Cassiopeia, I've always been into art in a way 18416v

What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)

I've always been into art in a way. My father was a photographer and my mother has always loved painting. I grew up watching what they did and photography has always been a part of me.
Beautiful paintings or works of art in general are a source of inspiration and it is undoubtedly my love for beautiful things and impactful things that pushed me to become an artist.

What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?

I started photography very young. I practiced sometimes on my friends, sometimes on myself to take shots and to do experiments to improve the rendering of the image. It forced me to be creative.
Subsequently, my father trained me in photographic techniques and from there, I followed various training courses to take photos in nightclubs, at festivals or even in a famous football stadium. But that wasn't what I liked the most. I wanted to embellish my subjects, propel them into a dreamlike or dark universe to highlight them. Above all, I want to show the beauty of my models as I see them and sometimes use subjects that affect me such as nature or even the alienation of the body because of the dictates of society.

What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?

For the first point, I do photos as much for individuals as shootings as art photographs. I don't necessarily work with models and most of the props used in the photographs are recycled or handmade items, because the props or outfits already made are expensive. For the second point, I don't want to photograph naked women for art photography, unless the nude is legitimate. The beauty of the woman, in my opinion, can be valued without having to put her in Eve's outfit.
And finally, I would say that what differentiates me is above all my point of view on what surrounds me.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Very good question ! My inspiration comes mainly from music: by listening to particular music, it will be able to transport me and inspire me with an image or rendering that I would then like to transcribe into a photo. I also draw my inspiration from my daily life - for my exhibition called "The call", the confinement helped me a lot. I wanted to do an exhibition on the things we missed the most during our confinement: namely, nature, art (theater, photography, painting, dance, etc.), the ocean and the last painting was about medication, because many of my entourage were in depression, because lack of social ties.
In other words, a nothing can inspire me, like a whole: a word, a thought, a feeling, a music or a book.

What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?

Of the plot. I wish to bring to the spectator a questioning like: "What could have influenced the author of this work to make a painting of it?" or even "How beautiful, but strange". I don't want to do anything common. My will as an artist is to combine the beauty of things (women, men, children, animals or whatever) with the strange or a reflection on the given subject.

What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?

The majority of my paintings have been done spontaneously. An idea will have germinated in my mind and if I have what it takes in my studio to bring it to life, then I will take the plunge. As far as the series "L'Appel" is concerned, it's yet another procedure. I first worked on the subjects before making the outfits and accessories, evaluating the number of shots sufficient to make an exhibition in a gallery to, thereafter, fabricate what there was to fabricate. I tend to draw inspiration from paintings or portraits that touch me.

Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?

I mainly use my studio to take my photographs. However, before, I did not appreciate studio photographs but outdoor photos -more colorful, more lively-. Only, studio photographs allow better control of light and despite everything, good creativity when you know how to manage it. Which was a real problem for me.

Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?

I would say yes, in a way. I like the work of my congeners who are inspired by paintings to create their works, but that's not what I want to do. They do it very well in their own way and I don't want to become yet another person to draw inspiration from the same paintings to make art photographs.
I also sometimes do self-portraits, which is not the most common in the industry.

Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?

The digital photographer! I don't work with film -at least for now-. I am much more comfortable with photographic manipulation (photoshop). For me, it's the prospect of being able to change everything in the shot once it's taken, whether it's the color of the studio background, adding desired details or removing annoying details, giving a singularly different atmosphere, etc...

Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop or in your own workshop? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?

There are two answers to this question: when I work outdoors, the place can be chosen at random or well in advance. I then locate the place, I try to find a theme to approach in this place as well as the outfits and accessories that I would need, the poses (when there is a model) and the style of retouching that I would do.
For photos in the studio, at my home, I follow the same path: choice of background, pose, outfits/accessories, make-up, theme addressed.
I organize my work in a notebook - I write, I draw - and when I don't have a notebook or sheets, I take my phone and jot down all my ideas, even if I end up jotting them down in a notebook. fine.

Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?

For the moment, I was lucky enough to be able to exhibit near my home (Aix-en-Provence) to exhibit my series "L'appel" for 1 year and 4 months. Just before that, I went to Paris to meet gallery owners and collectors (without that being conclusive).
Not long ago, I had put exhibitions and creative projects on hold because my schedule did not allow it and the inspiration was no longer there. I hope this year that will change. That's why I'm going to resume my series that I had put aside because it was expensive and energy-consuming: 'Barbie'.

How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?

To be honest, I have trouble projecting myself into the future. Already, when I started photography officially and professionally, I couldn't imagine making pictures that would be exhibited in salons. Above all, I have an expectation for the future, which is to continue to have projects and to have more and more people who appreciate my work.

What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?

On a whim, recently, I wanted to make a shot by mixing the style of two works by Tim Burton -Beetlejuice and Wednesday Addams-. It was not to denounce or address a particular theme.

Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?

My most important exhibition experience and which made me the most proud was in September 2021. For the inauguration of an imminent theater in Aix-en-Provence, managed by a friend, I was able to do the vernissage of my works during this event. Hundreds of people came and looked at the works, which made me proud.

If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?

That's a very good question. I would say I would choose Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', although this is a painting, it has always intrigued me. She is beautiful while being disturbing and one cannot help wondering "Why did the artist choose to paint her?". The colors of the background are sublime and the foreground gives a disturbing aspect which, in a sense, is beautiful without being so in the true sense of the term.

If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?

Surprisingly, it would not be an artist photographer, but an author with an inspiring pen: Edgar Allan Poe.
His writings are powerfully imaged and tortured. He tackles themes like death, consciousness, madness and he does it in a subtle way. That's what I want for my shots, to bring subtlety to the reading of the photographs.
We would spend the evening discussing literature and its sources of inspiration while listening to a piece of piano.