BOUCHARD, Julien (1945)

Julien Bouchard is a self-taught artist living in the Montérégie region. His wood sculptures are made primarily from driftwood, given new life as it is shaped into heads with Negroid, Asian or Amerindian features that raise the notion of genetic homogeneity. Since taking up meditation during a trip to Nepal in 1977, Bouchard has created works that seek to inspire calm and tranquility, to transmit a moment of peace and happiness to the viewer. He describes his approach as “touching the form to embrace silence.” As of 2012, he has been exploring other materials such as plaster, cement and resin. His work has been presented in several exhibitions, including the Rencontre des arts de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, during which he received a mention from the jury; the Salon des arts visuels de Brossard; and at Galerie Renée-Blain in 2014.