Biography
Having completed her 4 year BFA at OCAD University, Dufresne hopes to merge the worlds of art and therapeutic practices with her large scale abstract expressionist pieces. Sarah Dufresne is a 27 year old Canadian artist from Thunder Bay, Ontario with an honour bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Through the process of studying, Dufresne found anxieties creeping in and deterring her true potential. Even though she hadn’t taken art classes in years, Dufresne turned to creating to aleve some of these anxieties. What started off as a practice in self care, quickly flourished into a love affair with painting and art making that would be the center of her life for years to come. During her first few years of art classes, Dufresne struggled with finding her own style and seriously considered quitting painting altogether. It was then that her father and local artist, Guy Dufresne, set up a joint father- daughter exhibition at a local waterfront restaurant. This launched Dufresne’s confidence not only in herself but also in her craft. That joint show quickly snowballed into the opportunity to have solo exhibitions for the next 2 years. Upon graduation from Lakehead University’s Psychology program, Dufresne felt that her thirst for creating wasn’t quite fulfilled yet. This led her to apply to one of Canada’s most recognized art school, OCAD University. Although she knew she was interested in pursuing art therapy in the future, Dufresne wasn’t done exploring the technical aspects of painting. Her completion of her BFA from OCAD granted her many opportunities to work with great artists and mentors. One of these mentors, Daniel Solomon, saw something in Dufresne's work which prompted him to recommend her to be represented by Hatch Gallery, the gallery he is also represented by. In summer of 2019 she had signed on with Hatch as one of their represented artists and come summer 2022 Dufresne had her first show with the gallery in Prince Edward County alongside seasoned artist Tom Wilson. The way that her work functions in the material world is an act of therapy into its own. Dufresne seeks to heal herself and the viewer in the process of creating and showing her work.
Artist Statement
My work is about space. Space to not only express my emotions but to leave them. To fill this space with colour, shapes and texture that can adequately represent feelings that may have remained trapped. The art I create is cathartic and relieves me of the same heavy emotion I hope to share with the viewer.
My hope is that it captures a mood that is familiar to my audience and helps them to identify in a space of commonality. My therapy may, in turn, be therapeutic for others.
The space around me is inspirational. The beauty of nature informs my palette and organic forms dance and float on the canvas with an ever present feeling of hope. Despair and anguish will invariably give way to some light on the horizon.
Male abstract expressionists have traditionally taken up the most space in this field. My wish is to command my own space by painting boldly on large canvases that will leave no doubt that I insist on being seen. I will not be denied the space to express myself nor the opportunity to leave a piece of myself that might one day be healing to someone. I paint boldly to rejoice in the life that we all should be happy to live.
The space I plan to fill is for me and most definitely for all.
Joint Exhibition (2022)
Hatch Gallery, Prince Edward County
Recent collaborative exhibition. (2020)
My work is pictured 2nd from the left and the 2 middle pieces.
Solo Exhibition, Bight Restaurant (2018)
Accumulation of fall term paintings during my 3rd year at OCAD University