Introduction

Sylca grew up in the heart of Quebec, near the St-François River. Born into a family of artists (her father is a sculpture, and many other members of her family are visual artists), she was immersed in a milieu that encouraged her to develop her creativity. And so, since age thirty, she has been expressing herself through painting, preferably in acrylics.

A self-taught painter, Sylca lets her impressions guide her artistic evolution, and she creates works that are both abstract and at the edge of figurative. When she is working, her consciousness subsides to allow her creativity to take over. Opacity and transparency intermingle in her paintings, and she also adds texture by integrating various materials.

Sylca is constantly seeking to perceive the elusive trace of life: she paints the energy of places: physical places – landscapes and seasides – and imaginary places, fantastic and festive. And the border between these worlds is blurred the moment her spatula comes into contact with the canvas.

When we view her work, our thoughts wander in the play of colours and textures. Forms, views, and memories arise – all of them traces that inhabit our world and bring it alive.

Today, Sylca’s paintings are found in a number of countries, including the United States and Italy, and she has had exhibitions in Europe; her work, like her creativity, never stops travelling.

Text Francis Gauvin and Sylca