ELIORA BOUSQUET'S INTERVIEWS

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Below are interviews of Painter Elisabeth Eliora Bousquet about her work and artist statement.

INTERVIEW WITH SANDRINE BARRÉ, FOR CREA MAGAZINE, ON 01/08/2013

  • Sandrine Barré:

    You are very versatile, you love creation in all its forms: painting, but also writing, fashion, decoration. It is your versatility that I particularly like about you. Where do you draw all this creative energy and conviction from?
     
  • Eliora Bousquet:

    As a fundamentally passionate person, I believe that I live and create as if each day were the last. I sleep very little, live at 200 miles per hour, and cannot conceive of a single day without imagining, creating or writing something, even a simple sketch. I have projects in my head and my only fear is not having enough time to realize everything.

    Very observant and curious by nature (I love to learn and discover new things), I also cannot conceive of creation without constantly searching for new paths, new ideas, through new sources of inspiration, multiple and varied. Thus, each of my new collections began after an impromptu experience.

    For example, I started the 'Chromatic Fantasiae' collection by simply messing up a canvas from my 'Celestial Visions' collection. A little annoyed that I couldn't achieve the level of transparency I wanted, I covered my entire canvas with paint while moving the biggest brush I had in all directions and as fast as possible, because the base coat paint wasn't yet dry. At that moment, Ella Fitzgerald's 'Lullabies of Birdland' was playing on the radio: I let myself be rocked, and the movements of my brush began to follow those of the music, as if it were dancing on the canvas, and the gestural style that I develop today imposed itself naturally. Strangely, when looking at the finished painting, I saw birds in it; the title of Ella's song is probably the reason... I called this painting: 'The Nest'.

    Regarding conviction, as far back as I can remember, every time I felt bad and drew or painted, all my worries disappeared, time stopped, I felt 'myself' as if I were simply in the precise place where I should be. Nothing external could reach me anymore. Painting became a refuge, then a reason to live. I now know that I have found my way and that, if it is far from the easiest, it is at least the one I have CHOSEN...

    Anyway, I never start painting without exercises in concentration, meditation, or without asking for support "up there"...
     
  • Sandrine Barré:

    For example, you associate poetry and colors and are inspired by Jazz music to paint... Your painting is instinctive, as you paint what you feel in the moment, but how do these movements of colors come to life on your canvas?

     
  • Eliora Bousquet:

    Despite being over 42 years old, everything amazes me and I have a huge desire to live. I believe that my creativity comes solely from my sensitivity, often heightened because everything touches me: a word heard naturally calls up an image, which in turn calls up a sound, which in turn calls up a color... and everything unfolds in a rather 'magical' way until it forms a harmonious whole, like notes on a music score.

    I paint, spontaneously, what I feel, privileging emotion over technique. The movement is already inscribed in the image I project. When I paint, it's like writing: each color, each nuance, is a word that, associated with others, eventually forms a sentence. Then it's a matter of conjugating everything, giving this sentence meaning... and then giving people the desire to read it!

    Although I have a clear idea of what I want to paint at the start, I invariably let my heart and imagination guide me without trying to control anything, curious to discover the final result. Thus, I probably belong to my "works", more than they belong to me!
     
  • Sandrine Barré:

    That's very interesting, thank you for this detailed explanation of your creative process. How do you choose the colors that you use in your abstract works? Are there colors that you prefer or avoid using?

     
  • Eliora Bousquet:

    I don't choose the colors in advance, they naturally come to me depending on the emotion I want to convey, the atmosphere I want to create, or even the state of mind I am in when I paint. Colors are a language in themselves, and each color has its own meaning and vibration. So, I am very careful about the color combinations I use, to create harmony and visual balance.

    I don't have favorite colors per se, but I am very sensitive to shades, contrasts, and variations of hues. I really like working with warm colors like red, orange, and yellow, which evoke passion, warmth, energy, and light for me. But I also use a lot of blues, greens, and purples, which represent peace, serenity, hope, and creativity for me.

    There are some colors that I avoid using together because they can create visual tension or a dissonant effect. For example, red and green can be difficult to blend without creating too much contrast or an unattractive 'Christmas' effect. But ultimately, each painting is a unique experience, and I often let my intuitions and emotions guide my color choices.
     
  • Sandrine Barré:

    You say you are self-taught. Could you briefly describe your artistic journey?

     
  • Eliora Bousquet:

    I started painting at the age of 7, mainly flowers, birds, seascapes, and portraits in watercolor, then in oil. I waited until the age of 35 to start painting professionally. Being naturally cautious, in order to give myself the best chance possible to achieve my dream on my own (without credit or connections :-) I secretly matured my project for a long time.

    I didn't go to art school, but studied conference translation and interpretation, then communication/marketing and journalism. I then wrote a detailed global business plan outlining the range of products I wanted to create (paintings and derivative products), my target customers, my marketing plan; I saved for years, then built my first collections, organized my first solo exhibition, and then things took off...

    Since 2009, I have participated in nearly 40 exhibitions in France and abroad (>>> See updated data) and continue to paint, alongside a full-time job that I am also passionate about (Communication, Digital & Marketing Director). Painting is a gift that I received very young and I hope to keep it for a long time! And I have a motto: always work harder, because nothing is given. As Vidal Sassoon said: 'The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.' :-)
     
  • Sandrine Barré:

    You paint abstract collections. Do you have other themes in painting or drawing?

     
  • Eliora Bousquet:

    I started painting figurative paintings (landscapes, portraits, etc.), but I didn't feel anything special in front of a 'real' subject. I was focused on the precision of the gesture, the good rendering of colors, the purely technical aspects, to reproduce as faithfully as possible what I saw... but this left almost no room for imagination, dream, freedom of expression, emotion that I prioritize over everything else.

    My painting, seeking to convey messages and using a large number of symbols, so I naturally turned to abstract painting. Then I made it my specialty, although each collection belongs to a different movement (abstract atmospherism for 'Celestial Visions', lyrical abstract art for 'Chromatic Fantasiae', symbolic abstraction and expressionism for the 'Evanescence' and 'Poetic Fictions' collections).

    What interests me in abstract painting is that a painting takes on a different meaning depending on who looks at it and thus acquires a new life. This is what is called the "scotomization" phenomenon: the mind sees what it wants to see. Thus, each painting really exists only in relation to the person who looks at it, a fragile but privileged relationship. I have never seen anyone passive in front of an abstract painting. 'You like' or 'You dislike', but the painting questions you, does not leave you indifferent. So what attracts me the most in abstract art is that by pushing us to feel a work more than just looking at it, it teaches us to see with our heart, far beyond the painting...

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