His basement workshop in Portage du Fort is packed with vibrant watercolour autumn farm scenes, detailed pencil sketches of animals, and close-up paintings of butterflies.

You can find his work for sale across the river at the Renfrew Art Factory, an art store and community space for local artists.

And he’s only 17 years old.

Souliere’s workshop is in the basement of his parents’ home, and he’s one of the youngest artists on the local scene.

The former Pontiac High School student describes his style as inspired by nature, and says the repetitive act of painting or drawing a landscape is relaxing.

His style changes depending on the medium, but he nearly always takes inspiration from nature.

“When I paint I tend to paint more abstracted and free, where when I draw or colour with pencil crayons it tends more toward realism instead.”

He enjoys the free-form nature of art, where rules exist to be broken.

“I really like the fact that it’s a form of expression [ . . . ] you can do what you want and express yourself with it.”
Souliere discovered art as a young child. His parents, seeing the talent in him, enrolled him in art classes, where he honed his skills.

“I’ve always loved art, so I just kept drawing and eventually realized that I was good at it, so that progressed me further and I just kept learning.”

He kept with it as the years went on — even during his teenage years when times got tough.

He began to struggle with depression and anxiety, and art was a safe refuge. When he was feeling down, art was something toward which he could channel his energies.

“I use art as a coping mechanism. [ . . . ] It helps to distract from depression and anxiety a lot.”

Souliere showed his work at an art exhibition at the Renfrew Art Factory in May called “Emotional Baggage,” and was by far the youngest artist featured there.

“It was scary at first being the youngest person at art sales,” he said.

But Souliere is used to being the youngest person in the room. When he was a kid taking adult art classes in Arnprior, Renfrew and Calabogie, he was often the lone child in a room full of adults.

“I definitely got some looks from the adults that were taking the classes, like, ‘why was a kid there?’”

He credits the support network of local artists with helping him feel more comfortable with the age gap.

He says the owner of Art Factory, Patrick John Mills, has been a key figure in helping integrate him into the community, either with art tips or just introducing him to new people in the community.

“He has been supporting me for years now and has helped me a lot in my journey in art.”

Mills, who is an artist in his own right, met Souliere a few years ago when the teen started coming to the art store with his parents to buy supplies.

He quickly got to know the young artist and was immediately struck by his talent.

“I am so impressed with his talent and tenacity, and his tender understanding of his subject,” Mills said.

“I’ve been painting for 32 years, and it’s rare when you see it, and I immediately saw it in him.”

When he ran the “Emotional Baggage” exhibition in May, Mills specifically reached out to Souliere because he knew it was a theme close to the teen’s art, and one that is reflected in his work.

Souliere has also received unwavering support from his parents, who support his endeavours and want him to continue with art as long as he wishes.

“They have bought me a lot of art supplies,” Souliere said with a laugh.

When it comes to his career aspirations, he’s still undecided. As much as he enjoys art, he is unsure if he wants to try becoming a full-time artist, or just keep it a hobby.

Outside of art, he likes to cook and bake, and he could envision pursuing a career in either of those.

Souliere is entering his Grade 12 year at Renfrew Collegiate Institute, and will try to make up his mind about a future path.

Wherever his career path takes him, he knows art will always be part of his journey.

“I don’t know if I would like to pursue it as my main career,” he said.

“I know I want to continue art throughout my life.”

Mak Souliere holds one of his latest works, a pencil drawing of a horse that took him hours to complete. Souliere is known for depictions of the natural world like this one.

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