I discovered oil painting at the age of fourteen, an opportunity from my school teacher of drawing, who organized a workshop alongside the class. It was clear that my first experiment was not great. But it pleased me, and I persevered on my own. Quickly, this technique replaced my works in gouache and oil pastel. Of course, the rendering, the brightness and also the relief of the substance were without comparison. However, it remains in the early years some works in gouache or simply in pencil.
In the early years, I had to gain some technical issues; I was working simple, mostly landscapes, natural or urban. Between 1977 and 1980, when I was high school student, many feminin colleagues wanted a picture reproducing a photo of David Hamilton (very popular photographer at that time) : this gave me the opportunity to work the technique of transparency, blur and melted colors. An important knowledge for the future. "Sunset ballad" and "Human lace", only two photos show a dozen realizations.
"Scottish Rain" in 1980 : it is an unreal landscape, its concept is derived from a montage of four pictures. The represented ruined castle really exists, but by the sea and in a plain. This is a trend that I continue to this day, with in addition to the initial idea, the definition of a real script for a painting. When the idea appears, it needs time for it to evolve, to be completed, it is necessary to add, withdraw any of the elements. And when it is considered mature, the realization can begin. Among the most advanced scenarios, there may be "Waiting for the sun", "Lost in a roman wilderness of pain" (theme of the rock group The Doors, the title is a phrase of the song "The End"), "Judith coming back to Pagos 2", or "Anastasia, maybe...".
Some paintings are from subjects on black and white pictures, for example, "Unhappy Girl" : is the experience of some freedom, but the choice of shades is not necessarily easy. Worse is to reproduce with a pencil a subject in color : how to judge precisely the intensity of gray? For example, "Sadness & rain".
There were also politicized cries, destiny of "Irish break", "Revolution 89" or "Supreme Soviet". Perhaps more humorous is "Ich bin ein Berliner (pronounced Bearleener)."
I was bored being military, but frequently had a typewriter : the result was "Typing fantasy" and "Nena", works you can send by fax machine, and "Nena" really was during a military exercise of transmissions ! During this period I discovered soft pastel (yes, yes !) and I notably realized "Woman to Surviving punk graffiti".
In 1989, I painted in my house the murals "Alpine walls", with acrylic painting (industrial substance, not artistic !). Subsequently, my house was decorated with "Bathroom visitors", "Foaming kitchen" and "The Dream of Corto" (a wink to Hugo Pratt). I have since moved and only have the photos. Also in acrylic technic, "Liquid settlement" is my most impressive work, about ten meters long, made for a diving club.
Between 1994 and 2008, my passion for travel has taken over my skills as a painter and I lacked free time. Thus, this period is almost empty of accomplishments.
Playing with the material, an interesting game : - The improbable shape of "When I look thru the West..." (impossible to frame?)
The canvas ripped out by the wind of the storm on "Ama Dablan"
Bursts of mirror "Flashing reflection of my dream" or "Quartz's life" - A mirror (effectively useful) on "Mirror of Eternity"
A mini-canvas pasted on "The persistence of heaven" or "Secret rendez-vous with Ashima... Between the stones"
Chopsticks Chinese cooking on "Along, like butterfly", "Secret rendez-vous with Ashima... Between the stones", "Miao fields" or "Fan of Ziyi" or "Karst",
A fan on "Fan of Ziyi",
Oil painting on tiles for "First appearence of Mount Fitz Roy" for a more rocky look.
A game to use yet...
Let's not forget some respectful references (and necessarily humble) to huge artists such as "Including Vermeer" and "Elements of Van Gogh in the Swiss Alps".
Some pictures are not good quality. All are not all from digital sources. Some paintings are no longer in my possession and I only have old photos that I had to scan. Some may even be blurred... Sorry ! Other works are only in my memory, was never photographed.
All told : Is talent necessary? Maybe. Is will necessary? Undeniably.
