Welcome to Renaat Marchand .com

First of all, I don’t like talking about my work.

It’s out there for everybody to enjoy. It is what you see and feel.

With a diploma of art teaching I started a career of many odd jobs.
Never teaching, until the nineties where I accepted a woodworking class job that lasted me 9 years. Surprisingly.
Never involved in the art scene, shied away from that complicated world. I had to study art to understand it? Not for me. Now that I am getting older I am more open to it and willing to learn.
I always liked the impressionists, the rebels in their days. France, Paris…memories.
Avoiding being influenced by other pre chewed artist’s lives I tried to find out what I had as a gift. Painting watercolor portraits was a stressful attempt to find out. I did develop a style, how exciting.
I never felt capable to motivate people with words and wisdom. Not a born teacher at all.
Burned out with lots of time to spare I had no energy to start new things apart from my painting. Where did all my passion go?
I was waiting for something.

Canada.

As a young boy I was fascinated by this magical far away land, like another planet. When I lost my dad I wanted to move out and live as a shepherd in the France Pyrenees, alone which never happened. Hormones decided.

“You are a dreamer”

“You are so lucky to be able to do this”

No it didn’t come that easy!

I made choices, hard once, to accomplish my goals, in search of a lifestyle. I still remember going through the “you are free now” barrier, past the gate at the airport in 2000. Painful, because I should not show them my joy, the people we left.
This was something I had to do, taking three prisoners with me,…kidding. Arno and Dana then 11 and 9 never noticed…they don’t have an accent at all, just like us…
Here in Canada, surviving again, barely speaking the ‘slanguage’, with odd jobs in yacht building and finishing woodwork I decided after two years to work for my self. Fed up with nice comments, competing and dealing with other woodworkers was too much for me. Another harness I had to take of, I was no longer a puppet.
Call me a hermit who likes to be alone, as a monk in his tower, creating something unique with no comparison…
That’s what it takes, the trance of building something that originated from out of nowhere. Is that inspiration? Creating new life, new meaning for others. Can’t be done during office hours only. It is always on my mind.
Finally, what I am doing now feels good. Feeling more craftsman than artist I managed to express my self, not fully yet but it sure is an exciting and steady process.
People are pleased with my creations, mostly started with an idea coming from them. As a reward I get to see them smile and that’s what it is about. Their interaction and communication with my artwork. Wonderful.
This is no longer a job for me. I had a passion as a boy when I was admiring wood sculptures, fascinated about how they did it. Who were they? Anonymous artists called trades people.
Still now, as always, I worship those old guys with hands like shovels. Twice the size of the computer hands we see nowadays.
Those hands are telling us a story. Call it Expressionism.

So, I don’t have to wait to start doing the things I like to do until I will be retired. I am now and very busy.
Do I want more? Sure!
I want to paint again, make clay sculptures, capture wildlife with my camera. Pressing that button at the right time is the most rewarding out of everything I do. Just one click. How easy, how satisfying.
With art, you never really now when you are done. I don’t. Maybe it’s budget related in my case.

Days fly by, always something to do, birds are distracting me, adrenaline rushes through my veins which I channel in to my daily triathlon work out. Life is fascinating. I feel like I am growing younger again.

I am sure she‘s proud of me!