Introducing Louise Cloutier
I can’t remember a time of not making art. I flourished creatively from the get go and was amongst the rare fortunate to have had a bonified art teacher as early as grade one. If I wasn’t Mrs. MacIntosh’s best student, I wanted to be! My career path, as it turned out, was to follow in her footsteps as a life-long artist and art educator.
Working in the realist genre, I paint exclusively in acrylic and am drawn to subject matter that communicates a story. I generally work from photographs that I’ve taken. My relationship with the images evolves over time. I look beyond the actual for emotional and symbolic cues to flesh out narratives. Through the process of painting, in this state of heightened awareness, surprises await, meaning intensifies. The paintings are my testimony to time, place and human connection.
Exhibiting regularly in both solo and group shows, I am a longstanding member of the Pugwash Artist Collective, a vibrant group of diverse and supportive artists. I am currently a member of the Exhibition Selection Committee at the Fraser Gallery in Tatamagouche, NS.
I graduated from Concordia (BFA) and McGill (Certificate of Ed.), both universities being in my native province of Quebec. Ten years into my 35-year teaching career, I moved to Nova Scotia, putting down roots in Cumberland County to paint, teach and advocate for art and artists. In retirement, and in collaboration with my peers, I continue to grow the cultural footprint of our community through the establishment and curation of public art spaces (Pugwash Open Air Gallery ) and the organization of an annual art festival.
I am the recipient of a national Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence; Certificate of Achievement, and the Nova Scotia Provincial Education Award for Bringing Arts to Life. I co-founded the Jean Wallace Art Gallery, a collection of permanent art work by emerging and established regional artists that is housed in Pugwash District High School. I created ArtQuarters, a studio classroom that I ran from 2016-2020, offering art classes and workshops in the community.
Now, fully content to devote all my time to painting, I work from my home studio and keep community abreast of art and cultural events through my social media platforms: www.facebook.com/ArtQuartersPugwash and www.instagram.com/artquarterspugwash/
My work has been published in several magazines, a book of poetry, and a soon to be released historical non-fiction book. I have paintings in the permanent collections of two Cumberland museums. In this website I present decades of work that emerged long after that time in grade one when I was developing my focus and wondering who I would be. Thanks for visiting!
CV for LOUISE CLOUTIER
Education
- Diploma in Art Education: McGill University, Montreal, 1980
- Bachelor of Fine Arts: Concordia University, Montreal, 1979
Artist
Solo Art Exhibits
January Featured Artist Louise Cloutier: 2024 Cumberland Public Libraries, Pugwash Branch, Pugwash, NS
September Featured Artist Louise Cloutier: 2023 Focal Point Photography and Framing, Amherst, NS
James Dougherty Goes to Remsheg: 2022 (Permanent Collection) Cumberland County Museum and Archives, Amherst, NS
The Wallace Swing Bridge; 2022 (Permanent Collection),Wallace Museum, Wallace, NS
Neither Rhyme Nor Reason, 2018
Paintings by Louise Cloutier and Poetry by Richard Dittami
Oxford Riverside Gallery, Oxford, NS
Between the Lines; Solo, 2000
Truro Library
Works by Louise Cloutier; Solo, 1996
The Art Connection/Watermark Gallery, Amherst
Then Again… Works by Louise Cloutier-Davidson; Solo, 1994
The Art Connection/Watermark Gallery, Amherst
Works by Louise Cloutier; Solo, 1991
Fraser Cultural Center, Tatamagouche
Group Art Exhibits
2023 “Ripple Effect”, Pugwash Artist Collective Group (PAC) Show: August- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
2021 “Domestically Modified”, PAC Show: August- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
2021 “The Mechanic”, Pugwash Open Air Gallery, (Invitational, Permanent Collection), Pugwash, NS
2020- ” The Ross Brothers”, Pugwash Open Air Gallery, (Juried, Permanent Collection), Pugwash, NS
2019 “Back to the Land”, PAC show: July- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
2018 “Nonesuch Paper Awards”, (Juried, Travelling Show) Main and Station Gallery, Parrsboro and Montreal
2018 “The Peace Show”, Pugwash Artist Collective show (PAC): July- The Peace Hall, Pugwash, NS
2017 “A Murder of Crows”, PAC show: July- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
2016 “The Rest of the Story”, PAC show: September, Riverside Gallery, Oxford, NS
2015 Pop-Up Gallery, July- Pugwash Artist Collective show: Brick House, Pugwash, NS
2014 “Lore” PAC show: August- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
2013 “Opposite Attractions”, PAC show: Brick House, Pugwash, NS
2011 “Company Soup”, Pugwash Artist Collective show: July- Fraser Gallery, Tatamagouche, NS
Professional Artist Affiliations and Accolades
2024: Selection Committee Member for Fraser Gallery Art Exhibits
2023: Co-organizer of Art in the Park during Pugwash Harbourfest
2022: Co-organizer of Art in the Park during Pugwash Harbourfest
2019: Project Pugwash Open Air Art Gallery, Co-Founder
2017: Co-Recipient of Communities in Bloom’s Community in Action Pride Award for Community Vision
2017: Art Mentor for Writing on Fire, Pugwash
1995-2015: Co-founder and curator for the Jean Wallace Art Gallery, PDHS
1995-1999: Member of the Board of Directors for Visual Arts Nova Scotia
Published
“A Picturesque Town-featured artist Louise Cloutier”
Article by Stephen Roberts
Cumberland Wire, June 16, 2021
“Louise Cloutier-Featured Artist”
The Griffin- A Quarterly Publication of Heritage Trust of NS
March 2020-Vol45-No.1
“Shredding Plywood- Book of Poetry by Richard Dittami”
Artwork by Louise Cloutier
Black Dog and One-Eyed Press, 2020
“Outside In. The creative haven of artist Louise Cloutier.”
Article by Sara Jewell
Ah! At Home on the North Shore/Spring 2019
“Inner Journey: Works by Linda Johns”
Review by Louise Cloutier
Visual Arts News; Volume 18, Number 2, summer 1996
“Then Again…Works by Louise Cloutier-Davidson”
Review by Regina Coupar, Artist
Visual Arts News; Volume 18, Number 3, fall 1996
“Jan Haynes, Chap Haynes, and George Halverson”
Review by Louise Cloutier
Visual Arts News; Volume 18, Number 4, winter 1996
Teacher
Certificates /Awards
- Recipient of the YMCA Community Peace Award for park installation, 2015
- Provincial Recipient of the Education Week Award Bringing Arts To Life, 2009
- Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence: Certificate of Achievement, 1999
- Nova Scotia Teaching Certificate, 1989
- Quebec Permanent Teaching Certificate, 1982
Teaching History
2016 to 2020: Founder of ArtQuarters, an art studio/classroom for adults and youth, Pugwash
1990-2015: High School Art Teacher, Pugwash District High School
1980 -1989: Elementary School Teacher, Laval and Eastern Townships, Quebec
Professional Development, Grants, Teaching Opportunities
2021 Recipient of the NSTU Sheonoroil Foundation Grant for implementation of youth art in the Pugwash Open Air Gallery
2002- 2014 Recipient of a combined total of seven grants from PAINTS, ArtsSmarts, and the NSTU for enhancing art experiences in the classroom.
2005 Head Teacher at an ESL Summer Camp in Japan for elementary and high school students preparing for international student programs in NS
2004 Visual Literacy Workshop presenter at the Nova Scotia Teachers Association for Learning and Literacy (NSTALL) members
2004 Art Teacher at a two week, ESL Winter Camp for elementary school students in Anseong, South Korea preparing for international student programs in NS
2003 Completed an On-line course in Digital Imaging offered by CCRSB
2002 Attended a week long, Open-Air Painting Workshop in Venice, Italy
2001 Presented an art workshop to local community artists in Pugwash
2000 Presented Visual Literacy Workshop to NSTALL members
Published Teaching-Related Magazine Articles
PDHS Scarecrows interview with Louise Cloutier
The Teacher, NSTU newspaper, November 2008
PDHS Art Program
Article by Louise Cloutier
In Contact; School Board Publication, Winter 2003
Misbehaviour in the Classroom
Article by Louise Cloutier
Canadian Issues; March/April issue, 2001
Art, the Real Thing
Article by Louise Cloutier
Visual Arts News; Volume 19, Number 1, Spring
