Exhibition: Scribbles and Shapes by Pierre Bataillard ran from June 24 to August 3, 2021, at the Naess Gallery, The Paint Spot.

Artist statement

In my work I seek freshness and spontaneity, to this end, there is no preliminary preparation such as sketches. I work directly on the final piece. Sometimes I will reach an impasse. In this case, I set the work aside until I have a clear idea of how to proceed from here. It can take days. I do not go back and correct, I start anew.

I like to think of my work as abstract and yet the landscape feel permeates through softening its impact thus becoming poetic.

P. Bataillard                              

Pierre Bataillard

Self-taught, Switzerland-born artist Pierre Bataillard moved to Canada in 1967 and to Alberta in 1969, with a career as varied as his art: architectural draftsman (1964 – 1974), land use planner (1974 – 1976), architectural inspector (1976 – 1978), and project architect (1978 – 1981). Since 1981, Bataillard has been self-employed as an artist; he currently lives in a straw-bale home in Bonnyville, Alberta, and works at a nearby studio in his preferred media of watercolour, oils, pastels, and acrylics.

You can learn more about Pierre Bataillard’s art and work at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts website.