Wanderers, (editors Lefebvre Glaubinger, Lucienne and Hébert Stoneberger, Jacqueline). Montreal: 2010. Print. Web copy.