Geneviève Castrée


Geneviève Elverum, also known as Geneviève Castrée, was a Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and musician from Quebec. She once recorded under the name Woelv and later switched to Ô PAON.

Early Life

Geneviève Gosselin was born in Loretteville, Quebec, and later lived in the Pacific Northwestern United States. She grew up reading Tintin comics from an early age, so much so that she eventually entered, studied for, and won a Tintin competition. She was drawing comics influenced by artists she loved from an early age; these include: Hergé, Renée French, Chester Brown, Julie Doucet, and Argentinian artist Quino. When Gosselin was five her father left her and her mother.
At age fifteen Gosselin travelled around Canada and reunited with her absentee father. Although their relationship was strained Gosselin's father did build her a log cabin to live in. Also in her teens, Gosselin began her cartooning career, publishing minicomics and adopting the name Geneviève Castrée.

Artistry

In 2000 Montreal publisher L'Oie de Cravan published her first book Lait Frappé, followed by Die Fabrik that same year and Roulatheque Roulatheque Nicolore in 2001, but it was Pamplemoussi in 2004 that servered as her breakthrough. The release marked her first major movement to integrate her music and visual art into one cohesive practice.
In 2013 Castrée, released, her best-known work, Susceptible, a memoir that chronicled Castrée's childhood growing up in Quebec. In 2015 Maman Sauvage a book of poems in French detailing Castrée's feelings as a mother, was published under the name Geneviève Elverum. In October 2016 she was posthumously included in The Best American Comics 2016, edited by Roz Chast. In 2017 Castrée's final book A Bubble was posthumously published. The book centers around Castrée's relationship with her daughter and her struggle with cancer which she compares to living in a bubble, hence the title. The book was completed by Portland artist Anders Nilsen.

Musical career

A self taught musician, Castrée released in total eight albums under the names of Woelv and later Ô PAON. Her first was release was an accompanying LP to her 2004 book Pamplemoussi. Recorded and mixed by Phil Elverum the album is lo-fi in nature with Castrée singing in French over "childlike" instruments, such as a keyboard and recorder.' Her next release was the 2006 EP, Gris, via Elverum’s label P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. Gris saw her expand on her already established lo-fi sound.'
Her final release under the Woelv name came in 2007 as Tout Seul Dans La Forêt En Plein Jour, Avez-vous Peur?. The album was recorded in Olympia, Washington with Elverum once again involved.
She also collaborated with Phil Elverum, Karl Blau, Bret Lunsford.

Personal life

Castrée was married to musician Phil Elverum, who has released music as The Microphones and Mount Eerie. They met in 2003 and married in 2004. They originally intended to move to Canada but after searching for residency decided to remain in the United States, in the town Anacortes, Washington where both Castrée and Elverum would become influential in the local music scene, in particular the forming of the What The Heck fest. Castrée was also close friends with musician Lori Goldston and poet Joanne Kyger.
She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, shortly after the birth of her and Elverum's only child. In June 2016, a GoFundMe account was set up by Elverum to assist with their finances. She died on July 9, 2016. Her husband soon posted an update: "She died at home with me and her parents holding her, hopefully having reached some last minute peace". The Mount Eerie albums, A Crow Looked at Me, Now Only and Lost Wisdom pt. 2 chronicle her life and mourn her death.

Books

All titles published as Geneviève Castrée except where indicated:

Woelv releases

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