Éliane reached out to me as I was strolling on D'Amos Street in Montreal North on a magnificent Friday. She was taking a break outside the Centre de Formation professionnelle Calixa-Lavallée between classes in Infographics and she wanted to know why I had taken pictures of her school. I told her I had simply taken advantage of the beautiful September midday light that illuminated the facade. As we had started a conversation, I asked her if she would agree that I take some pictures of her.
Éliane currently lives at an uncle’s place, in Ahuntsic, for the duration of her studies. From her looks, one would probably think she is a real city girl. However, although she was born in suburban St-Hubert, she spent most of her life in various localities of the Laurentians and much prefers small rural towns to the big city.
Interested in Visual Arts, she worked at the Val-David Exhibition Centre. She had also started attending a Cegep level program in Visual Arts, but quickly realized that it was not for her. She also seriously considered becoming a tattoo artist and is equipped with the necessary equipment to practice this craft. Some friends bear traces of her trials on their skin. She finally turned to Graphics Arts. She wants to work for the web as well as for print. She dreams of seeing one of her creations on a large billboard.
I asked her if there were stars of the publicity trade who influenced her. She replied she drew inspiration from various sources: Web sites, such as that of Urbania, but also much from her teachers. She has good words for those of Calixa-Lavallée. Overall, she appreciates that they have a solid professional experience to share with students. She likes to hear them explain their creative process.
Éliane described her own process to me as a sort of artistic chaos. She needs a period of trial drawing and brain storming to let ideas and images emerge. However, she is confident in her ability to deliver sharp and clear work as a final result.
Éliane considers becoming a freelancer after her Diploma of Vocational Studies. The prospect of working on diverse projects and creating strong images that will touch and convince people strongly motivates her. She kind of likes the idea that advertising images are short-lived. Come to think of it, this is quite a departure from tattoos, which can actually be around a long time!
At the end of the program, which will culminate in an internship, she plans to return to Ste-Agathe. She will live there either with her parents or her grandmother and give herself time to build a clientele. Meanwhile, before she can return to a collectivity closer to nature, the Île-de-la-Visitation Nature-Park is her green oasis in Montreal.