About...
To be "an artist" as it is defined is undoubtedly above all a profile.
A story of genes and alignment of planets.
Nourished by curiosity, education, her own sensitivity to the world.
And the child we were... Surely.
Profile
Discreet
Hypersensitive
Contemplative
Undecided
Creative
Demanding
Conservator
Perfectionist
Eclectic
and pragmatic!
Stephanie Gendre
Self-Portrait
" A Doodler " before the hour, in the sand and the school notebooks, I was a lonely and introverted child. A patient observer, sensitive to nature and its life.
Attracted by details, by anything that shows the effects of colors, materials, textures, I have filled many boxes with pebbles, moss, bark, lichens, feathers, shells, butterfly wings... Simple and fascinating little treasures. My first collections.
I grew up with this underlying sensitivity for the environment and the intrinsic will to disturb the existing as little as possible, in a pronounced ecological awareness and a more than reasoned mode of consumption. The family heritage transmitted to me the respect, the value of things and the extraordinary power of the D system! In 3 magic words: "Recover, Repair,Transform!"
This familiarity with "the old" will undoubtedly have developed the particular affection that I have for wear, erosion, the marks of time... rust, oxidation, worn, damaged wood, patinas, cracks, dirt, cracks! As many miniature paintings as photography allows me to collect, to better associate them when the day comes. Another discipline that refines my look and taste for composition.
My journey
Very early shared in multiple centers of interest (styling, architecture, journalism, tourism, design, graphics, photography?) ... curiosity and a certain aesthetic sensitivity will however have been the common denominators.
The summary of the course will give:
A literary baccalaureate, a language faculty, a few stays abroad, a BTS in tourism, a school of applied arts, a career in international tourism, then a second one in interior decoration, all punctuated by experimental parentheses and training in drawings, sewing, turned earth, patinas and waxed concrete.
And There you go. I am 44 and I am starting to paint.
And There you go. I am 47 years old and I dare to give visibility to my work, after all the loooong and difficult process of accepting who we really are deep inside !
" There is something magical
and extremely soothing
to create beauty with scrap.
It's like a repair.
And that's my stake. "
My approach,
My common thread,
It's inscribed in my way of life: I compose with the existing, I transform it, optimize it, extend it. It's a reflex, a habit. (My job as a decorator was also based on makeovers)
Most of my work therefore revolves around recovery and re-employment.
This is the approach that is close to my heart. My starting point.
So I never start from a blank page. I COMPOSE. With what I have available and depending on the moment.
Here is the inspiration. Influenced by a deco-spirit, by travel, and by the detail that is so important to me.
My raw material:
The remains of the decorative yards. Old paintings. Fine concrete. Decorative coatings. Wax. Patinas, wallpapers, fabrics... Embellished with inks, chalks, pigments, nail polish, old make-up...
I mix, blend, dilute, add, refresh... To the eye and to the touch, I create new colors, prepare other textures and experiment. Supports are recovered and diverted as well.
How ?
A little like we would improvise in the kitchen when the ingredients are on the table, a small idea of departure invites itself... and it's time to compose.
The association of materials come into play, soliciting the use of different techniques according to the intention. The idea takes shape, evolves. Sometimes the implementation gives way to something new, unmastered: A surprise, an accident that offers a new orientation like a degree of freedom to integrate into the creative process.
The Challenge: Balance
Find THE right association, bring light, depth and a certain lightness to tend towards harmony and fluidity according to the aesthetic criteria that are mine.
I pay particular attention to colors, through gradients, cameos, fades or, on the contrary, strong contrasts. The texture is for me an essential element that transmits more life to the painting. I then play with the material in thickness, the processes of juxtaposition, accumulation and superposition.
And there is THE detail. A line, a relief, an irregularity ... and the happy accident.
The circle comes back repeatedly for its feminine roundness, the softness and the serenity it brings.
The line, like its opposite, for its nervousness and its more masculine directive character. The Yin & Yang balance.
“I like this idea of composing, with what we already have.
As in life. Improvise, adapt... Re-invent.
There is no blank page.
It's an extension of what already exists."
