Michèle Drouin began her formal training at L’École des Beaux- Arts in Québec city in 1951. Influenced by the figurative style of Jean Paul Lemieux, she painted and studied ceramics. By the early 1960’s Michèle began writing, becoming a celebrated poet on radio and in print. In the 1970’s, her painting was influenced by Robert Delaunay and contemporary American abstraction. But Michèle was determined to created a personal style that wasn’t hard-edged - one that reflected feminism and sensuality, one that played with visual contrasts. 1983 was a turning point in Drouin’s work, when she was invited to attend the Triangle Artist’s Studio in Upstate New York. Sculptor, Anthony Caro had begun the intensive workshop where artists were encouraged to experiment with their process. She was able to break free of the hard-edged abstraction she had been dissatisfied with and begin a new phase. Her painting is characterized by energetic drawing and dramatic contrasts of light and dark. Her use of pigment mixed with mica or steel dust adds a mineral aspect to the painting, which combined with her vibrant palette, gives an overflowing fluidity to the canvasses.

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