Profile
My name is Andrée Chénier and I like to shape things with my hands. These days, the material of choice happens to be metal in various forms, it can be wire, sheet or clay. Since I like to work small, this naturally translates into art jewelry. I've been making jewelry for about four years now, at first with polymer clay, then with silver art clay and more recently with sterling silver and copper. I tend to prefer creating organic designs so nature themes are often featured in my pieces. Nature and bubbles... for some reason I can't get away from the bubbles. I've taken several jewellery classes in the Ottawa area and am looking forward to doing the program at the jewelery school in Montreal (École de joaillerie de Montréal).
I also enjoy doing figurative work in forms of sculptures and paintings. If you have a look at my website gallery, you'll see what I mean. It contains many of my "Off-Duty Gargoyles" along with other figurative work I've done. Some of these pieces have also appeared in Lark Book's "400 Polymer Clay Designs".
Bibliography and Awards
2010 - Art in Strathcona Park, Ottawa, Ontario
2010 - Lady Fest Ottawa Tarts N’ Crafts Spring Edition
2006 - LaCloche Juried Art Show, Whitefish Falls, Ontario - First place in sculpting for Fairy
2006 - Art in Strathcona Park, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 - Urban Art in Minto Park, Ottawa, Ontario
2006 - EBSQ From the Earth: the clay show - Patron's Choice for Gargoyle Tile
2006 - EBSQ From the Earth: the clay show - Patron's Mention for Male Life Study
2006 - EBSQ From the Earth: the clay show - Member's Mention for Female Life Study
2006 - EBSQ Polymer Clay show - Member's Choice Award for Pumpkin and Stewart
2005 - Tsunami World Vision Canada Charity Auction - raised $250 CDN
2004 - EBSQ Live! - Hosted an online education session on Polymer Clay Basics
2004 - EBSQ Plus - Acceptance into the juried portion of EBSQ
2004 - Dragon*Con 2004, Atlanta, Georgia - Juried Art Show
2004 - 400 Polymer Clay Designs by Lark Books - Stu and Elf of the Court appear in this publication
2004 - Enchanted Visions - Featured as an Emerging Artist in this online publication
2003 - Epilogue Work is accepted into this online juried fantasy art gallery
2003 - EBSQ 3D show - Member's Choice Award for Wilbur
About Off-Duty Gargoyles
Off-Duty Gargoyles enjoy their off-duty hours as much as anyone in the castles they protect (if not more). They spend their spare time eating, drinking, relaxing, and also getting into all sorts of mischief. They come in all shapes, sizes and ages, from babies in the gargoyle nursery, to elderlies enjoying their retirement. Most of those in between spend their lives working shifts on castle walls, scaring off evil intruders. After a hard day on the job making those nasty faces for hours on end, Off-Duty Gargoyles love to unwind, munch on flowers (a delicacy for them) and catch up on their sleep.