Lorraine Gilbert facts for kids

Lorraine Gilbert (born in France in 1955) is a Canadian artist and photographer. She loves to take pictures of landscapes. Her art makes people think about nature, how we use land, and what it means to us. Lorraine lives in Ottawa and Quebec.

Growing Up and Learning

Lorraine Gilbert was born in France in 1955. She later moved to Canada. She studied biology at McGill University in 1979. Then, she earned a special degree in photography from Concordia University in 1987. She also learned about forests at the University of British Columbia.

In 1978, she went to the Banff Centre to study art. Lorraine has taught art and photography for over 25 years. She taught at Concordia University and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She was also the head of the Visual Arts Department at the University of Ottawa.

Her Art Career

Lorraine Gilbert has been a professional artist since 1979. Her amazing photographs are shown in many places. You can find her work in private collections and big museums. These include the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Gallery of Canada. Her art has also been shown at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

From 1994 to 2004, Lorraine helped run an art center. It was called Boreal Art Nature. Artists from all over the world came to her home in La Minerve, Quebec. They created art together in the beautiful Canadian Boreal forest.

Art Shows and Collections

The National Gallery of Canada owns some of Lorraine Gilbert's artwork. Her photos have also been in books. One book is called The Landscape: Eight Canadian Photographers.

Here are some of the places her work has been shown:

• 1987: Lorraine Gilbert: Vancouver and Montreal Nights, at Optica in Montreal.
• 1991: The Landscape: Eight Canadian Photographers, at the Concordia Art Gallery in Montreal.
• 2008: The Tree: From the Sublime to the Social, at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver.
• 2009: Construction Work: Renovation Spirits, at the Carleton University Art Gallery in Ottawa.
• 2013: Flora and Fauna: 400 Years of Artists Inspired by Nature, at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
• 2013: Natural Motif with the Group of Seven exhibition, at the Ottawa Art Gallery in Ottawa.
• 2013: Arbor Vitae, at the City Hall Art Gallery in Ottawa.
• 2013: Lorraine Gilbert, Paysages canadiens 1988-2013, at Galerie Expression in Saint-Hyacinthe.
• 2015: Pictures Windows, Storefront Photographs from the past 100 years, at Equinox Gallery in Vancouver.

Her Unique Style

Lorraine's early photos were often taken at night. She used a bright flash to show things in a new way. Bushes might look like skeletons. Flowers would stand out against buildings. Everyday items like tables looked different in the dark. She mixed blue artificial light with yellow and orange natural light. Lorraine wasn't trying to be perfectly realistic. She wanted to show a hidden world that our eyes usually miss.

Later, her work was inspired by her time planting trees. She took powerful pictures of tree planters. Her art made people think about forests and the environment. She questioned how we replant trees and how we use the land. She explored how art and nature connect. She also used digital photography to show new ideas.

In the early 2000s, she created two series: Icelandic Walks and Field Studies. These were large digital artworks. They explored the idea of landscape photography.

Awards and Recognition

Lorraine Gilbert has won several important awards. In 2003, she received the Karsh Award. This award is given by the city of Ottawa. It honors artists who create excellent photo-based art. She also received a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation in 2010.