Sudbury artist uses his work as mental health therapy
A Sudbury artist is using his work as therapeutic self-expression in his mental health journey.
Mark Gagne runs Mindmelt Studio out of his home in Sudbury.
Describing his work as ‘cute and creepy,’ he said the art is a contrast of light and dark.
“There’s beauty in the decay, at least for me,” Gagne said.
“There’s melancholy with the light and dark and I like to explore that contrast.”
He said he’s been drawn to various facets of art since he was a child. He grew up drawing and doodling, eventually taking fine arts at Cambrian College and working in photography.
Gagne said he also struggled with mental health since childhood and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
“It’s just sort of something I have to live with,” he said, admitting it’s been a struggle at times.
“It ebbs and flows, but it’s a part of who I am. I feel much better about being open about it, especially with my artwork over the past few years.”
He said the exploration of the medium of his art was at the encouragement of his wife, Avril Gagne, during a time when he was especially struggling.
“He was a little depressed,” Avril said.
“He had a bunch of paint so I just said, just try painting and just get it out onto the paper.”
A Sudbury artist is using his work as therapeutic self-expression in his mental health journey. Mark Gagne runs Mindmelt Studio out of his home in Sudbury. (Amanda Hicks/CTV news)
Gagne eventually began experimenting with ink photography, applying ink to his old photos.
He said it’s been therapeutic in his mental health journey.
“It’s a kind of a way of purging these emotions and images that are circulating my brain,” Gagne said.
“Plus it’s the whole process of creation where you get this idea and you put it onto paper and it’s sort of an organic thing.”
He has been open about his struggles on social media, which he said has connected him to a larger audience.
“It was me being transparent saying ‘I’m really struggling today,’” Gagne said.
Many of his followers are appreciative of his openness.
“That they’re not struggling alone, that there’s someone else out there that is struggling with depression, anxiety, feeling unproductive,” Gagne said.
Avril says he’s come a long way.
A Sudbury artist is using his work as therapeutic self-expression in his mental health journey. Mark Gagne runs Mindmelt Studio out of his home in Sudbury. (Amanda Hicks/CTV news)
“Now he’s really focusing and feeling this and it’s coming out onto the paper,” she said.
“It’s interesting to see when he’s depressed things get darker, when he’s feeling better, things get lighter.”
She said she believes it’s important for men to be open about their mental health challenges to reduce the stigma.
“A lot of men feel like they can’t talk about these things. And they don’t want to feel vulnerable with their spouses,” Avril says.
“They don’t want to be seen (as) less than masculine but it’s more, it’s more to be vulnerable.”
Gagne said his mental health is a work in progress, but taking the first step in the journey is talking about it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.