Artist Michel T. Desroches

Michel T. Desroches is a multidisciplinary artist whose work seeks to explore both the tangible and intangible of the human experience. He focuses on expression, emotion, and conveyance of what lies beneath the surface. Although primarily working as a visual artist, he has also delved into sculpture, which is obvious in how his compositions incorporate awareness of space. His distinctive style is hard to put a name to - sketchy, abstract, and exploratory are all words that come to mind - but you know it's his when you see it. He currently has two pieces on display in Galerie d’Art Emergence’s brand new Sensualité exhibition, Vilaine and Rebelle.

Vilaine By Michel T. Deroches

        Vilaine stands unassuming at first, a portrait of a girl hunched over in deep blue hues. Her arms come up around her face, with one hand half-hidden in her hair and the other acting as a resting place for her chin. Her outline is sketchy, as if drawn by a kid who can’t stay inside the lines - or perhaps someone who never gave the lines much credit anyway. The contour of her cheek against her hand evokes a distinct sense of touch, reminding us that contact is the whole point of this exhibition. The saturated oranges and hidden teals provide a masterclass in color theory that demonstrates Desroches’s skill with a brush. Scribbles scratch along her forehead, highlighting what’s going on behind her dark eyes. She is complex, bright, and not someone I would expect to engage in an intellectual debate with and win. Perhaps that is where her title comes from, something potentially ugly hidden among the darkness she shrouds herself in. A gripping portrait, Vilaine stands unique among the works on show.

Rebelle. By Michel T Desroches

Her counterpart, and indeed they stare out at you from their huddle around Nathalie Cloutier’s impressionist Lumingon, is named Rebelle. She is drawn in opposing shades, buffered in a sky blue background that starkly contrasts Vilaine’s indigo setting. Her warmer tones settle in with her surroundings, and she stands more defiant than the coy Vilaine. She does not hide behind her hands, instead, the viewer cannot escape her sharp gaze. Desroches’s background in art therapy is clear in the shrewd way he depicts emotions, the white planes of her face bathed in confronting light.

        Desroches’s works are striking portraits of emotions every human has felt. Come see them at Galerie d’Art Emergence.