Interview with Caroline Degroiselle
Growing up in Nouméa, New Caledonia, how did the vibrant colors and natural beauty of the island influence your approach to painting and your choice of palette ?
I was born artistically in NC and of course the light of this island, the presence of this exceptional lagoon and the lush earth have influenced my creativity from my very first brushstrokes.
I enter a painting as I enter nature. It's a natural and obvious fusion.
The light of my island at the end of the world is my artist's clothing!
Being self-taught, can you describe the challenges and freedoms you encountered in developing your unique style without formal training ?
I'm an autodidact when it comes to LIFE in general. I'm curious and eager to discover, and reducing myself to an academic approach doesn't suit me.
I've evolved with courage, hard work and passion, over the course of my life as a woman artist, giving myself the freedom to create my own writing and offering myself the challenge of not resembling anyone by not locking myself into an academicism or fashion.
At the start of my career, this may have seemed inconsistent to art professionals, but over time it has become an asset of authenticity.
You’ve mentioned that sun, water, and wind are « the caresses of my heart. Can you elaborate on how these elements directly influence your creative process?
The wind here, called the "alizé", is a joy to live with. It plays with nature, with light, with the sea and rivers. Thanks to it, everything is in motion. He's the conductor of a permanent play!
I reproduce this gentle, spirited movement in my paintings. It's Life for me. I'm just the intermediary or the admiring mediator.
Reflecting back on your first exhibition in Nouméa in 1984, how do you feel your art has evolved since then ?
Of course my creativity has evolved along with my life paths.
In technical maturity, in color, in power, and in gentleness too.
I wouldn't be able to redo the paintings I did 30 years ago, and I still like to be surprised of my creation!
You have a unique way of portraying light in your paintings, giving it a tangible quality. What techniques do you use to achieve this effect ?
My light...a technique? I could answer that I don't have a definite technique, as my painting is above all spontaneous. But there's one thing I've learned from nature and the light that shines through it : That's that light plays with a multitude of successive veils that fuse with the elements. This alchemy produces infinite and ever-changing nuances.
Press experts describe your art as a testimony to an « intense inner fire.» How do you tap into this emotional energy and channel it into your artwork ?
I don't want to channel anything. I paint with my heart, with my emotions, with my outbursts of laughter, my outbursts of life, with this enthusiasm of love for adventures through my colors!
Your work is said to not just capture visual aspects but also bring to life physical sensations. How do you approach this immersive aspect of your painting ?
In fact, I want to paint what's between the subject and me, I want to paint the air in which what I see is found, I want to paint the beauty of the air that makes the body quiver and gives impetus to the brushes.
It's a painting that moves, that dances, that flies with life, with the deep elements of the earth, with the music of the world, with the caresses of the sky and the magic of water. It's painting in spontaneous gesture, filled with happiness. Quite simply!
Over the years, how have your travels and experiences influenced changes or evolution in your artistic style ?
Travel, encounters, life's surprises, discoveries of other lights, other cultures, other music, have intensely nourished my creativity. They have been a source of humility, challenge, doubt and inspiration to translate this infinitely generous artistic richness into color.
Looking forward, are there any new themes, techniques or projetss you are excited to explore in your future work ?
My heart and eyes are open to everything. I'm ready to play with artistic styles I don't know yet. The challenge is always to surprise myself, while remaining authentic!
