About me

Feeling the Light

Since my childhood in the South-West of France, I’ve found solace and peace in nature: watching the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, admiring the dance of sun and clouds in a stormy sky, the colors in a single flower, or the contrasts between darkness and light – moved deeply by the moment which will never be again, locking it in my heart. Connected to the universe.

Feeling the Light. 

Reconciled with the visual arts through motherhood

I started to play around with pencils and crayons after my daughter Charlotte was born in 2010.

Inspired by her budding creativity and encouraged by people close to my heart, I started to express myself on paper and canvas.

Through painting, I’ve found a new language.

In the words of American artist Georgia O’Keefe, “saying things with color and shapes that I could not say any other way – things I had no words for“.

I’ve always been “feeling the light”, the inner as well as the outer light.

The video below is an introduction to my art under the motto „Feeling the Light“. It’s in German, but you can choose to have subtitles in English, French or German – or none if you just want to enjoy as is.

My long journey to intuitive painting 

I have no formal training in the visual arts. 

Colour love

I’ve always loved colour and painted a lot in my early childhood, but I was discouraged in art classes in high school by an awkward teacher and a less than inspiring curriculum, taking away the magic of creating. 

So I stopped exploring with colour on paper at that point, satisfying my love of colour by wearing brightly-coloured clothes, splashes of pink, orange, turquoise, red, yellow and green and soaking up all the colours around me through photography.

Sources of inspiration

Over the years, I’ve been particularly touched by the paintings of Klimt, Cézanne, Monet, Chagall and Matisse. And the beautiful colours in nature all around me, gardens, parks, rivers and seascapes have continued to quench that thirst for colour.

Reconciliation with painting through watercolour

In 2013, I was lucky that my sister in law Caroline Berry, a watercolour artist, introduced me to her medium of predilection when I visited her in Gabon in Africa.

Her gentle guidance and introduction to watercolour reconciled me with paint.

I even bought myself my own set of watercolour and brushes in 2014 when I returned from vacation. I haven’t stopped experimenting with watercolour ever since. 

Drawing

In 2014, I decided to take the Betty Edward’s Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain course and started to feel more and more at ease with looking at the world through shapes and shades and light and dark contrasts.

Painting and healing

My art and my healing journey have been truly connected. In 2017, I went through a depressive episode which was critical in my personal and artistic development.

I have written about what painting has meant to me at a much deeper level on my personal healing journey on my blog post Painting and Healing. You can read it here.

Maturing as an artist

Since 2018, I’ve been sharing more of my artistic endeavours through my Atelier monthly newsletter.

I participated in a foundation’s programme for under-privileged children, giving a couple of workshops in a suburb of Hamburg to teenage children.

In 2019, I performed an improvised voice, movement and musical performance around 10 of my paintings as music is a strong part of my creative expression.

Sharing my gift

In 2019, I also started to teach intuitive painting workshops and initiated an Artist’s Way circle in my atelier in Hamburg which keeps on going with a small group of women artists.

In 2020, in times of COVID-19, at a friend’s request, I organised creative gatherings virtually to bring together budding artists for a bit of creative fun on a weekly basis. 

The journey continues

In 2021, I exhibited in Venice, realising a dream of participating in an international group exhibition and started giving in-person workshops in my atelier, respecting the COVID-19 restrictions.

In 2022, I created several paintings for the stage and I was able to continue giving intimate workshops at my art studio. I was trusted with three commissions which filled my heart with joy. I also participated in a couple of group exhibitions in Hamburg, leading to more paintings finding their homes in Germany and abroad.

Since 2023, my atelier also welcomes creatives for improvisation and theatre workshops. I turned 50 in April 2023 and have dreams of performance and art projects.

In 2024, I realised the dream of bringing a play to the world’s largest cultural and arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe. I give in-person workshops in my atelier, have started writing a book, have created my SoundCloud Account where I share my intuitive “soul singing” under “Les Chants d’Ajosha” and have painted and created more visual art.

I am keeping the creative fire burning inside and spreading it further…

Feeling the light.