I am captivated by the deep physical, emotional and spiritual connection between humans and water. I have been working on a series called Whispering Waters, about being in the moment and listening to what nature is telling us. By using transparency to merge the figure into the background, I am expressing my fascination with our deep emotional connection with water.

The Luminous Bodies art residency would provide me with the perfect environment to be able to observe, sketch, and hopefully photograph the human body in and around water. The residency’s timing and location are ideal: end of summer, near beaches, in a secluded community of water lovers and open-minded creatives. During the residency, I would like to visually explore the merging of the human form and the water, observing the distortions of shape, colour and light while reflecting on the idea of Otherness. Using transparency and fluidity in my painting, I intend to emphasize the intimate and sensuous contact of human body parts with the water, such as fingers brushing the surface of the lake, hips sliding under the water or feet dangling from the end of a dock. I like to believe in the principle that water has a memory, and that it bears the proof of every touch, every breath and every form of life that comes into contact with it.

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Born and raised in Ottawa Canada, Karole Marois is a contemporary figurative painter based in Prince Edward County Ontario. A graduate of Toronto’s Ontario College of Art (now OCADU), she also holds a diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. Karole is an ardent explorer of the compelling human-nature connection in her work. The innate emotional bond and attraction humans have towards water form the core of her latest series of paintings. Informed by her personal love for water, her role as an avid swimmer, sailor, and indeed a water lover, she seeks to encapsulate the magic and healing power water possesses within its depth. Karole’s technique, much like water, is fluid, merging different elements in her composition using layers of transparent acrylic washes, and flowing brush strokes. The transparent figures in her paintings evoke themes of memory and reflection, thereby providing a sense of timelessness and transience. She has acquired substantial recognition for her work, garnering grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, exhibiting her pieces extensively, and making her way into numerous private and public collections in Canada, USA, and Europe. Today, she is proudly represented by Trinity Galleries in Saint John NB and Britton Gallery in Bracebridge, Ontario. In the midst of engaging in her creative pursuit, Karole Marois certainly has not lost sight of the broader societal context. Echoing her personal beliefs and values, her work underscores the significance of preserving our bond with nature and cherishing our fundamental interconnectedness with our surroundings. More about out Karole’s work can be viewed at karolem.com.