| The Sounding Board © ARTIST OF THE MONTH February 2010 |
"Before I give my autobiography, I want to say it affects my tender heart positively to learn that I have been selected as The Sounding Board Artist of the Month for February 2010." George was born in 1952 in the Interlake of Manitoba. His dad took good care of the family, being a fur trader and carpenter. His mom lived in the days of the common housewife. They moved to Winnipeg August 1, 1963. George's first contact with art was when he was 5, and his brother Guy asked him to work on one of his oil paintings. He took formal Art Classes at the YMCA at 11 years old – sketching and oil painting. At 12, he taught his older brother Gerry how to paint with oils. "I remember my second oil painting, a self-portrait. It hung in the CNR Union Station for years." George was educated at Red River College, University of Winnipeg, and University of Manitoba. He turned down a scholarship to study at Laval University in Quebec City. His musical background consists of mainly listening to the radio and playing records and CDs. He has attended many rock concerts in Winnipeg over the years. He sat in the front row at Black Sabbath, BTO, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Rolling Stones, Iron Butterfly, and Led Zeppelin. He was on stage with the Guess Who as a security guard. As for his paintings, they are mostly cats, birds, abstracts and renditions of the Manitoba licence plate. A few years ago, his friend in the US wrote him several letters telling him that he should try doing comedy, but he could not see what was funny about himself. However, he ended up performing just to prove to himself that he was no comedian. His debut was at the West End Cultural Centre. The audience loved him and the applause was thunderous. He also did two shows at Rumors Comedy Club. Because George was sick, he could not accept an offer to travel around the world as a professional comic. However he loved the stage and has performed at every DownTown Coffee Ground at the Red Road Lodge since August 2008. His shows incorporate stand-up comedy, singing and playing his battery-operated guitar. He also writes poetry and some of his pieces have been published locally. George really enjoys entertaining and hopes to see you soon at the next DownTown Coffee Ground. Media Inquiries: Email: georgechartrand@live.ca |
George Chartrand