Gilles Rainville illustration

  CHOICES As the dominating race, our species affects every aspect of the natural world we are part of. In consequence, some of the choices we make create chain reactions that have changed the world, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. This series of pastel artworks explores some of these choices many people make daily in the hopes of inspiring thoughtful consideration and understanding of the domino effect our choices necessitate. HOW DO WE GET THERE? This first piece explores our choice of transportation. Choosing our vehicle influences the choice of where we live, how much we pollute, and how much freedom we have. Cars became a class symbol, and a desired item in the 1940s. Eighty years later, most of the population still regards them the same way. This piece is meant as a reflection of a choice that often seems automatic when we are growing up. This piece was started last summer (2019) in a smaller format without creating any thumbnails to explore the compositional posi...

Natural disasters have become more prevalent in recent years. We hear of the human cost and cause, but rarely do we understand what cost the rest of nature (animal, plant, insect) pays for disasters which, while are not produced by our species, are certainly encouraged and bolstered by the choices of individuals, companies, industries, and governments.  Manufactured Consequences is the first piece where I attempt to include the viewer as part  of the composition. This is why every animal is staring directly at the viewer. Nature itself is trying to tell you who caused the unfortunate forest fire. Once again, I began the process by researching the elements for this piece. Next, I sketched out the concept I had in mind and created a tonal study. This helped me visualize the idea in my head and solved the bigger composition issues, like focal points, perspective, arrangements and importance of the elements for the viewer.  Once happy with...

In Utero - In the uterus. Before Birth. A stage of life filled with magic and wonder. This is where life begins.  I wanted to represent how nature supports the cycle of life with this piece. From the environment's essential aspects evolving to support the needs of the creatures living inside it, to the internal supports that our own bodies offer to help in the creation of new life, In Utero shows the care of life within and without. I started with a quick sketch of my idea. Then I researched some photos online. Since I couldn't find a photo of a spirit bear in the uterus, I found some photos of newborn spirit bears and a 3D photo of an unborn infant. I redrew the idea in graphite referring to the research photos. I wanted to recreate the same colours and textures found in the 3D photo of the uterus. I played around with layering the colour and erasing the highlights. It took some time, but, in the end, I was satisfied with the resu...