Having been raised on a small Canadian farm, Claude Mailhot is the first to note that it is nature – waterways, foliage, flowers, plants and the gentle play of light among all of these – that has been his most profound creative influence. Imbued with a spirit of magical realism and storybook flair, these lyrical vignettes offer a larger than life glimpse into the artist’s environmental imagination. As he says, "Men from all over the world and time have learned to master that land which was once ours and still unifies us all." Graphic, whimsical and rendered in a soft palette dominated by variegated shades of emerald green, gold, rust, crimson, vermillion, rose and apricot, Mailhot’s beguiling visions lean toward transcendentalist ends. Absorbed by the enticing color alchemy carefully crafted by the artist’s skill, the viewer takes a virtual part in his experience of the ‘refuge’ and ‘regeneration’ to be had within nature.
Claude Mailhot was born in Ste-Cécile de Lévrard, a suburb of Montreal, Canada. He currently lives and works in Montreal and has exhibited work professionally since 1998.