"Mr. M's" STORY
The character of Mr. M appeared in my illustrations and paintings about 20 years ago. He is a human being with a hat and a dark raincoat or jacket. Who is he? It is me, you, us, everybody. He is a projection of my feelings, concerns, worries. He is happy, sad, angry, lonely and absurd; having his dark and light sides like all of us. It is a cyclical process in my work. Sometimes Mr. M stays in my sketch books for months and suddenly appears in a series painted on canvas or drawn on paper. A series of those images associated with literature or the business world are printed as art postcards by a German publisher in Berlin. These images also received interest from book publishers who bought the copyright for book covers or magazines. Mr. M was a part of my work process in France and Switzerland, and together we moved to Vancouver in 2000.
Click here to see the "Mr. M" galleries.
In a Vancouver artist supplies store, I recently found cradled wood panels imported from China. I instantly liked the soft and light structure of the surface made from Paulownia Tree wood. Painting with water based acrylic paint on the panels was such a pleasure, that I decided to paint the Mr. M series on this support.
The Paulownia Tree or "Wondertree of China" is a fast growing tree, it can grow from 10 to 20 feet in a season. An entire tree can even regrow in one season after being severely cut back. The Paulownia Tree forests have been great success in agroforestry programs and rural development in Third World Countries. It is a phyto-remediator increasing the organic content of degraded soils, processing and filtering contaminants through the uptake of its vascular system and emitting oxygen into the atmosphere.
For decades Japanese craftsmen have utilized this revered wood in ceremonial furniture, clogs and musical instruments. The wood is light, but strong and will not crack or split.
It was once customary to plant a Paulownia Tree when a baby girl was born and then to make it into a dresser as a wedding present when she got married.
Click here to see the "Mr. M" galleries.