Lucas Gaudette, Canada
Member Since August 2006
Artist Statement Lucas Gaudette (ONYX)
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WHERE IT STARTED
There is a drawing done by Picasso and I’ve seen it only once when I was about 10 years old. When I first looked at it, it appeared to be a line drawing of a twig with 3 branches, I thought “that can’t be it…”, so I kept looking. Suddenly, the drawing took on the sensual form form of a woman's hip and buttocks. This kind of minimalist expression impressed and inspired me as I began to form an understanding that art is a creative experience between the viewer and the art itself. The viewer does not need to be passive but can engage in a relationship with the art. Later, I was introduced to some modern Japanese cartoons which further fueled my desire for simple yet dynamic and powerful expression. After a time of painting abstract pictures, I decided my focus would be on character drawing. I picked up a couple of tutorials online on the basics and took it from there.
WHERE I AM FROM
I was born in Windsor, Ontario. When I moved out on my own I first moved to Toronto, but found that I sought a more nature oriented environment where I could work on my craft in the presence of the mountains and the ocean.
ABOUT ME AND MY ARTWORK
From day one I have practiced drawing as a hobby and a continuing process of mastery. I have taken no formal schooling for art because I feel the need to choose my lessons and learn by trial and error. I like to tune my learning specifically to my own needs and impulses, the discovery is so much more fun!
How I do my drawings
I prefer to stick to traditional pencil drawing (I’ve done it since day one). For me drawing with a pencil keeps me grounded in my body and to the simplicity of the physical world. I then scan the drawing in high-resolution on my computer and colour it in Photoshop or Art Rage, the two programs I enjoy using most. In general, I use no fancy program features: simply the airbrush, eraser and colour adjustment options.
My basic impulse in art
For me my art is an exercise in cultivating and externalizing my basic life energies: sexuality and inspiration. I have found my appreciation of women and the feminine figure to be such a powerful motivating force, that all too often I am compelled to draw them. This process has taken me through many realms of my subconscious and conscious understanding of myself and of my connection to others.
The basis of my attraction to the feminine
One of the simpler but most fundamental aspects to my drawing is that I am fascinated with what particulars attract me to a woman and why. This concerns body features, body language and personality. A subtle curve in the small of her back, or the way her neck transitions to her chest and shoulders can be intoxicatingly sensual. Different muscles, postures and facial features are accented, some of which are genetic and others of which have been developed by her habits. These body features go a long way in telling me about a woman’s physical, psychological and emotional tendencies. However, what attracts me more completely is my perception of how she is living and expressing herself through her body. This is where my art really does its work; I have found that there are many physically “beautiful” women but the difference between someone who is dead inside and one who is clearly alive and expressing themselves is uncanny. The same body that is considered to be aesthetically attractive may appear completely unappealing to me when I pay attention to how my body and feelings respond to her – while someone of lesser “ideal” features who is feeling healthy and well can be far more attractive. The way a woman moves in her body says it all to me. Is she relaxed and dancing as she walks or is she rigid and unmoving? Is her face radiant with love, or somber with resistance and denial? Most importantly, her eyes tell me volumes about where she is at within herself and in her life; is she confident, or insecure? Sad, or happy? Dis
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