My technique : the shellac

During a long time I said that « I'd like to make enter light into my paintings». It's true. Perhaps is it a little pompous, but it means exactly what I want to say.

I wished that light enters into the material, into the layers of painting and that colour gorges itself of this light.

So I've tested and crushed all sorts of varnishes, all sorts of products without finding what I was looking for.

And one day, when I was looking for something else, coincidence made me meet the shellac.

And the alchemy was born.

Shellac is a resin, a natural product of animal origin.

After having prepared my base (paper, canevas,...) and my mixture of shellac and other ingredients, I apply layers of this product on my base, as much as necessary until I obtain the colour or the effect I aim at.

For most of my paintings, I've applied until 30 layers of shellac, what represents months of work.

And patiently, from week to week, I see the work being born. This slow birth is a non-stop dialogue between the painting, the idea I've had at the beginning and the inspiration that appears gradually.

When I've endly obtained this intense monochrome, I apply gold leaves (yellow or white gold) or I paint subjects I love.

The fact I apply so much layers gives a particular effect to my paintings : it's effectively as light goes into the colour thickness. And this colour changes, according to the light under which we look at paintings (sun light, artificial light,...), and thus according to the moment of the day when we look at them.

For the supports, all inspires me. Paper, canvas, wood, ...

As I've practised watercolour during years, I especially love paper. It's a material with extraordinary possibilities and that offers more nuances in the final appearance of work. But canvas and wood bring to me other possibilities too.

For years now, my inspiration isn't still appeased.

Searching this third dimension in my painting -- the light -- I've discovered all a world of sensations and opulence.

Yes, shellac gives to the final work something sumptuous, luxurious. It's not an ordinary technique.

Its characteristics open me gradually a lot of possibilities.

It has waked my creativity.