This is a unique, one of a kind, geometric
floor mosaic I designed and installed in my mother and stepfather's
home in Shediac, New Brunswick. The design was inspired by the pattern
of snake skins and wild roses.
My name is René Cyr. I am an artist who works in several different mediums; painting, woodblock, lino tile, ceramic, wood, glass, textiles and metal. I have also designed furniture and clothing as well as theater props and film sets. On this website, I will exhibit some of my art and keep you informed on my current projects and aspirations.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Hopi Corn Prayer
This piece is a Kachina spirit dancing for a good corn harvest. He holds
a prayer stick and a corn rattle in his hands and has turtle rattles
tied to his legs. There are two disk plates on his chest, one representing the
world and the other representing Spider Grandmother. On each side of his
legs are corn spirits and he is flanked by a snake and an ant playing
the flute. He is surrounded by Pueblos housing rain clouds and the four
strains of corn grown by the Hopi (two yellow, one white and one blue). There are two sun patterns above him.
This piece was painted in Oraibi,
Arizona and is now in Shediac, New Brunswick. The Hopi ceremonial Kachina
costumes are considered to be some of the most beautiful indigenous
costumes in the world. The Hopi almost make Kachina dolls that are highly
sought after as well.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Hopi Clown
In Hopi culture they do not believe in good and evil, they believe in
balance and unbalance. Kachina spirits represent balance and clowns
represent unbalance. In this painting, two Kachinas are keeping a clown
balanced upon the world symbol below him. They carry prayer corn rattles
and whips in their hands to accomplish the task. There are guardian
snakes on each side of the world and rain clouds above the clown.
Keeping the clown balanced brings harmony, which guarantees the rain
needed for the corn crops. The snakes guarantee that the mice will be
kept out of the fields.
The kachina have symbols on their clothing
representing three clans, the crane, gila lizard and the bear. They wear
turtle shell rattles on their legs. The clown has different colored
socks representing lack of symmetry or balance. This piece was painted on sisal matting on the Hopi reservation in Oraibi Arizona. It was stolen
from an art gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1989. If ever you
see this piece, please contact me (papaproductions@hotmail.com) or the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, it would be much appreciated.
Friday, March 23, 2012
African Musicians
This painting portraits four African musicians, two males and two
females. The men are standing on top of their log drums, while the women
have gourd rattles between their legs. The material of the painting is
woven hemp. I hand-made my own paint pigments for this piece and applied
it by soaking it into the hemp matting. This work was done in Africa
and sold in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
African Fertility
These are two detail photos of an African fertility drawing i did while i
was in Mauritania, North Africa. The whole piece shows a quilt work of
images of humans, plants and animals engaged in actions, representing
birth and harvest. I found myself limited in art materials at the time,
so i painted a large board with flat black boat paint and drew on it
with chalk.This piece is now in my home in Bella Bella, British Columbia.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Leaving her body
This drawing is about a woman dying and leaving her physical body. She
is on a theatrical stage and the curtain of her life is coming down....
Life is a stage and we are merely actors. This piece is raw charcoal
hand smudged on paper. It was drawn and sold in Vancouver, British
Columbia. I spent much of my early years as an artist in Moncton, New
Brunswick and later in Vancouver, British Columbia working on theater
and film sets, as i was when i did this piece.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Aurora Borealis (Nothern Lights)
I have been fascinated with the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis since
i was a child. One of the most mysterious and beautiful of our
celestial apparitions. Fortunately, in my home country of Canada, we often
have the opportunity to see them dance across our night skies. I have
painted several versions of the Auroras throughout the years, this one
is acrylic on wood. I enjoy painting on wood, because i like the effect
of the wood grain in the finish. This piece was painted on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia and sold in Moncton, New Brunswick.
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