There is just something about the Canadian landscape genre that enables us to glimpse the very soul of nature, as we do in Quebec artist Julie Desmarais’ hauntingly beautiful paintings. (Above: Marée basse à Kamouraska, Québec, oil on canvas , 48 x 72 inches)

Chaloupe à la marée descendante (Rivière-Ouelle, Québec), 2018, Oil on canvas, 48 × 72 in

It’s true that some of the most exquisite land-and-water settings on the continent are north of Quebec City in the St. Lawrence River region, which  many of Desmarais’ works depict.  But it is also her compelling style that makes the heart yearn to be in the places she paints.

Estuaire du Saint-Laurent, Québec, 2018, oil on canvas, 152.5cm x 213.5cm

Julie Desmarais has a solo exhibition on through April at Galerie D’Este in Montreal, where she is based.

Parc marin de Baie Ste-Marguerite (Parc National du Fjord du Saguenay, Québec) 2018 oil on canvas, 91.5cm x 152.5cm

Julie Desmarais website, here