OF CLOWNS AND CAPILLARIES

Vaudreuil-Dorion is committed to bringing the community together through vibrant events and activities. Guided by this spirit, the city’s new cultural policy naturally emphasizes diversity, inclusivity, and energy. Its identity comes alive through annual festivals that capture the heart and soul of its cultural vision. Over the past few years, the city has met with local artists and cultural groups to spark ideas for events that foster connection and exchange. 

No title or theme was given for their latest project. Instead, participating artists were invited to reflect on what community means to each of us and to create works that would be reproduced as 30" x 48" banners.

What came to mind instantly? Vaudreuil-Dorion is a circus town. 

When I was growing up in Shawinigan, I loved the travelling carnivals that rolled in every summer. The old, rusty rides made me sick but that was part of the charm.   

My friend Kathy and I headed to the photographer’s tent, where we discovered a heap of props essential to the over-the-top photo he snapped. I still treasure that picture.

What were we? Thirteen or fourteen maybe?

The air was filled with the fleeting perfume of artery-clogging delights. I hunted down the perfect hot dog, deep-fried "who knows what," and clouds of cotton candy. I was fascinated and slightly unnerved by the eccentric characters who worked the fairgrounds. This world pulled me into an imaginary realm of vivid colours, eerie organ music, laughter, and screaming chaos. Equal parts magic and decay.  

For this project, I created a digital artwork that celebrates my love for “the circus,” which, in my view, pulses through the city’s artistic heart. It checks every box of the cultural policy.

 

I started by drawing a heart, not a trite Valentine, but a textured, fleshy organ, veined and alive. I layered it with grunge filters to give it the raw, visceral quality I wanted. 

 

I researched photos of clowns. They’re often unsettling—no surprise, given how often they show up in horror films. My first version leaned into that creepiness a bit too much, so I softened the features. The character is based on a drawing I did of my friend Claudine Ascher, a sculptor and former dancer whose expressive poses always inspire me.

Working digitally reminds me why I love collage. I often create elements separately, then combine them in unexpected ways. That back-and-forth leads to discoveries, a kind of visual dialogue that never really ends.

Circuses stir a mix of suspense, wonder and exotica that sparks the imagination. This sense of wonderment fuels my work as I build a surreal world where dreams and reality meet. A clown figure, transparent from the waist down, overlaps the heart to reveal its inner workings. Veins in the clown’s arms mirror those of the pulsing heart. Intertwining valves oscillate between foreground and background. The clown is cloned twice, forming a trio. 

The final image pulses with bold, saturated colour, mirroring the energy and dynamism of the city.

Le cirque circule au coeur de Vaudreuil-Dorion

The artworks created by the artists of Vaudreuil-Dorion for this project, now titled "Regards", are currently on display in the Caravane Mozaïk every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the municipal hub, and every Monday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Parc Le 405. You are welcome to stop by and discover the works.

The launch of the Cultural Policy is planned for this fall, though no date has been confirmed yet. During this evening event, the City will once again present the nine artworks, and the first banner will be unveiled on the lamppost in the public square at the municipal hub. After that, the banner will be changed every month.