Born in St. Marc-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Gisele Comtois now lives in Burlington, Ontario. She has studied various aspects of fine arts at the Musee de Beaux Arts in Montreal, QC, Cambrian College in Sudbury, McMaster University in Hamilton and Sheridan College in Oakville. Ms. Comtois' own work has also been the subject of academic study at Sheridan College.
Among the long list of private, public and corporate collections that contain the artist’s work are: Monsanto Canada, The Senate of Canada, Suncor Energy Inc., Merrill Lynch, Diversey, Pfizer Global Pharmaceutical and the Japanese Trade Commission to Canada.
The artist has taken countless sketching trips exploring the Gaspe coast, Charlevois County, the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships in Quebec, the Maritimes, Northern Ontario, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Holland and Spain. We see the influence of their bold geometric forms in her compositions. There is a majestic balance between the horizontal and the vertical lines as the whole work is flushed with striking colours inspired by these haunting contributors to the expansive Canadian landscape.
Ms. Comtois is also an avid traveler having visited various regions. She has returned from trips to Southern Italy, Sicily, India and Egypt. The paintings in her previous exhibition reflected her latest inspiration depicting the landscape and the archeology found in the Valley of the Temples. Several craters were found dating from around 460 BC, one of which represented Dionysus, the God of wine, drama, fertility and joy. A vase measuring 42cm high by 37.3cm wide was found in an Agrigento necropolis. The vase is depicted in the painting entitled "Coronation of Hermes".
Currently, Ms. Comtois is working on sketches from her 2005 trip to India. In these paintings, she is showing her personal view of Northern India, with the population sharing their lives, and living in harmony with the local animals. The strength of the country is evident in the profound spirituality of the population, their magnificent temples and the overall joy of the country once ruled by Maharajas.
The paintings representing Egypt have a different feeling. In centuries of Kings and Queens, the Nile, the Pyramids and Lavish Tombs at Saqqara, which lies at the heart of a vast burial ground, all showcase wealth and power. The tombs document the faith and vanity of those rulers preparing for eternity.