27-07-2024
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Pauline Beugniot, the ocean, colours and life
27.07.2024
Surfing
doesn’t lie; it gives me a chance to be me...
doesn’t lie; it gives me a chance to be me...
*Pauline has been collaborating with Posca for several years. We haven’t had much news from her for a while now, for good reason – a little Zackary has come into her life. And he is taking up a lot of her time! However, she is back at the studio and has drawn inspiration from the new directions her life has taken. She gave us a quick rundown and sent us images to go with it.
It’s been nearly six years since the interview we did for the Posca Life Custom website; can you give us a quick update on what you’ve been doing since then?
I’ve continued to create over the last six years. I’ve expanded my sources of inspiration, motivated by travels and encounters. I’ve continued my work on wood and paper. Still using POSCA and acrylic. In the last few years, I think the trip that inspired me the most was Costa Rica. When I got back from this surf trip, I created a series entitled Pura Vida. Many paintings emerged from this adventure, and they moved a large number of people.
My journey as an artist and woman was greatly enriched with the birth of my little Zackary! The strong bond between two beings has translated into the appearance of pairs in my artwork. The fish and birds that already feature in some of my creations are now often echoed.*
How has your work developed?
The way I work has changed, as I’ve had less time to create, but each time it has been more intense. My choice of medium and technique have influenced my style. But I’ve retained my attraction to the same kind of colours. My recurrent aims are to work on my pencil stroke and give depth to my painting. By keeping a travel journal, I pave the way for new features and harness my life experiences for my artistic development.
Have you discovered new techniques? Done any experimenting?
I attempted to combine a few techniques, like pastels, pencils and acrylic paint on wood. I also tried printing my engravings on silk paper, pasting them on wood, then experimenting with various ways of colouring the medium. But I often return to POSCAs and acrylic paint directly on wood and paper. And for some time now, I’ve been focusing on paper media.
Does Nature seem to have taken a significant step into your life?
The action and capturing of life moments have long driven my pictorial urges. At the moment, my emphasis is more on landscapes and patterns. My paintings are closer to a contemplative state that invites the spectator to reflect. Figures are gradually disappearing from my compositions. The role of the person contemplating my painting takes precedence. They appropriate it and imagine themselves in the setting they see before them. I focus more on inviting the observer to embrace the landscape rather than identify with a figure.
My experiences of immersion in the great outdoors and pivotal moments in my life have spurred new visions and compositions in my paintings. Paving the way for richer, more extensive wanderings. The way I depict nature is sometimes a metaphor for my state of mind. My depiction reflects certain emotions I may be experiencing. It is like a trade between what nature can offer me and the tribute I pay by painting it. It’s true that it plays a major role in my creations these days.*
And there is the ocean…
The ocean is still my number one source of inspiration, in life and in my work alike. I experience my greatest moments of happiness thanks to the ocean. Surfing is my escape, my culture and my stability. This activity is always a way of measuring my current state of being. Surfing doesn’t lie; it gives me a chance to me be me. And that helps me grow. The result is a unique ambiance in my painting and fertile ground for creation. Surfing and painting are intimately linked to my life.
What are your plans?
To dedicate as much time as possible to creating, to progress and rise to challenges are my plans for late 2019. Creation is constantly in flux, and being able to satisfy my creative urges are my hopes for the coming months and long after that, I believe! What I’d like to do? I would really like to have a bigger space to be able to express myself, to develop a new technique and try my hand at large-scale formats!*
To discover
