Painter adds brush of color, joy to Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin

When Canadian painter Annie Pelletier talked to Vincent Billiard, the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin, about exhibiting her art at the property, he showed her four large empty walls.

"I went back home," she said, "but my paintings were too small, so I painted four paintings in two weeks to fit on those walls." The resulting canvases, each measuring 1.6 meters by 1.6, are joyous, picking up the colors of the room in bouquets of flowers and ribbons that appear to dance around the viewer.

Pelletier, who has 30 pieces in the show that closes on Saturday, combines positive themes and bright colors in her work, deliberately seeking to make the viewer happy with her playful, surrealist oil paintings.

"I'm a happy person," she said.

"When I see people look at my paintings and it gives them good feelings, that's what I want to do. The world is dark enough. If I can give people a touch of color and happiness, it's fun."

Pelletier was born in Quebec and was first introduced to oil painting at age 12, when an aunt and uncle visited her family's cottage and set up an easel outside to paint. "I was just fascinated," she said. "When I went back to school that fall, they were offering an oil painting class, so I took it. I have been painting since."

Her colorful artworks are in the figurative tradition, recognizable as representing their source subjects but highly stylized. Her flowers, which are a constantly recurring subject matter, merge into ribbons, and music is both an inspiration and a common theme in her creations.

"It's at the edge of abstract," she said when asked to describe her work. "You can recognize things but they are in a fantasy environment."

Pelletier has painted professionally since her third son was born 15 years ago. She said the movement in her paintings is also inspired by her children.

"I have three boys. They sing, they dance, they do martial arts - they always run around me, so it's all in my paintings," she said.

Pelletier's husband is himself a hotelier, and his work took the family across Canada before they moved to China in 2012. Pelletier has since found new inspiration in China's Great Wall, dragon imagery and lotus flowers.

"I've been doing more with a Chinese touch, but it's not Chinese painting - it's Chinese with my style. It's fun to see the Chinese people's reaction to that, as well. Because for them, it's new, and it's bright colors, but it's their dragon, it's their Great Wall."

Billiard, the Ritz-Carlton general manager, said the guest response to Pelletier's paintings has been "very positive", particularly during the Golden Week holiday period. Art has been an important part of the hotel's design from its inception, and the spacious lobby and sweeping staircases provide an ideal showcase.

"Working together with artists, such as painters, designers and musicians in luxury hotels, enables us to elevate the experience of our guests and exceed their expectations even more," Billiard said.

Pelletier is, in turn, inspired by her viewers, and enjoys taking part in events in which she paints while people look on.

"It's fun to paint alone in my studio listening to music, but when I do exhibitions and events, it keeps me inspired because I get the feedback," she said.

traciebarrett@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/10/2015 page10)