Lorraine Gilbert facts for kids

Lorraine Gilbert (born in France in 1955) is a Canadian artist and photographer. She is known for her amazing landscape photos. Her art makes people think about how we see nature, how it's used, and how it affects our lives. Lorraine Gilbert lives in both Ottawa and Quebec.

Early Life and Learning

Lorraine Gilbert has studied many interesting subjects. She earned a degree in biology from McGill University in 1979. Later, in 1987, she received a master's degree in photography from Concordia University. She even studied forestry at the University of British Columbia.

In 1978, she went to the Banff Centre to study art. Lorraine has also shared her knowledge by teaching 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 Director of the Visual Arts Department at the University of Ottawa.

Her Artistic Journey

Lorraine Gilbert has been creating art since 1979. Her photographs are displayed in many important collections around the world. You can find her work in places like the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Gallery of Canada. Her art has also been shown at the Ottawa Art Gallery and the Dalhousie Art Gallery.

From 1994 to 2004, Lorraine was very involved with an art center called Boreal Art Nature. It was based out of her home in La Minerve, Quebec. Artists from many different countries, including Iceland and India, came to the Canadian Boreal forest. They created art together during special themed stays.

Art Collections and Shows

Lorraine Gilbert's artwork is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Canada. Her photos have also been featured in books, like The Landscape: Eight Canadian Photographers.

Notable Exhibitions

Her work has been shown in many exhibitions over the years:

• 1987: Lorraine Gilbert: Vancouver and Montreal Nights, at Optica, A centre for Contemporary Arts 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 installation with Group of Seven exhibition, Firestone collection, 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 the Equinox Gallery in Vancouver.

Her Unique Style

Lorraine Gilbert's early photographs often used a flash at night. This made ordinary things look new and exciting. Bushes might look like skeletons, and flowers would stand out against buildings. Everyday objects would appear out of the darkness, changed by the camera's flash. She mixed the blue tones of artificial light with the yellows and oranges of natural light. Lorraine wasn't trying to show things exactly as they are. Instead, she explored a world full of images that we might not see with our own eyes.

Some of her work was inspired by her time planting trees. She took powerful pictures of tree planters. These photos made people think about the importance of forests, the economy, and the state of our world. She also explored questions about replanting trees, how resources are used, and how landscapes change.

Lorraine's art often connects art with nature and the environment. She also uses digital photography to explore how we document things, while also showing how images can be created or changed.

In the early 2000s, she created a series of large digital artworks called Icelandic Walks and Field Studies. These pieces explored the idea of landscape photography in new ways.

Awards and Recognition

Lorraine Gilbert has received important awards for her photography. In 2003, she won the Karsh Award from the city of Ottawa. This award recognized her strong dedication to excellent photo-based art and came with a prize of $7500. She was also nominated to the RCA (Royal Canadian Academy of Arts). In 2010, she received a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the University of Ottawa.