Quebec City artist Emilie Gosselin spoke with us about returning to painting during the pandemic, becoming a full-time artist, and combining abstract elements with faces, emotion and unusual materials.
Returning to painting
“I’ve always been a creative person; my mother painted and gave me my first set of brushes. Plastic arts and drawing have always been my main interests. After my second child, I found myself questioning my aspirations, and then the pandemic hit. I started painting again, and it was a revelation for me. Orders started pouring in, and since then, it has never stopped. In early 2023, I decided to leave my job and become a full-time artist,” Emilie shares.
Makeup and graphic-design influences
“My sense of aesthetics helps me work on the faces in my paintings, and my graphic design course helps me position all elements in my artwork. It also greatly benefits my social media, creating beautiful images and montages,” she explains.
Abstract art and difficult emotions
“I love touching on taboo subjects but with gentleness, such as sorrows and intense emotions. I created a collection based on the seven deadly sins. I’ve always been fascinated by human behavior and enjoy bringing life to my artwork. Abstract art will always be a part of me, so I incorporate it everywhere, shaping my distinct style,” Emilie says.
The half-masked faces
“I want people to recognize my work even without my signature. The mask represents the hidden part of our personalities. When we drop the social mask and delve into genuine conversations.”
Quebec City’s art community
“Quebec City is rich in art and culture, and I love drawing inspiration from the art of my fellow artists. I also enjoy analyzing, understanding, and, of course, admiring their work,” she shares.
Crystals and resin
“Working with Swarovski crystals and epoxy resin allows me to enhance my artwork further. I love the possibilities these materials offer and how they bring an added dimension to my paintings,” Emilie adds.
Inspiration from the city
“I adore the city; I’m not a country girl at all. Observing different styles of people and behaviors is intriguing. There are numerous art galleries, especially in Old Quebec, providing a wide range of choices. I draw inspiration from everything around me,” she explains.
Emilie’s Quebec City picks
Her five restaurant choices at the time of the interview were Laurie Raphaël, Michelangelo, Albacore, Ophelia and Bello. She also recommended walking Petit-Champlain, taking a Louis Jolliet boat excursion, joining a guided city bus tour and shopping at Galeries de la Capitale.
Following Emilie’s work today
The interview records a specific moment near the beginning of Gosselin’s full-time practice. Her official artist website is the better source for current paintings, exhibitions and contact information. It also provides fuller context on her evolving combination of abstract expression, portraiture, acrylic, resin and other materials.
That distinction protects the original conversation from being rewritten every time an exhibition changes. The quoted answers remain first-hand editorial material; the official site handles present-day availability and career updates.
Her current official site still describes Gosselin as a professional painter whose work centers on human expression, emotion and the intensity of colour. It also maintains current-work, custom-work, shop and contact sections. That continuity matters here because the themes she described in this interview—faces, abstraction and emotional tension—remain visible in the way she presents her practice today, without requiring us to rewrite her 2023 answers as though they were new.
Restaurant status and attraction schedules can change; treat the dining and sightseeing list as the artist’s interview-era recommendations. For current cultural planning, use our Quebec City museum guide.
For another first-hand conversation with a Quebec artist, read our Sébastien Larochelle interview.
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