Paul Cloutier possesses a solid background in painting and sculpture but it's through printmaking that he really expresses himself. ''The object, with its physical presence, takes a trivial detour in itself. It has too much mass, not enough spirit. As a printmaker, I project the viewer's spirit towards something other than the object.''

 Collagraphs are part of the printmaking family. Through this process, Cloutier creates a link between drawing and his training as a sculptor. On a wooden, metal, plastic or cardboard plate, dug in by drypoint or aquatint, materials can be added: carborundum, marble dust, plaster, sand, fabric, paper, paint, etc. The grooves and marks created while applying matter to the plate will have varied effects on the paper, influencing the feel and atmosphere of the composition. Cloutier's work is largely experimental.

 The artist applies color to the paper from a first plate, then, from a second plate that's been marked and enriched with different materials, line and relief is added to the impression. In Cloutier's recent work, we see a new figurative expression. A graphic language dominated by abstraction.

 Paul Cloutier was born in 1946 in Montmagny. He obtained a diploma from L'École des Beaux-Arts de Québec in 1970 and taught art from 1970 to 1974 at Lévis college and Cégep de Jonquière. Cloutier also participated in many workshops overseas (1976-1977: bursery from Cultural Affairs, internship at the Wonen en Werken, Zwolle, Holland. 1977-1978: Kola Institute, Berkeley, California. 1978-1979: Amsterdam Grafisch Atelier, Holland).

He began his studies in printmaking in 1975 and dedicated himself to this medium completely ten years later. In 1980, he founded Atelier Circulaire in Montréal with fellow printmakers Iréné Belley, Tin Yum Lau and Pierre-Léon Tétreault and was its president from 1996 to 1998.

In 1987, he obtains the grand prize for Loto-Québec's Contes et Légendes contest, in 1990, honourable mentions from the Conseil québécois de l'estampe and in 1993, the 'purchase prize' from The Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA) of New York. His work can be found in many prestigious collections including the Musée de Louvre, Musée du Québec, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Loto-Québec, Lavalin, Air Canada, and la Bibliothèque nationale du Canada. In 1999, la Bibliothèque nationale du Québec aquired an important number of his prints.*

  Solo Exhibitions

2003    Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron, Ottawa
2002    Galerie Clair-Obscur, Montréal
2000    Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron, Ottawa,
1999    Galerie Brita Prinz, Madrid, Espagne
1998    Maison de la culture de Trois-Rivières
1997    Galerie Estampe Plus, Québec
1997    Centre Culturel de Verdun
1996    Galerie Horace, Sherbrooke

Group Exhibitions

2003    Biennale internationale de Trois-Rivières
2001    3^ème Biennale de la gravure d'Île de France, Versailles, France
2001    Biennale d'Amadora, Lisbonne, Portugal
2001    Espace Parcours, Montréal
2001    Open Studio, Six artistes de Montréal, Toronto
2000    Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron, Graveurs d'Espagne et du Canada, Ottawa
2000    Triennale mondiale de l'estampe, Chamallières, France
2000    Galerie Milenio Planta, World Trade Center, Macao, Chine
2000    Biennale d'Amadora, Lisbonne, Portugal
1999    Galerie d'Art d'Outremont, Montréal
1999    New Art Barcelona, Barcelone, Espagne

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