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...

As part of the Cycle series, the chosen pieces were designed to represent three cycles that effect nature. The first was Life and Death. The second was Respect and Responsibility. Desintegration is part of the third, which is Cause and Effect. Climate change is effecting nature in ways that could have a catastrophic effect on our species. Sir David says we face "irreversible damage to the natural world and the collapse of our societies". from the BBC article:  Climate change: Sir David Attenborough warns of 'catastrophe' Ironically, in large part, we are the cause. "... there is a strong, credible body of evidence, based on multiple lines of research, documenting that climate is changing and that these changes are in large part caused by human activities. While much remains to be learned, the core phenomenon, scientific questions, and hypotheses have been examined thoroughly and have stood firm in the face of serious scientific debate and careful ev...