An interzone for artists. A place where souls can be purged and inspired.

Phones prohibited. Secret program. Curated admission.

There we were, at last, in the streets of that little village of Es Castell. 80 artists, coming from all over the world, from New Zealand to Hawaï, all of us converging on that sunny morning of October towards the docks of Cales Font where a little wooden Minorcan boat would bring us to the island in 3 shifts. All of us painters, many illustrators, some tattooers, musicians, poets, dancers. My 5 roommates and I happened to be last in line.

Waiting for us on the island: 7 mentors (5 art legends and 2 gallerists from LA and NYC), 10 professional models, and a whole Quarantine gang kindly obsessed with one goal: Take us out of our comfort zone. Which they did. Continuously, day after day.

The place

Imagine a gigantic quarantine island built for sailers infected with contagious disease. An immense fortress with double 7-meters-high stone walls, 5 watchtowers, 150 rooms, 7 warehouses. Thousands of souls passed this gate and never left the island. Their bones rest in the north side cemetery. We went to celebrate them by a full moon night. The architecture is wonderful. Built with blond stones coming from the huge British fortress of Sant Felipe after it was destroyed by the Spanish in the 18th century. Trees have fascinating shapes, probably inspired by the incredible stories they have been privileged to witness over the centuries.

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The people

Like in any strong community, sociodemographic clues fail at defining the participants profile. We had to speak English. That’s probably the only criteria that would work here. Age? 19 to 75 years old. Origin? 20 countries, some living in huge cities, some coming from small islands. Maturity in art? Could make sense, half of us were full time artists with established career behind them, but the other half were not. Some started to take art seriously only 3 years ago. Wealth? Could be a good one because the program is quite expensive, but not even. Value perception can be a criteria of surprising subjectivity when confronted with motivation.

The goal

The intention was the binding element. One of courageous and fragile nature: All of us were seeking something that looked like a new creative path, a more personal expression, a new energy. That’s probably why connections happened so easily, with introverts and extraverts alike. That’s why I made friends for life. Nothing about technical skills. Our goal was to reset, not to learn. There was no teacher, only mentors. No classes, experiences. We were not discussing if the paintings were good, only if the process was triggering something.

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The process

This is classified information. We promised! Anyway, they change it all each time. All I can say is that those were 7 intense days, filled with surprises and sometimes quite uncomfortable instructions. We did paint a lot but never like we had been used to. Never like the day before. Always as if didn’t matter. As if we were only interested in life and art was just a language. Add to this a few individual mentoring sessions with guys like Edward Povey, Henrik Uldalen and Eloy Morales. A masterclass every morning. 10 super inspiring professional models. Tons of inspiring conversations during the breaks with wonderful people, including the other mentors Yuko Shimizu, Phil Hale, the showman Gary Baseman and the gallerists Ken Hashimoto and Jennifer Rizzo… You get the perfect cocktail for permanent experimentation, deeper conversation with yourself, and richer connection with the art world.

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The output

Memories. Of people, places, moments, emotions.

I’ll never forget my 5 roommates and my 2 neighbors in the lab. I can vividly remember a bunch of moments. Like that day when I was outside in the sun, painting this wonderful model. Her tanned skin hardly contrasting with the large stones in her back. Her hair merged with the leaves of a plant sprouting from this ancient wall. Beauty, silence, gentle breeze, inspiration. Heaven in Purgatory.

Clarity. About what we wanted to create, why, for whom. Now.

I’m refocusing on what inspires me now, what obsesses me, trees, even if it’s uncomfortable because I’m still in quest of a visual language. No longer on what I dreamt of being able to paint 15 years ago. (Thanks Henrik!).

I realizes the next thing I’m looking for in my creative journey is actually not a more distinctive style, but rather a way to pour more personal feelings in my paintings.

I made friends for life.

I didn’t keep any paintings. We burnt it all. Because it didn’t matter. Like this portrait of an old me.

I’ve left a bit of my soul there…

I’m very happy to show the work done in my studio since last summer.

CARREAU DU TEMPLE

Thursday May 2nd 18h>22h (opening),
Friday 14h30 > 19h30
Saturday 11h > 20h
Sunday 10h > 18h30

4 Rue Eugène Spuller, 75003 Paris
Métro : Temple / République

ENTRÉE LIBRE

Honored to be selected for the second consecutive year by the artistic comittee of this great contemporary art shos. Many thanks to the president Sébastien Cavalier, président du « Pass Culture », and his team: Yannick Boesso, directeur d’Urban Art Fair – Philippe Bouchet, historien de l’art et commissaire d’exposition – Sandrina Martins, directrice du Carreau du Temple – Florian Neveu, commissaire des salons Solid’Art – Christine Phal, présidente de Drawing Now Art Fair.

A triple opportunity for collectors.

Quality of the curation. This is an art fair on invitation only. All artists have been selected by the committee.

A big helping hand to underprivileged children. 100% of the Art fair revenues will go to a program designed by Secours Populaire to help those kids who never go on holidays to have at least one day art the beach.

Best prices ever. It work as follows: If you want to acquire one of my paintings that has a market value of 4000€, I will ask you to pay me 2000€ and will invite you to make a donation of an equivalent amount to Secours Populaire. If you make such donation and pay taxes in France, you will benefit from a tax saving of 75% (1500€). Resulting in an end cost of 2500€ for your acquisition.

This new print collection is made out of paintings from my “yellow” Amorgos summer.

Each comes in 2 formats, limited edition of 10, signed and numbered. Printed with pigment-based inks on archival art paper.

Away from the world’s relentless din, we delve into the tranquility of the underwater realm. The heart beats slower. Body and mind are calm. The light can play with the forms, cascade through the surface and fragment into a mosaic of hues that dance on the skin.

This is a plunge into quiet introspection, where the ocean reminds the depths of our consciousness, where the abstract reflections show the fluid nature of being. A gentle encouragement to float beyond the surface of existence.

I wish you all great and serene end of year celebrations, surrounded by your loved ones.

That’s the first title in that series of large paintings which was prepared for a show at my Montréal gallery. Those are lyrics of the song “Dreamer” by Claire Denamur. The next two tiltles too ;).

Immersion begins with this large square. From the very precise shadows on the skin, to the very abstract swirls on the surface. A perfect way of expressing what I like so much: to produce a realistic first impression and then leave room for imagination. The tapestry of green shadows on the left breast is my favorite part of this piece. What’s yours?

“Can you still feel it on your tongue?”. Acrylic on Belgian linen. 130×130 cm. 51×51 in.

Her name is Joie Kapahi Kaiu. This first name sounds really nice when you are French. She lives in Hawaii. Took up longboarding at the beginning of the lockdown to keep herself busy. Only two years later, this young teenager already has an inimitable style and her moves have the elegance of a dance. This inspired me to do a series of 4 small paintings. 30x40cm.

WTF !?…

What is an NFT? Some of us have never heard that name. Many have no idea what it is about. A minority amongst us kind of understand but struggle to see the purpose. A tiny minority is really interested. Everything is normal : this is a revolution in the art world.

It’s a property deed (of a digital image in this case) that is registered and traceable on a blockchain. If you buy one, you own that deed, even if you don’t own the image rights and can’t prevent this image to be copied. Just like when you buy a limited edition print in the physical world.

Interest for the art world and its communities?

NFTs make art accessible for more collectors and its transactions transparent at last for artists. They let artist follow the life of the artwork. If value grows, they can earn a part of it base on a royalties % they set by themselves at first.

Ther is a blooming community of artists and collectors building up as we speak. At first, it was mostly driven by speculative motivations and artistic interest of most pieces was debatable. It’s maturing fast. We see first example of good curation work through galeries, museums and platforms like Objkt.one. Many renowned figurative artists like Tania Rivilis joined the party. That made me feel confident it was time to jump.

Should I participate ?

I’m passionate about both art and innovation. I had to go and explore from inside. This is a quite intriguing world I have to confess. Every step is new. You don’t get it all but you go ahead. That’s what happen when you have a first time at something, right? I took 6 months to listend to specialists and artists I respect before creating my genesis collection. I wanted a blockchain that would be accessible and energy-efficient block chain. I went to tezos and joined Objkt, the largest art platform there. All that was left for me to do was to choose how to approach it from an artwork standpoint.

What should I create ?

As I come from the ‘physical” art world, I thought about a way that could tick the following 3 criteria

• The piece doesn’t exist in the physical world
• It is a true reflection of my art
• It is not artificially augmented, just for the sake of looking like an NFT

Before art is abandoned

The moment when you decide to stop is a key decision in the making of an artwork. “Art is never finished, only abandoned” said Leonardo Da Vinci. Thta’ sbecause indeed, there is always this temptation of continuing further the creation process. Either because you’re curious to explore the potential improvements. Or just to prove yourself (or your audience) that you are technically capable of going further.

Not surprisingly, that happens each time I do a painting. There are at least 5 stages where I stop and take a break because I’m not sure if it will get better further. Can I make it more interesting? Could it loose it creative strength? When that happens, I leave the canvas in a croenr of my studio until the day I decide to put it on the easel again… or to sign it.

I thought I could make an NFT of those 5 stages. None of them is available in the physical world. It’s the core of my creative work. And I’m proud enough of each of them as I was almost decided to sign them.

« Take five »

Beyond the connection with the 5 stages, the collection name comes from 2 inspirations. “Take five” means “take a 5 minutes break”. As before you decide to stop or go. It’s also the title of an iconic jazz song, which happens to be distinctive because of its unorthodox quintuple time.

This music track based on this super innovative rythm became a jazz standard. May be the fate of the NFTs in the art world?

The excitement in front of a white canvas

How do ideas come? An intriguing topic for many art lovers, and sometimes a blocker for artists. Picasso used to say inspiration actually finds you, provided you are busy working. So true!

A bit like luck, inspiration favors prepared minds. Fine, but how can you be prepared? May be with an always on curiosity, the accumulation of rough ideas that sometimes need time to mature, and by meeting people who get you out of your comfort zone.

How did “L’Orangerie” come?

It’s the combination of many triggers. I had the idea of this image in mind for a long time, materialized by a small painted study. I like buns, and I think there is something very feminine and elegant in this gesture. A week before starting this painting, a visit to the Sam Szafran show at the musée de l’Orangerie was a revelation. His late obsession with philodendrons fascinated me. Finally, a week working with Mike Carson last fall had taught me a form of freedom in composition, and techniques that can make it interesting. All of these elements led to this project. Last but not least, it started at a time when I had been working at a steady pace for a while. It found me working.

It’s a painting I’m proud. I don’t say this often but I feel like it’s a bit of a milestone for me. I’ve managed to keep myself from going too far a few times. Painting philodendrons, not really in a pattern, but without perspective logic. Not touching up the first draft except for the skin. Leaving the pool without blue water, not even the reflections (toughest temptation). Glazing the bottom of the painting with some red.

Can’t wait to see how the public will respond to it in my next Paris show (April).

Why some images keep on coming back in the inspiration flow of an artist?

Most of the time, we create brand new images. And sometimes, there is one of those we love so much that we need to come back to. Work on it again, approach it with a more mature eye, and observe the change versus the last version of it we created some years ago. From a palette, composition and technique standpoint.

First came “Rouge” in 2013, then “Dip in the Amngasset pool” in 2015, … and now this one.

Water volutes have changed shape and colour. The orange undercoat came with new vibrations.

I think I love the 3 versions. But always the last one most. can’t wait what th efourth one will look like in a few years.

The ocean transforms us

Just get in the water for a few minutes: your body relaxes, your heart slows down and your stress melts away. Scientists call this the “master switch of life” or “immersion reflex. An ultimate defense against asphyxiation that automatically kicks in as soon as our body is immersed. A phenomenon that affects the brain, the lungs and the heart, allowing us to withstand the pressure of the water and the lack of oxygen. An equivalent pressure on Earth would kill us, but not in the ocean.
The moment your face comes into contact with the water, the metamorphosis begins. The blood in your hands and feet will rise, your heart rate will drop by 25% from normal, and your mind will enter a meditative state. If you choose to dive, this transformation will be even more profound.

Flying below the surface
Staying on the surface and doing the plank is great. Swimming just below the surface facing the sun is wonderful. Have you ever tried it? I used to play this every day with the kids when we lived in Sitges right on the water. It’s an incredible feeling. In addition to all the effects mentioned above, it adds the fabulous light show. You feel like you’re flying in the clouds. Magical.
I had these memories in mind while painting this canvas. The completely relaxed position of the arms, the hair that seems to spread like a cloud of ink, and the light that appears on the surface.

We are children of the ocean
We feel so comfortable there, probably because that’s where we come from. Each of us begins life floating in an amniotic fluid that is 99% chemically similar to sea water. This is why a child placed underwater will naturally do the breaststroke and can hold its breath for about 40 seconds, longer than many adults. We lose this ability as we learn to walk.
Ancient cultures knew all about these reflexes and used them to catch pearls, coral or fish. Today the apnea record is over 12 minutes. At this rate, the record could soon reach 15 minutes.