"Rebel" Painting

Born in Montreal, Jocelyne Bellemare lives and works in Canada. Her pictorial practice is rooted in a pursuit of the intangible. Painting becomes a space of transition for her—a springboard into what escapes immediate perception. She explores the porous boundaries between figuration and abstraction, seeking to capture the fertile tension that arises from their convergence. Her works question identity, often suggested rather than defined, through faces that seem to emerge from or dissolve into the material.
Through a sensitive process of layering, Bellemare combines glazes and textures to reveal a singular emotional depth. Human features, at times fragmented or veiled, become territories of exploration where memory, perception, and mystery reside. This duality between precision and dissolution lends her portraits a presence that is both intimate and elusive.
Her distinctive style, at the intersection of emotional portraiture and abstraction, invites the viewer into a contemplative, almost introspective experience. The work does not provide answers, but instead opens a space for resonance. Jocelyne Bellemare is a professional member of the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels (RAAV), the Institut des Arts Figuratifs (IAF), and the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA). She has received several artistic distinctions, including the SCA Award of Artistic Expression (2024), and has been recognized with honorable mentions and jury selections in various national competitions and gallery exhibitions. Her work has been presented in numerous solo exhibitions as well as in more than twenty group exhibitions across Quebec.