The painting was created for a fundraising event organized by the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. One of the museum's walls had been taken down, and local artists were given the task of integrating a section of the wall into a work of art. So it was with great enthusiasm that I created this painting, which depicts a woodland where a gentle light illuminates a central element: a tree stump. Much more than a simple vestige of the forest, this stump carries with it a part of the museum's history, integrating a piece of the museum's wall.

The Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges plays a crucial role in preserving the region's cultural and historical heritage. By preserving objects, works of art and stories from the past, it helps to keep the collective memory alive and to pass this heritage on to future generations. The integration of the section of wall with the tree stump is a tribute to this commitment to preservation. It illustrates how the museum, like a tree that keeps its rings, preserves the traces of its history. Through the different layers of paint visible on the stump, the years are revealed, telling the story of the museum's evolution over time. In the same way that tree rings record the seasons, the layers of paint tell the story of successive eras, evoking the changes, stories and milestones that have marked the life of the museum.

This work links nature and culture, showing how the past leaves its imprints, visible or invisible, on our environment. The stump becomes a symbol of continuity, a link between the natural world and human history. The forest, a place of life and memory, reminds us that the past, like the rings of a tree, is part of the present. In this way, “Trace of history” embodies the idea that every era, every moment inherited, lives on through the memories and marks they leave behind.