Francesca Alepin Kneider / Glass artist and painter
Influence and artistic approach
Diplomas
- Creativity Université de Montréal
- Interior Design Académie Internationale du Design
- Feng Shui and Bazi Centre d’Excellence de Feng Shui
A contemplative person by nature, I began my meditative studies at the University, developing a practice associated with creativity. My work in the visual arts stems from a meditative state of mind, from this deep awareness. My style is inspired from seals or hieroglyphic symbols.
1990 Completed studies in interior design. Carte blanche to renovate a home. Discovered the appeal of glass as a material to be used in art integrated into architecture.
During this period, I undertook many creative projects on the national and international level. This is when it all began: numerous glass creations integrated into architecture, many glass artworks, exclusive works including glass installations, sculptures, panels, tables, doors, murals, contemplation pieces, tiles, centrepieces, light fixtures, and chairs. Created multiple-piece works in a series including utilitarian objects and new products such as the famous HECTARUS® basins.
I gained a great deal of visibility in design fora and international design fairs and garnered support from the media.
I was soon recognized by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec for glass works integrated into architecture.
My personal development took the form of a ten-year commitment to a “mastery program” in meditative and spiritual studies. I went on many retreats in the state of Oregon (USA) and engaged in many formal and informal meditative practises.
These meditative practises were accompanied by many artistic creations.
This fully emerging intensity inevitably led to my meeting with Marcelle Ferron (1924-2001), the painter and glass artist who had signed the “Refus global” and a major figure on Quebec’s contemporary art scene. The common denominator was the person who produced our glass artworks. We developed a deep connection as I worked with great freedom on her monumental glass works for projects that integrated her art works into architecture. These projects were part of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec’s Programme 1%. This “grand master’s” final ten years coincided with the beginning of my prolific years as an artist, and the work I did on her projects certainly influenced my own.
2009 Began writing both in words and in paint. Writings on the conscience applied in visual and holistic arts. Discovered the appeal of Japanese papers, India ink and watercolours, then acrylics on wood.
2014 Painting workshop 2017 Start of pictorial art exhibitions 2020 Selected for the “2021 Art Collection” L’Artothèque, Montréal 2021 General Public Award | Mont-Saint-Hilaire Museum of Fine Arts “2020 Fall Salon: The 150 Variations of Confinement”. Selected for the “2022 Art Collection” L’Artothèque, Pointe-Claire and for the “2022 Art Collection” L’Artothèque, Montréal. | Creation 2021: A year marked by Collections of “Small and Very Small Paintings”, “Reproductions” and “Art Cards”. 2022 Creation 2022: A year marked by a Collection of “Drawings”. 2023 Honorable Mention – The Women’s Art Society of Montreal « 128th Annual Exhibition: Women in Nature. » | People’s Choice – AIM | Artists In Montreal « Summer Exhibition: Marvelous Montreal. » | Selected by the Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay for the Carnet 02 exhibition at La Place du Marché – Atwater, Montreal. 2024 May Artist of the Month – AIM | Artists In Montreal
Displayed in 4 museum boutiques in Quebec – Mont-Saint-Hilaire Museum of Fine Arts, Baie-Saint-Paul Museum of Contemporary Art, Stewart Hall Museum, Pointe-Claire, Paul-Émile-Borduas House, Saint-Hilaire. In 2 art libraries in Quebec.
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Since 1991, Francesca Alepin Kneider is the artistic designer for the HECTARUS® brand, it has received numerous scholarships, grants, honourable mentions and awards.