The arts scene in the Eastern Townships is rich and varied. Painters, writers, photographers and multi-media artists in a multitude of disciplines call the Eastern Townships their home. The peacfullness and beauty of our region are welcomed by many artists who choose to live and practice their art here. We are lucky to have many art galleries in the area that regularly exhibit works by some of our amazing talents.

Now on at the Sutton Art Gallery in Sutton, Quebec (only 20 minutes from Lac Brome) is another example of local artists who are exposing their works and another opportunity for residents and visitors to discover some of the gems of the Townships arts world.

Catherine Côte's art works invite us to penetrate the ordinary to discover hidden within the "intraordinary" and two indisputable signatures of the human spirit: humor and meaning.

A young graduate in scenography from l'École Nationale de Théâtre du Canada and in visual arts from l'Université du Québec à Montréal and l'École des Beaux-Arts de Quimper, France. Catherine Côte questions the daily and answers to it using the bias of mixed media. Her talents as stage designer, illustrator and painter combine to help her scrutinize and transform what others regard as “routine” into paths and games of discovery. Words, phrases and thoughts are mixed with acrylic colors, oil and water paints to express messages with interpretations that are not limited by the banality of the routine in our daily lives. Catherine Côte has worked in painting, video, writing and her works are exhibited in numerous galleries and public places.

Different from the cognitive approach of Catherine Côte, the alliance of words and images takes on a more abstract dimension in the digital photography of Bernard Paquet where the unsaid provokes without completely articulating it all.

The collaboration between the "photographic" and the "graphic" of this professor of l'cole des Arts visuels de l'Universite Laval, docteur en Arts et Sciences de l'Art de l'Université de Paris, blurs the already illusive border between photographic and graphic arts.

Bernard Paquet tries to get away from the ordinary format of writing and image to let his pen freely scribble or color in the margins and empty spaces. His approach changes the level of visual attention to explore dimensions that answers to other references. What appears at first glance to be unstructured text combines boldly with a photographic composition freed of its original motivation.

Bernard Paquet has participated in various solo and group exhibitions in Canada and in France and his works are widely published in both academic and journalistic circles.

The exhibition can be seen until Sunday, January 14th. 2007.

Sutton Quebec is one of the villages near Knowlton that is a must-visit town. Located at the junction of 239 and the 215 highways it can easily be reached on your way to Cowansville or Knowlton. The gallery and local shops and restaurants in Sutton are the ideal afternoon visit and the skiing at Sutton is enjoyed by many local residents as a great alternative to the busier and more trendy ski centers like Bromont.