Many of our Twisted Followers may not realize that our very own Paul Reaume has been dabbling in the magical arts.  That’s right, his schooling may not include a stay at Hogwart’s, but our resident artist has found a way to make a name for himself as  a local magician.  In the spirit of shining light on talented Windsorites, we decided to put Paul through the interview regime and learn a little more about his mystical moonlighting…

DAVE: So Paul, how did you first get in to performing magic?

PAUL: Well I’ve grown up around magic, really.  My dad and uncle are magicians.  I had my stage debut probably around the age of five when I walked out to bow for the audience before one of their shows on Bob-Lo Island.  Fast forward; I’m all grown up, but something’s haven’t changed.

DAVE: How long have you been performing now?

PAUL: I’ve been performing real ‘gigs’ for a couple years now.  I’ve done birthday parties, picnics, stage shows, and corporate events.  Before that I was practicing magic for my own personal amusement.

DAVE: What’s the name of your show?

PAUL: My general show is called “The Fantastical Feats of Paul Reaume”.  But I do a number of themed shows as well.  These give me the opportunity to develop fun new characters, and add a new twist to some old favourite tricks of mine.  I’ve been a pirate, a leprechaun, and a transdimensional, time-travelling doctor of sorts.

DAVE: Sounds like you could have an identity complex! Is any one of these characters your favourite?

PAUL: The Peculiar Pirate Paul has always been my favourite.  I dig pirates, and Pirate Paul was the first themed show I developed.  I actually give the character a lot of the credit for helping me build my confidence as a performer.

DAVE: I’m sure many of us have seen a magic show of some sort.  What makes yours different?

PAUL:  Well there’s certainly some overlap that will happen when it comes to specific tricks that I and other magicians perform.  I try to really connect with my audience.  I put the magic in their hands whenever I can.  My shows and performances are always fun and engaging.  I often tell my audience that if everything works out perfectly we’ll have a fun magic show.  If it doesn’t work out, at least we’ll have a comedy act!  It’s all about creating a memorable experience, I think I’ve succeeded at that.

DAVE: It sounds like something you are very passionate about.  Can you share with us a story about your magic experiences?

PAUL:  Absolutely.  I was finishing up a performance at Devonshire Mall when a young boy approached me and said “Your show was too quick”.  Apparently he had shown up late, and missed the majority of the show.  I stopped what I was doing and kneeled down beside him.  I told him that we were going to do some magic, just the two of us.  I performed a coin trick that actually left him with a little souvenier to bring home.  People who had seen the show and then saw this little mini performance told me afterwards that the coolest thing they had seen was the time taken in giving this young boy his own magical moment.

DAVE: Well I think that about covers it, Paul.  Do you have any shows coming up?

PAUL: The next date that I can think of is some Friday Night Fun at Devonshire Mall. I’ll be there August 14th between 5 & 8 doing some up-close acts and some strolling magic.  It’s one of my favourite ways to meet and interact with people.

There you have it Twisted Fans.  Paul Reaume; Twisted Studio founder, resident artist and wise-crackin’ magician.  Check him out at Devonshire Mall August 14th, and stay tuned with us here at TwistedStudio.ca for more updates and insights.

This week’s Local Artist feature is someone near and dear to my heart; my cousin Kelly Lynne Beedle.  Kelly has recently started showing her beautiful works of art off to the public via Facebook, and she has been receiving exceptional feedback from her audience.  It seems like every new piece she posts is snatched up within minutes, if it wasn’t already pre-commissioned by somebody.  For an emerging artist, she is stirring up quite the buzz and generating an admirable level of demand.  It’s a position every artist wants to be in, and young Ms. Beedle deserves every bit of her new found success.

Kelly and I come from a massive family, filled with creative individuals.  While some work with wood, others in pen & ink, Kelly prefers to work with acrylics.  Much of her work is completed on stretched canvas, and she will even mix different mediums into her paint to create an assortment of different affects.  This creative approach to her painting clearly defines a style of vibrant colours, with sharp contrasts, and varied layers.  They are whimsical, and stunning, and I for one never tire of checking out whatever she’s currently working on.  Kelly roots her creative spirit to our Nana,  Janet Beedle.

I never realized how truly talented my cousin is, but I’m so proud to see all of the amazing work she has created.  Happier still to see her sharing it with the world.  She paints for the fun of it, and I believe that it is the very best of work that is created this way.  Her passion for the creative process infuses her work, and it clearly resonates with her audience.  Below are a few samples of Kelly’s work, but for more information feel free to contact her directly.

I wanted to take some time to pay tribute to some of the amazing talent we have here in the city of  Windsor.  I am constantly, and consistently impressed by the amount of truly talented artists, craftsmen, and musicians in our area.  In an effort to call attention to some of these individuals, and shine some light on their work we here at Twisted Studio have decided to start a series of articles focusing on local talent specifically.

When it came to deciding who this first article would focus on, I had no doubt that it had to be Donna Jean Mayne; the lovely and talented sculptor, painter, and mentor.  I had the pleasure of first meeting Donna during my time with her at the Windsor Art Studio when it was located in the old Sandwich Town Firestation.  Donna was the coordinator there, along with JoAnne Weston.  Both these ladies are tremendously inspiring, and I was immediately humbled by their presence.  I felt like they could see right into me, who I am as an artist.  They could see through my ego and helped me do the same.  I had a questionnaire to answer before being accepted into the program, and in hindsight I’m sure they had a good laugh at some of my answers.  All the same, I was accepted…what would follow would be one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.

My time at the Art Studio was spent completing small projects, each one Donna had chosen to help me develop some other facet of my artistic skills.  The same could be said for the other artists working there.  The projects ranged from shading (an area I THOUGHT I already had nailed), to textures, and portraits.  Every day that I went home I was excited to talk about what I had learned, and my appreciation for my mentors grew and grew.  Donna was a wonderful teacher and guide, I”m sure it was not always easy to deal with multiple artist egos.  Never the less, she did it in such a way that we were all well aware of the developmental path down which we were being led.

I learned so much during my time with Donna at the Art Studio.  Many of the lessons I’ve been able to apply to a number of projects since.  Every now and then, I find myself working on a piece and I can almost hear Donna’s voice telling me about mixing my colours (A neutral gray? Really?), or encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone (like mixing a texture compound into a painting of snow-covered rusty metal).  Long story short, even though my time at the Art Studio ended some time ago my respect for Mrs. Mayne continues to grow.  Recently, she completed her own website dedicated to the stunning sculptures she has produced.  I certainly encourage you to check it out, there are some beautifully tranquil pieces shown, and I”m sure she has plenty more in store.

Thank you Donna, for being such a great artistic asset to our area.  Your talent is an inspiration to your peers, and anyone else you meet.

https://donnajeanmayne.com/home.html