À Fleur de Papier
A new chapter in my creative journey
It had been a while since I last let my creativity flow freely. Since July – nearly a year ago – I hadn’t created anything. The well of inspiration had quietened, gently, without drama.
Was I worried? Not really. I’ve often heard writers speak of the dreaded blank page, the silence that can feel like a curse. But for me, it wasn’t frightening – it was, in many ways, a relief. I trusted it would return.
So I took the opportunity to rest. To reflect. I often revisit my creative path, but this time, I did so without the pressure to produce. And in that stillness, I realised how grateful I am for the journey I’ve had since 2019: the interviews, the exhibitions, the collectors who have welcomed my art into their homes. Each piece has found a loving place to belong – and that, to me, is the greatest success.
My art isn’t driven by trends or memes. Yes, I have my Mignons, but they’re not memes – they’re little beings, full of life, playing in the corners of our imagination. I’ve come to understand that I’m not wired like many artists who respond to the world’s chaos with satire or commentary. Instead, I soften the edges. I create a haven – a bubble of creativity and imagination – for myself and for others.
While the world spins madly on, I surround myself with moss, flowers, and seashells. I don’t mock the headlines; I mignonise the world when it becomes too brutal. That’s what defines my art.
And I realised something else: my art shouldn’t exist without the words that accompany it – the melodies in my mind that shape my bubble. I wanted to embrace my creative rhythm more fully, to savour the process, and to weave poetry into it.
Then, on a sunny day in May, I felt it – that familiar bubbling, a soft stirring within. The creative flow was returning, gently but with conviction.
I took a large sheet of paper and began again. Watercolours flowed, blending and drying in the breeze, mingling with leaves and flowers from my tiny garden. I let the paper dance in the evening wind.
Weeks later, I returned to L’Écrin Sauvage (October 2022). I studied it for hours, letting it speak to me. I took my paper and, for once, tried to inspire myself – with myself. An ode to my own journey. That doesn’t happen often, believe me.
I examined how I had composed L’Écrin Sauvage – though I rarely “compose” anything. But in the wildness of that moment, it had felt like a composition. I wanted to echo that feeling. So I drew flowers and herbs, added hints of my Aquabizarres, and even included snails – a nod to nature and to the pet snails we keep at home. It became a new sanctuary, a place of creative comfort.
Then I turned to my favourite digital tool, Polarr, and revisited my beloved technique of colour inversion. That thrill of discovery returned – the same wonder I felt back in 2019 when I first explored this hidden world behind my paintings. It felt like coming home.
At the same time, life – as it does – got messy. I became obsessed with the idea of printing my own book, one I’ve written for Arthur. And I realised I could blend my paintings with words, encapsulating my bubble in poetry. I write a lot of poetry, though most of it remains private – perhaps because it’s simpler, more intimate.
One day, I wrote a little poem about a snail. The words came easily, and it felt so good. Then, in a playful moment, I asked an AI to help me invert the poem – just as I invert my paintings. Together, we created La Poésie de l’Escargot Inversée. We congratulated each other. We’d done something beautiful.
My heart was full. The creative dialogue within me had returned – stronger, prouder, more embracing than ever.
And so, I thought: perhaps one day I’ll publish an album of this series. I’ve called it “À Fleur de Papier” – a play on the French phrase “à fleur de peau”, meaning to wear your emotions close to the surface. For me, everything begins on a piece of paper.
Both versions – the original and the inverted – are now available on SuperRare.
A fleur de papier #1 – Poesie de l’escargot: https://superrare.com/artwork/eth/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/51350
A fleur de papier #1 inversé– Poesie de l’escargot inversée: https://superrare.com/artwork/eth/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/51354
