Karen Blanchet is a full time artist, mural artist and overall a creative being. Blanchet, (Born 1952) is Legal’s newest artist. Beginning in 1998 with “Les Soeurs-Gris” Blanchet’s first mural was a real learning curb. “I have never done anything near that size. It was really interesting” As of anything one learns from one’s mistakes. Blanchet learned many things, during her first efforts at a mural. For instance cement needs to cure for three months, paint runs off the wall when its too cold and curbing walls distort projected images. “So yeah I learned an awful lot of what not to do.”
When drawing a mural the artist is not only creating a picture thats visually pleasing to the eye but telling a story. They must pick which images to display on the mural to convey an action or emotion. Blanchet for instance reads up on the history of some of her murals. “History is interesting, its very personal like the anecdote. Its the anecdote about the people that’s so interesting” Once the artist knows the history and the criteria, they pick out the prime pictures for the mural. “I pick the things that I know I can make a visual impact with.”
Karen has painted 4 murals in Legal but 8 murals in total from in and around the area. David Frechette came to Karen and asked if she would like to paint a mural for the town. She says she enjoys her work and has continued in developing her style. Blanchet enjoys using multimedia. “I like mixing and blending and combing” Like patch work she mixes and matches everything, mediums and photos. She enjoys taking scenic shots, and pairing it up with portraits and figures. A person could notice this by simply taking a glance at Blanchet’s first mural. There are many pictures, figures and landscapes in the mural. To bring it together Blanchet paints daisies through out the picture. She picked daisies because the translation of Marguerite from French to English is Daisy. So the mural is symbolically unified by the spirit of Saint Marguerite d'Youville. “I really like the play on words” It was definitely a larger idea to paint. With so many aspects the Grey Nuns have done, Blanchet certainly covered a lot. From the journey to Lac St. Anne, education of the first nations, Father Lacomb and the places and people they have touched. She also had emphasis on the care of the sick and the elderly and the education in Legal. Blanchet painted a nun that lived in the community for 35 years, sanding next to the class she taught. “There was an awful lot to take into that mural, it’s complicated.”
Karen Blanchet has always loved art, right since the begging. Her mom would give her all kinds of materials to work with. “She put pencils in my hands and I drew, and I always loved drawing and painting” This love for art continued, and now she is a full time artist with a bachelor in arts, honors in french, professional in teaching, and has dabbled in the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydnee, Australia. She currently lives in Legal and has a family of 4 kids, one granddaughter and a soon to be grandson. While in her studio she enjoys to paint works of art with oils and watercolors. A truly a creative being.
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