France Brodeur Young Artist Award

"I - like so many of us - started drawing as a child but then never stopped." A printmaking artist, France Brodeur was born and raised in Quebec, Canada. A fine arts graduate from Concordia University, Montréal, France also studied, taught and worked with artists and printmakers in Québec, France, Scotland and England. She exhibited widely including Canada, France, Turkey, Belgium, England and Scotland. A professional journalist and translator, from the mid-1990s onwards, France lived in Warwickshire, England. France died in April 2014. Her art was central to her to the last. "During all my adult life, I have worked to earn money during the day and dedicated my evenings, weekends and dreamtime to my art." Exploring the interface between abstract and representational forms, her art looks through surface appearances to their human significance, especially in terms of universal experiences such as change and loss. "What I am seeking is to draw the viewer’s gaze into the print and for her or him to ‘live’ a while in its world. The more one looks the more should be there to be revealed." The France Brodeur Young Artist Award Committed to her own work, France was also fascinated by and encouraging of that of others. She was especially interested in the young and their aspirations. Since her death, there has been a wish to honour her art and belief in life and its need to be lived and celebrated. Friends of France, Oxford Printmakers Co-operative and Escape Community Arts, are now proud to announce the launch of the donation-seeking stage of The France Brodeur Young Artist Award. The Award aims to support a young artist(s) via a bursary, apprenticeship, internship, bringing a project to fruition, membership fees or other means. Information on application procedures will be publicised later in the year. For more information, see France's website: www.francebrodeur.co.uk.