Josette Mallet's '' Réflexions sur la mer'' at the Assumption Gallery

11/1/2013 12:00:00 AM

The sea in all its forms will adorn the walls of the Assumption Gallery when Josette Mallet presents her exhibition Réflexions sur la mer in November and December.

Having grown up near the water, in the area around Shippagan, New Brunswick, Mallet is enchanted by the energy and beauty of the ocean. “I feel like a tiny grain of sand compared to the vastness and power of nature,” she says, thinking back on the hours she spent as a teenager watching the ebb and flow of the sea. It was also during this period of her life that she discovered painting. She later studied and taught art for a brief time before she turned her attention to graphic design for the publishing industry. She acknowledges that her career as a graphic artist has had an influence on her work, occasionally nudging her toward a simpler, more stripped-down style.

Mallet has also experimented with photography, which she says inspires her when she picks up her paintbrush. “I’ve always had a fascination for strips of negatives – the series of images placed one after another tells a story. I’ve tried to capture this same effect by dividing my paintings up into sections to reveal their own stories,” says the artist, who now calls the Moncton area home.

Josette Mallet’s Réflexions sur la mer will be on display at the Assumption Gallery starting Friday, November 1. The Assumption Gallery exhibits works of contemporary, modern and popular art, works based on history and folklore, and sculptures and photographs by professional Canadian artists. Six two-month exhibitions are presented every year. The Gallery is located at 770 Main Street in Moncton, on the ground floor of Assumption Place, and is open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.