From the initial painting of a pear in a workshop, Gilles Charest became fascinated with the nuances contained within groupings of apples, cherries and pears. His paintings consist only of large, gently curving forms of fruit, but there is something undeniably suggestive about his work. The evocative positioning of the subjects pique the imagination and allude to parallel associations in the mind. The grandeur of the voluptuous curves, and the subtle undertones of translucent pigmentation possess magnetism not typically born by fruit.

"I paint simple things-pears, apples, cherries-but with strong, complex evocations. I do not seek merely to reproduce my subjects; I want to create a mood, to express a feeling, to convey sensuality and to surprise. My imagination draws yours into a certain ambiguity: Can those really be fruit? The power of suggestion in my work is undeniable."

Gilles Charest's technique is instinctive and physical. He blends his paint on the canvas, not on a palette. In a technique called frottis, the paint is applied with a spatula and then rubbed on the canvas by the artist. The painting begins with blobs of polymer for texture, and from there he is able to see the pears, apples or cherries which exists within the realm of the canvas. The colors tend to be warm, soothing pigments, neither hot nor cold, and the incredible texture moves the eye about the canvas.

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