Annette Courtemanche

Artist Statement
I am an emerging Toronto-based artist working primarily with acrylic/mixed media on canvas. My love for drawing and painting began in childhood and remained a constant thread throughout my life. As a self-taught artist, I embrace the need for visual expression through a spontaneous and playful process. Nature is my greatest inspiration, and I explore it through texture and colour, using a variety of tools and brushes to build layers that add depth and energy to each piece.
To me, every blank canvas is an invitation—an opportunity to explore my own emotions while opening a dialogue with the viewer. My work unfolds intuitively as I experiment with textures, colours, shapes, and marks, resulting in vibrant, one-of-a-kind abstract pieces that reflect both inner landscapes and the natural world.

Annette Courtemanche pursued academic studies at the University of Toronto which included art history courses before delving into Contemporary painting at the AGO with Michael Toke. Some of her influences and artist she strives to explore and understand works by Joan Miró, Cecily Brown, Joan Mitchell, William de Kooning, Rothko, to name a few. She is a founding member of the Christie Pit Artists Group which promotes artistic engagement in this richly diverse Toronto neighbourhood. She is a contributor to the vibrant local art scene, and her pieces can be found in places ranging from local cafes to Canadian living-rooms, to a city dental practice for which she completed three commissioned works in 2024.

Acknowledgements:
Her artwork has also been featured in, Partial: Curator's Club Journal, State of change: Canadian art and transitional design. (Link)
A large artwork 'Transition' was exhibited in the Tarragon Theatre Lobby Gallery, 2024 for the opening of the play 'CRAZE'
Her artwork will be exhibited for a full year at the Art a la Carte, legislative Assembly of Ontario, highlighting Ontario artists.

Here are some of her notable exhibits:
Art a la Carte, legislative Assembly of Ontario 2025
Tarragon Theatre Lobby Gallery, 2024
Leslie Grove Gallery, 2024
Emily Rose Cafe, Toronto, ON 2023
AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) “Portraits of Reliance” (June-August 2022)