Biography
‍& artistic approach

Chantal Bourgeois holds a diploma in visual arts from UQAM and a bachelor's degree in preschool education and teaching. She is a multidisciplinary educator and artist who now devotes herself to photography. After 25 years working with primary and secondary school children, first as a teacher and then as a school administrator, she now communicates her unique vision through her art.

Her photography celebrates the often overlooked beauty of the different environments she comes into contact with, transforming ordinary subjects into poetic works of art.

"My photography is an invitation to pay fresh attention to our journeys, in the city or elsewhere, to discover hidden treasures. By giving free rein to our imagination and creativity, a simple shift of the eye can then be transformed into a discovery. These moments of appreciation add a little beauty and joy to our daily lives.

Training

1986 -1989 - UQAM - Bachelor's degree in preschool and elementary education

1994 - Introductory photography course

1996 - Photo lab workshop - darkroom development and enlargement

1999 - UQAM - Certificate in Fine Arts

2007 - Digital photography course (level 2)

2007 to present - Ongoing training in photographic technique

Artistic approach

A child's vision turned into art

Ever since I was a child, I've been captivated by the size of my eyes. This particularity, once a source of shyness, is now the foundation of my artistic vision: to observe the world with a vast gaze and insatiable curiosity, embracing the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.

From nature to the city: An artistic evolution

My photographic journey began with a love of nature, capturing trees and flowers up close on my travels. In the city, my lens broadened to include the human imprint and marks of time on objects, revealing beauty in the mundane.

Between seeing and revealing

For me, photography goes beyond the act of seeing; it's a process of transformation where my eye and imagination reconfigure ordinary scenes into visual poetry, where traces and imprints become characters, landscapes and stories.

Urban notebook: A revelation

My "Carnet urbain 2006" series, unveiled at Galerie Espace in Montreal, was a window onto my world. My shots, simple objects or textures, became unrecognizable, transformed into abstract "engravings", arousing surprise and admiration and inviting viewers to an astonished rediscovery of their surroundings.

Seeing through Chantal's glasses

"Carnet urbain 2006" enabled visitors to see urban details in a new light. This exchange awakened their sensitivity to my style, leading them to take a fresh look at their everyday lives.

The echo of my gaze

My friends often capture "Chantal" moments, everyday moments seen through the prism of my artistic approach. These interactions testify to the lasting influence of my work on their perception of the world.

Shells and skittles: A world of textures and colors

Sailing has opened up a world of textures and colors. In my 'Carnet marin' series, I unveil works created by time and the elements, below the waterline of boats when they're out of the water.

Slapshot: Love at first sight on the ice

The 'Slapshot' series, the fruit of five years' exploration of outdoor rinks, celebrates the spontaneous poetry of field hockey, capturing the essence of time and memories on the ice.
These photos reaffirm what I believe: that beauty is present in what is created spontaneously, without specific intention. Here, it's the memory of hundreds of pucks struck by players great and small, the checking and the passage of time that create complex, poetic landscapes on the wood panels.

Carnet de glace: Reflections of a changing world

In 'Carnet de Glace', I revisit ice rinks, this time capturing the changing reflections of the seasons, trees and buildings, blending nature and architecture in a game of icy mirrors.

Inspiration notebook - "Lunettes Chantal, sans filtre" (Chantal glasses, no filter)

These photos are my everyday discoveries, taken spontaneously wherever my activities take me, at work or on vacation, on the road or on a walk in the woods, in the city or by the sea, in the garage or at the cobbler's shop.

SEE: An invitation to a visual voyage

My exhibition, 'VOIR', in February 2024, is a celebration of vision in all its forms. A rendezvous for art lovers eager to discover the world from a new, poetic angle.

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