Once upon a time…
…a European interschool competition in 1971, a visual arts teacher entered our class into a European school competition. I had chosen an African head taken from a 500 Belgian franc note from the colonial era.
A spontaneous creative idea validated by my teacher:
- An A2-sized wooden board,
- a pot of dark blue gouache paint,
- upholstery/clog maker nails to form the face.
Against all odds, the work received second prize! One might have thought that my artistic destiny was all mapped out? No! My entire development has been in marketing/communication and the inherent travel.
2023 is the year of retirement. It’s a chance to remind myself of a promise I made to my teacher: I will fulfill your advice to pursue an artistic path. Done today, it’s never too late…
The passion for nails
Artistic modeling using nails has been perfected. There is now a method and manufacturing secrets! We are a long way from the wooden board, gouache and raw nails:
- rot-proof rigid plate,
- special painting canvas fixed on a plate,
- acrylic paint,
- treated steel upholstery/clog maker nails,
- cold gilding of nail heads with 24-carat pure gold leaf,
- custom-made professional aluminum frame.
Not just nails
To master acrylic painting on canvas, I practiced classics such as The Cuban Woman with a Cigar or the Nude woman in the moonlight.
