A brand-new art gallery has opened in Mont- Tremblant. Artist (painter) Anne-Louise Andrade and sculptor David Fels host art lovers here from Monday to Friday by appointment, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. Tremblant Express went to meet with them.

Partners in love as they are in their artistic life, Anne-Louise and David – who is also a painter, photographer and poet – bought, just over a year ago, the attractive hundred-year-old yellow house located at 948 rue Labelle, just steps from the P’tit Train du Nord.

“We used to pass it on our way skiing,” David explains. “We had promised ourselves that if it came up for sale, we would buy it.”

Restored, thanks to David’s skills, to bring it back as much as possible to its original state, the place houses their own lodgings, their gallery and their creative spaces. The result is ravishing. Once through the door, visitors find themselves surrounded by large-scale works and can even push the visit enough to see the artists at work in their respective studios.

A great burst of free art

The works of Anne-Louise Andrade and David Fels are found in private and public collections in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Anne-Louise describes her style as “new modern”. It’s an exploration without words, without objective, without image. “It’s transcendent,” the artist explains. “I begin, I’m inspired, very focused and I stop. I step back and I observe the result of the work. It’s up to each person to perceive – or rather to receive – as he or she wishes.”

During our visit, Anne-Louise was putting the finishing touches on a magnificent canvas which for her was evocative of spring skiing. The author of these lines saw the mysteries of the Antarctic.

“Anne-Louise’s paintings bring honesty, colour and movement, heightening the life experience in numerous contexts,” David Fels notes in the biography of Anne-Louise which he himself wrote.

David, who has mastered the art of wood sculpture, is what you might call a multidisciplinary artist. He studied mainly at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, as well as in Switzerland to perfect the classic style. The movement can be found in each of his works, which represent a charming mixture of modern and classic. No matter what wood has been used to make them, his sculptures are impressive due to the precision and beauty of their line, and of their curves. A soft finish invites touch, but we wouldn’t dare.

As for his canvases, they evoke the work of certain Michelangelo flirting with the style of Picasso.

“We are always happy to sell one of our works. It continues to move us when someone decides to embellish their home with the fruit of our work. But we no longer need to sell at any price; we can live without the pressure of creating at a frantic pace. It provides us with the liberty of creation, a great lightness which allows us to continue to explore. Creating is a need, a passion and a discovery every time,” Anne-Louise confides.

“It’s true that we’re here more to share our work than just to sell. It’s a marvelous experience,” David concludes, gratitude in his eyes.

For an appointment: 819 421-1878

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