About me
I was born in Agen, south west France. As far as I remember, I have always been doodling on my schoolbooks margins or on the class tables, which costed me a fair number of punishments. Attracted to any form of creation, I've mostly devoted my teenage years to computer creation, passionate about programming, and had to wait until the age of eighteen before I got involved into painting, thanks to my exciting street art (not to say graffiti) period. In parallel I have tried a lot of painting technics, such as airbrushing that sounded like the natural tool for switching from walls to paper.
I was about 22 when, tired of the ephemeral nature of graffiti, I really started to get involved into drawing. I practiced a lot thanks to various crafts for my engineering school's gazette, party posters or t-shirts. Thanks to the final discovery of oil painting, I finally felt was painting meant.
The serious decision of becoming a painter came after my sterile, unartistic, one-year long experience of engineer's work.
Currently, I'm running a software programming studio in Bordeaux. Despite this time consuming daytime activiy, I take painting very seriously, forcing myself to paint everyday, little or a lot.
My personal style that had refined with years is characterized by an obsessive attention to details, which makes the creation of a canvas an extremely long process.
Due to the long and intense dedication it requires for me to paint, I have developed a quite ambiguous relationship with painting: the activity that's liberating me from the fast-paced rhythm of modern life and its mind-corrupting productivity exigencies, is the very one that plunge myself into a deep solitude and inner worrying.
Despite a colorful palette and some apparently positive themes, I don't manage to hide a certain sadness, and a loneliness palpable.
I'm sure of one thing anyway: painting is saving my soul.
Guestbook
My name is Mare and I discovered your art today. It is truly remarkable. Thank you for sharing this wonderful site. I am a contributor to an amazing site called What's Hot & On Top. I would love to interview you for a front page feature. This is done through email. Thanks again and I hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
I will sure need them a lot, because after a long long time that I've been scrambling with my self, and resisting to my canvas and my palettes (damn resistance!!), i think that i finally made the decision to paint as often as i can, so i can make an exhibition, and show my work to the public. Well, I'm still searching the style, but I'm sure i will find it!
... oh, great work with the postcards!
I wish you always the best. and.. just waiting for your next painting!
greetings from Greece! :-)
(I posted on your deviantART profile, but just now found your website).
I'm very inspired by your artwork and your overall passion.
I am a 16-year old girl in North America. I have quite a lot of time to decide what I want to do in life. I've considered everything from Neuroscience from the Fine arts to International Relations. I'm still not sure.
I do drawing and occasionally painting on the side as a hobby, as school takes up nearly my life! But I think your work has made me more inspired to try and explore more areas of the arts and what I'm passionate about.
How did you learn to paint with oils? I tried, and I've always wanted to paint 'people' in oils, but I don't know how. Was it just trial and error? Or did you take classes?
Regardless, you're amazing, and I wish you the best of luck!
-an inspired artist
I just want to say that I like your work and your style very much.
You use great colors and it seems that you have worked on human anatomy pretty well! Keep doing this great paintings, you give us inspiration.!
...and don't forget... certain sadness, and loneliness are feelings that we all artists have from time to time, i completely understand you. In that way we are never alone! These feelings are very strong and help us create and imagine. It's a great trip within our perfect souls. Well, sometimes it may seems difficult, but it makes us stronger. :-)
well... I'd better stop writing and start painting!!
Those feelings, do they show this much throughout my works? I wish that painting wasn't just a cure for sadness sometimes...
But it certainly helps when someone knocks at your door and tells you how much she would like you to keep it up. Thank you a lot, and all my wishes for you and your art as well!
Is there any chance to buy any of your pictures?
Cheers
There are 2 sites selling prints of my works, both are located in US, I guess not the best option if you are located elsewhere. Maybe you could send me an email and tell me which you'd like, so I can see what I can do.
-Nicole.
I admire your artwork :-) I like how your paintings' characters and their environments are so full of life and emotion--each tells a story. They all have such gorgeous detail.
For quite some time, my life's been completely consumed by work and everyday responsibilities. I had neglected, and at times, forgotten my passion of drawing. I couldn't even remember the last time I've created an illustration simply for enjoyment. It must've been years.
However, when I came across your fantasy paintings months ago (a friend sent me a link), they reminded me of what I wanted to do my whole life. Your artwork inspired me to get back to doing my hobby again. I promised myself to at least every once in a while, stop and take some time to draw and continue to learn oil painting.
Proud to say that I've been sketching regularly and have completed two of my first oil paintings. They've been enjoyable, stress-relieving escapes from the demands of life.
Thank you helping me realize and remember.
Keep up the beautiful work :-)
-Annlee
My Deviant Art name is raetea, that's the forest I live next to.
I'm an oil painter from the other side of the world, also born in 1976, just joined Deviant art and found one of your paintings there. I love your work, it's so full of feeling and I can just see the time and energy that goes into it. If you have time to visit my blog and look at my paintings I would love that.
Magda xx
I've visited your website and read bits of your blog. You are doing a really good job with realism! I enjoyed reading about the various recipes that you came up with, such as painting without solvants. What is your DA nickname so we can stay tuned? x
Amazing.
I really enjoy your work so please don't stop ever painting... It's all wonderful.
Reading your message and knowing you are only seventeen makes me believe that you already have the right comprehension of what motivation for art should be. I had to wait until the age of 24-something before I understood how important painting was.
Although I'm not planning to give up, not the least bit, i still appreciate a lot your encouragements. For you I'd say you have to keep listening to your inner voice, and paint, because it's a lot of beauty, because it saves, no matter the million things that will try to keep you away.
x
I love love love your work.
So sorry about "The book", it isn't a book actually, but the name of a painting :/ ... I have much much work to paint before a book become possible !
Your artworks are indescribable ..and so alive :). I think you've achieved a high level of expression, which is amazing. :).
..I've just entered computer science studies and somehow got even more attracted to drawing (I love to draw (if you can call it like that), but so far I've made only sketches except my drawings, which I left at school). The thing is that I can't find a relation between the logical, mathematical thinking and irrational, artistic side of mind. When I get involved into drawing, it's like the mind is cleaning itself and start speaking in other language than maths or programming (maybe that's because I get too much involved?). I can't say that I forget everything, but I think I should focus on my studies, because it's getting quite disturbing (otherwise I could fail). No matter how big the attraction to drawing is, I still have chosen to drop it (or postpone if posibble) and sometimes use it for the inner self growth. (I could choose drawing as a proffesion, but there was no possibility and I think that you can't live only from it in my country).
..So I just wanted to ask: how about you? How do you manage to work as a programmer and get involved into painting? Do you think that those two fields don't have a relation between?
It would be interesting to see your thoughts about this. ^_^
I'm glad I have a living homonym ! How old's your son ?
I'm not sure about the origin of the name. It comes from Italy, though my grand-father told it could have roots in Austria. No clue about its meaning. Where are you from ?