What Do I Paint?

In my first blog post, I thought it would be interesting to sketch an answer to the question people often ask me when I say I am a painter: what do you paint? I paint figuratively, which means that when you look at my works, you can identify what you see. You get the feeling that behind each image lies a story, and you are right. I tell stories with my pencils and my brushes.

What is the story that inspired “Lifebuoy”?

You will notice on my website that under each work there is a title. If I tell you that the title is part of the work, you may want to ask me what all those businessmen floating in the sky are doing, and what the link is between this scene and a “lifebuoy”. In my work, there is always a riddle to solve. You cannot understand everything at once. Be patient with me. I will tell you the story at the end of the post.

Where do my stories come from?

Each canvas or drawing has its own story. On my website, my work is listed under six themes, but this classification is only a guide. All my works have one thing in common: they reflect significant episodes of my personal life. 

Inspiration comes to me in the form of “epiphanies”, as I like to call them. Like sparks, sudden and precious, they are moments when what I observe stirs an intense emotion in me : admiration, indignation, compassion, hope, despair, or a keen sense of the ridiculous. Immediately, images begin to form in my mind. These images evolve, they ripen like fruit, and I will not find peace until I have chosen the right one. It is like looking for the solution to a complex equation, except that for me, the work of art is the solution.

“Lifebuoy”

It is a story I had to relearn at my own expense: life is much gentler when there is someone beside you to support you. 

As a public servant, I was often overwhelmed by the realities of the bureaucratic experience. At the time, most people in positions of authority were men. There were many other challenges, and they still exist.

You often had to work with a temperamental boss and constantly take care not to hurt anyone in the organization. You had to know how to deal with competition and reconcile rivals. Who could victims of harassment turn to, or team members who were denied a well-deserved promotion? Failing a competition was an ordeal. If you inadvertently left a confidential document on your desk, the consequences could be serious. You really had to understand the administrative workings. And every evaluation could turn into a nightmare. For me, it was a difficult world, and I struggled to find my way in it.

In those moments, it was good to have someone beside you who would listen and lend a hand. In those moments, the sky was cloudy, you felt you were losing your bearings, and it was very hard to navigate alone. To climb back up and regain your momentum, nothing was worth more than human friendship.