Q: Have you always wanted to be
an artist?
A: My childhood was more athletic
than artistic, but I was always
attracted by the act of creation and
occasionally made drawings. I dis-
covered pastel in the late 1990s. As
I recall, it was in order to introduce
color to my drawings. With time, my
pastel practice has intensified and
steadily progressed.Q: To what extent are you
self-taught?A: I undertook no formal study, no
internships, no training whatsoever.
On the other hand, being something
of a perfectionist and having a pas-
sionate nature, I’ve read a lot, taken
notes and visited many museums
and exhibitions.Q: How long have you been
a professional artist?
A: Even though I’m registered at
the Maison des Artistes and have a
SIRET number (a professional regis-
tration number for paying taxes inFrance), I don’t really consider myself
a “professional” artist, because I don’t
make a living on the income from my
paintings. I’ve been a mailman since
1990, so let’s say I consider myself a
Sunday painter who happens to paint
every day. That’s about it really!Q: Why pastel? Have you tried any
other media?
A: Before I found pastel, at the
very beginning, my drawings were
mostly exercises and studies of simple
objects made with graphite pencils.40 Pastel Journal OCTOBER 2019