The Journey of an Inspired Artist: Capturing Beauty and Reflection through Photography

What inspired you to create works of art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences…)

I have always liked art in some way. My father was a photographer and my mother has always loved to paint. I grew up watching what they did and photography has always been a part of me.
Beautiful paintings or works of art in general are a source of inspiration and it is undoubtedly my love for beautiful things and shocking things that pushed me to become an artist.

What is your artistic background, the techniques and themes you have experimented with so far?

I started photography very young. I practiced sometimes with my friends, sometimes with myself to take photos and do experiments to improve the image rendering. It forced me to be creative.
Later, my father trained me in photographic techniques and from there I followed several training courses to take photos in nightclubs, at festivals or even in a famous football stadium. But that was not what I liked the most. He wanted to embellish my subjects, propel them into a dreamlike or dark universe to highlight them. Above all, I want to show the beauty of my models as I see them and sometimes I use themes that affect me such as nature or even the alienation of the body by the dictates of society.

What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?

First of all, I take photos both for individuals and for shootings and art photography. I don’t necessarily work with models and most of the props used in the photos are recycled or handmade items, because ready-made props or costumes are expensive. For the second point, I don’t want to photograph nude women for fine art photography, unless the nudity is legitimate. The beauty of a woman, in my opinion, can be valued without having to put her in Eva’s costume.
And finally, I would say that what sets me apart is above all my point of view on what surrounds me.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Very good question! My inspiration comes mainly from music: by listening to music in particular, you can transport me and inspire me with an image or representation that I would later like to transcribe into a photo. I also get inspiration from my daily life – for my exhibition called “La llamada”, the confinement helped me a lot. I wanted to do an exhibition about the things we miss the most during our confinement: nature, art (theatre, photography, painting, dance, etc.), the ocean, and the last painting was about medication, because many people around me they were in depression, due to lack of social ties.
In other words, a nothing can inspire me, as a whole: a word, a thought, a feeling, music or a book.

What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?

of the plot I want to ask the viewer a question such as: “What could have influenced the author of this work to make it a painting?” or even “How beautiful, but strange.” I don’t want to do anything common. My will as an artist is to combine the beauty of things (women, men, children, animals or whatever) with the strange or a reflection on the given theme.

What is the process of creating your works like? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspired by art classics or others)?

Most of my paintings have been done spontaneously. An idea will have germinated in my mind and if I have what is necessary in my studio to bring it to life, then I will take the plunge. As far as the “L’Appel” series is concerned, it is one more procedure. First I worked on the subjects before making the outfits and accessories, evaluating the number of enough shots to make an exhibition in a gallery and then manufacturing what had to be manufactured. I tend to be inspired by paintings or portraits that move me.

Do you use any particular work technique? if so, can you explain it?

I mainly use my studio to take my photographs. However, before, I didn’t appreciate studio photographs but outdoor ones -more colourful, more alive-. It’s just that studio photographs allow better control of light and, despite everything, good creativity when you know how to handle it. Which was a real problem for me.

Is there any innovative aspect in your work? Can you tell us which ones?

I would say yes, in a way. I like the work of my peers who are inspired by painting to create their works, but that’s not what I want to do. They do it very well in their own way and I don’t want to become just another person who is inspired by the same paintings to take art photographs.
Sometimes I also do self-portraits, which is not the most common in the industry.

Do you have a format or medium that you feel most comfortable with? if so why?

The digital photographer! I don’t work with cinema -at least for now-. I feel much more comfortable with photo manipulation (photoshop). For me, it’s the prospect of being able to change everything in the shot once it’s taken, whether it’s the background color of the studio, adding desired details or removing disturbing details, giving a uniquely different atmosphere, etc.

Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop or in your own workshop? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?

There are two answers to this question: when I work outdoors, the location can be chosen at random or well in advance. I then locate the location, try to find a subject to address in that location, as well as the outfits and accessories I would need, the poses (when there is a model), and the style of retouching I would do.
For the photos in the studio, at home, I follow the same path: choice of background, pose, outfits/accessories, makeup, subject matter.
I organize my work in a notebook -I write, I draw- and when I don’t have a notebook or paper, I take my phone and write down all my ideas, even if I end up writing them down in a notebook. .

Does your job take you to travel to meet new collectors, to fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?

At the moment, I was lucky to be able to exhibit near my home (Aix-en-Provence) to exhibit my series “L’appel” for 1 year and 4 months. Just before that, I went to Paris to meet gallery owners and collectors (inconclusively).
Not long ago I had put exhibitions and creative projects on hold because my schedule did not allow it and the inspiration was gone. I hope this year that changes. That is why I am going to resume my series that I had put aside because it was expensive and energy consuming: ‘Barbie’.

How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?

To be honest, I have trouble projecting myself into the future. Already, when I began to photograph in an official and professional way, I could not imagine myself taking photographs that would be exhibited in salons. Above all, I have an expectation for the future, which is to continue having projects and having more and more people who appreciate my work.

What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?

On a whim recently, I wanted to do a shot mixing the style of two Tim Burton works -Beetlejuice and Wednesday Addams-. It was not to denounce or address a particular issue.

Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?

My most important exhibition experience and the one I am most proud of was in September 2021. For the inauguration of an imminent theater in Aix-en-Provence, managed by a friend, I was able to vernissage my works during this event. Hundreds of people came and looked at the works, which made me proud.

If you could have created a famous work in art history, which would you choose? And because ?

That is a very good question. I would say I would choose Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’, although this is a painting, it has always intrigued me. It is both beautiful and haunting and one can’t help but wonder “Why did the artist choose to paint it?” The background colors are sublime and the foreground gives a haunting look that is, in a sense, beautiful without being beautiful in the true sense of the term.

If you could invite a famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest that he spend the night?

Surprisingly, it would not be an artist photographer, but an author with an inspiring pen: Edgar Allan Poe.
His writings are powerfully represented and tortured. He addresses themes such as death, consciousness, madness and does so in a subtle way. That is what I want for my shots, to bring subtlety to the reading of the photographs.
We would spend the afternoon discussing literature and its sources of inspiration while listening to a piano piece.

2023-08-15 18:42:22
#Cassiopeia #Ive #loved #art