My journey
As a Pastel Artist
I am a contemporary pastel artist based in the Greater Geneva area. I use dry pastels to paint portraits of women, whom I depict draped in fabric.
Where do you practise as a pastel artist ?
Where is your studio located ?
My pastel studio is located in the Greater Geneva area, in Prévessin-Moëns, near Ferney-Voltaire, in the Pays de Gex, on the Swiss border. It was here that I discovered this magnificent dry pastel technique, which has now become the heart of my artistic work.
But my life is divided between Italy, the country of my heart, where I lived for ten years; the Var (I love the Mediterranean sea); Brittany, the region where I was born; India, to which I remain deeply attached; and, of course, I love to explore…
I chose dry pastels as my medium partly because the sticks and pencils are so easy to take with me on my travels and explorations.
How did you become a pastel artist ?
Why dry pastels ?
Childhood: art as a subtle presence
I grew up in Brittany, surrounded by the Pont-Aven school and Fauvist painters such as Gauguin. At my grandparents’ house, there was a painting by Moret in the living room, as well as objects my grandfather – a sailor – had brought back from his travels. From a very early age, I became aware of the presence of art in everyday life.
Influences and explorations
As a teenager, I was fascinated by the Renaissance and its flowing drapery, its luminous colours and its line work, and I was deeply influenced by more politically engaged works, such as those by Picasso.
I practised fashion sketching, photography and watercolour painting. Later, whilst studying for my PhD in ethnology in India, I would sketch the women with whom I shared moments of daily life, and then give the sketches to them as gifts.
Discovering pastel
On my return to France, after ten years in Italy, I furthered my drawing skills at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts du Bassin Genevois and took part in pastel workshops organised by a master pastel artist, Jerzy Moscisky, in Lyon. I then fell under the spell of pastels, whose velvety quality reminded me of the texture of textiles
Why do you paint with soft pastels ?
Why this theme of fabrics and drapery ?
Textiles: a living memory
Fabric is my magic potion. Coming from a line of seamstresses, I realised very early on the importance of textiles in social, emotional and cultural life. During Breton dance performances, I had the chance to wear the traditional Breton costume made of embroidered velvet. I have designed dresses, organised fashion shows and helped create theatre costumes.
Pastel: a living medium
Later, my studies in ethnology led me to a PhD, my subject being the sari in India and its representations in Indian society. Dry pastel became the ideal medium for expressing this fascination with fabrics and drapery. With its powdery texture and luminous hues, it brings materials, skin and fabrics to life.
My portraits of women seek to create a dialogue between faces, gazes, postures and textiles in a quest for connections and humanity.
Why this world of women ?
How do you define your style and your values ?
Making women visible
I paint women to make them visible, to honour them in their uniqueness and humanity.
When I lived in India, I noticed the importance of images and the way people view themselves. Whenever I gave them a photograph or a drawing, they were delighted to see themselves portrayed just as they were. This experience lies at the heart of my artistic approach.
Between realism and free brushwork
My figurative style lies somewhere between precision and free brushwork. I love painting the details of fabric, the velvety texture of a drape or the expression on a face. But I seek to preserve a sense of movement and freedom in my brushwork. I do not wish to confine my figures to a hyperrealism that I find static. The backgrounds remain open, the outlines may dissolve, so as to allow air and light to circulate. It is a balance to be struck between the precision of the drawing and letting go.
Between presence and distance
I seek to create figurative portraits of women that move beyond exoticised and stereotypical representations. I want to portray a woman who is natural, dignified and sensitive, with her own voice within the community. That is why I depict my subjects in profile or from behind, allowing them space to exist. I love this interplay between presence and distance, gentleness and intensity.
I also champion cultural diversity, offering a gentle resistance to the standardisation of the world, through a feminist and humanist approach.
