FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR

Dear friends, today I am writing about a couple of recent works of art that I did entitled “Fruit of Your Labor”. I am rarely one to paint fruit, but these came to mind one day and I rather enjoyed painting them. While on the surface they are very cheery and pretty works of art, they mean a lot more than fruit. It is a little bit odd but these cute works of art with a rather mundane subject matter, if you could call it that, came out of a moment of frustration.

I probably don’t have to explain how challenging it can be to make a living as an artist. It often costs too much time and money to be a hobby and it often doesn’t make enough money to be a career, so what is it? Things became easier when I moved to Montreal where I started exhibiting my work internationally and selling on a regular basis. Then, after nearly ten years in Montreal, I moved back to New Brunswick…I had a long pause from art to get familiar with family life with children and a new environment. When I started producing artwork again and looking at galleries, I was quickly faced with a harsh reminder of how hard it is in New Brunswick to make a living as an artist, especially if you are not painting boats and flowers! While I live here in N.B., I am still for the most part exhibiting outside of New Brunswick/Canada, mainly in Los Angeles.

When we are frustrated, we (artists) often use our art as a therapy and sometimes we paint something dark to get it out of our system. This time, in my moment of frustration I decided to paint something bright and hopeful. These two paintings represent the artist’s hope to see the fruit of his or her labor one day. Of course, like any work of art, they can mean whatever you want them to mean, but this is what was in my heart while producing them. While things are getting better as I keep producing and am selling more, these works of art serve as a reminder that my work is not in vain. I hope you enjoy these pieces too and I hope that you all see the fruit of your labor sooner than later if you haven’t yet!

Fruit of Your Labor (Cherries)
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
11" x 14"
2023

Fruit of Your Labor (Strawberry)
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas & Canvas Panel
11" x 14"
2023

© 2023 Pascal Leo Cormier. All Rights Reserved.