Bask in the spring sun with our April logo

Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!

Alice GM is the movie-loving Montreal artist behind CBC Arts' April logo reimagining. Her dreamy work spans animation, illustration and graphic design. In fact, the more variety the better: she loves collaborating with other artists she tells us.

"You'll see me design cover art for musicians," says GM, "or posters for standup comedians, or work with directors to animate sequences for their films. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I love how much variety my work entails!"

We sent her an email questionnaire to get a better sense of what goes into her creative process.

Name: Alice GM

Age: 27

Homebase: Montreal, Que. 

What sources do you often turn to for ideas and inspiration?  

It's going to sound super cliché but honestly Life (with a capital L), and particularly interactions with my friends and loved ones. I find a lot of beauty in the ordinary or the familiar — the routines — and at the same time I'm always inspired by how funny and absurd life can get. I like to draw things that I find funny and that I think people will relate too. That, and also other art. Both visual art and other mediums, like music or film. 

Let's talk about your logo! What inspired the concept?
With the month of April, I really wanted to focus on that wonderful and liberating feeling of going back outside. Montreal is so nice in the spring, and to me, it's like a cage being opened when the snow melts and the weather starts warming up. I'm not big on winter sports, so I tend to hibernate a bit when the cold hits, and so I feel almost reborn when I can ditch the big layers and just grab a jacket and sunnies. I love going on coffee walks and basking in the sun with my friends during that time of year, and decided to choose this exact experience as a basis for my logo.

The perspective feels cinematic! Are there any films that influenced your logo design?  

Thank you so much! It feels like a compliment because cinema is one of my main source of inspiration in general! Although, I can't say I had that much of a particular film in mind when coming up with this. I'm always drawn to stark contrast between light and shadows. I love drawing it and how it looks. Thinking it through, I guess the closest thing I can find is that stunning scene in the last Nosferatu movie, with the giant shadow of the hand travelling over the town. However, Nosferatu was NOT very spring-y, so I don't know ...

What's the project you're most proud of? I think everything I animate I end up the most satisfied about, just because it is so labour-intensive. To this day, going from an idea to a finished product where every frame was drawn individually and moves when I press "play" is kind of insane to me. I think I'd have to say my last student film, The Bermuda Triangle, is still my top accomplishment. It's also the first project that got me into animated documentaries, which is one of my favourite kinds of project to this day.

What's new in your world? What are you working on these days? 

A bit of everything honestly! Graphic design for a variety of clients, mostly. However, my goal is to get back into animation as a director and with my own scripts. 

What's your favourite place to see art? 

I'm going to have to say the movie theater for this one. I love seeing films on the big screen, and I'm always kind of chasing that feeling of being super inspired when you come out of a great showing. I also browse a lot online. I've curated my Pinterest and Instagram feeds to show me all kinds of different work that I love.

Who's the last artist you discovered online? 

The one that comes to mind is this tattoo artist and illustrator named Zoe Aguerreberry that I found on TikTok. She does these delicate and whimsical flower characters that I'm obsessed with! Such beautiful and detailed work with a lot of personality. Her style is great.

What work of art do you wish you owned? Honestly, a tattoo by Zoe! Although, I don't know if it counts as owning it if it's on my body, do we own tattoos? Either that, a huge Inès Longevial original. She does these pastel-coloured portraits that I could stare at all day! But I don't think my present home is quite ready for such an acquisition right now. Don't even know what room I'd put it in.

Are there any arts events on your radar this April? What are you excited to check out? 

Not in April, but in May there's Les Sommets du Cinéma d'Animation that I'm really looking forward to attend! However, I'll have to wait a bit to be able to enjoy this one. 

Where can we see more from you?

I try to keep my Instagram and my portfolio website up to date, so everything's on there!