The elegant, portrait of Rosy B.
huile sur toile, 100x100cm
Rosy, my niece, is always of incomparable elegance. Even to the point of exuberance. Her knowledge of adornments orchestrates the play of her metamorphoses, every day, according to the weather and mood. Always somewhat of a princess, obviously… I was asked to explain my way of ‘working’. I draw very little, that may come back someday, but I see in painting. I capture the model (the prey) with a small pocket camera, impromptu, during a meeting. The photos are usually blurry because they are improvised and poorly lit for a basic lens, but it doesn’t matter much. I then ‘redraw’ the image on the computer. I look for the base image that sets the direction for where I will paint. I make a printout in 21×29.7 at the printer, which I place on a stand. Then begins the quest for presence with my hand, my memory, and my desire. The essence lies in the relationship to the background. The question of resemblance, for me, plays out there, between the hand and the memory, under the scrutiny of light. The background is born from the brush, as the photographic image has given way to painting, to pictorial interpretation. The painting is finished when the model recognizes me, who often does not recognize themselves.”