Fluid Expression and the Work of Julie Esteban
Born in 1989 in Bordeaux, Julie Esteban grew up in the Southwest of France – on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, cradled by the waves' rhythm and wind. Her surrounding environment marks her mind and sources her inspiration. Julie worked as a professional photographer for 10 years, but as of 2017, she has fully dedicated herself to her painting practice.
Image courtesy of the artist
I was raised and influenced by my family, many of whom have mastered the art of working with wood, fabric, and precious stones. Being raised in such a creative environment has kept me curious and focused on handmade art. I love spending time in their ateliers, immersed in their very special world of design.
I discovered dance, movement, posture, space occupation and discipline to the rhythm of classical music. I remember first picking up a paintbrush in my teenage years while experimenting with watercolours. I found that fluidity and transparency opened the way to pictorial creation and today I think you can see this sensitivity in my paintings.
I adopted photography as my first ‘real’ job after a two-year course at the ETPA school in Toulouse. During my studies, I became fascinated with film and Polaroid.
Directed by HDA Records
I sought out the balance between control and letting go, chasing the ‘accidental’ emulsion which never ceases to inspire me and I gradually discovered the possibilities of abstraction in photography.
In 2014, I found myself leaving behind a secure job with a good salary and regular working hours - and I jumped into the unknown without any safety net…. It was the start of a great and beautiful adventure!
I travelled, I saw the world, I got lost, and then I found myself in the South of France. In 2016, I laid down my suitcases and my brushes in the land of Paul Cézanne. When I started my new life in Provence, I did not know the region at all. The light, the colours, the smells, the materials – everything was new. It made absolute sense that so many artists have chosen to live in this region and why it's always been so.
Although I arrived in Provence as a photographer, I gradually found myself seeking to reconnect with painting.
At first, it was very difficult to create what I had in mind – it took months and months of research. Then, one day, I found my medium and my voice in the process!
Esteban in front of “De terre et d’eau” and “Dentelles de marbre”
It was a tricky few months of research and trial and error and I had to teach myself to work with this very special mixed technique on my own because there is no formal school or training for it. It was not easy to work with the material in the way that I work with it today – and there were moments when I found myself even hating the medium But then, one day, on a canvas that is in my bedroom – one that I’ll never sell – I said, "This is it!" It was the start of a beautiful love affair between this medium and me.
Today, I'm happy to have learned on my own and to have traversed these difficult times, those seemingly endless months of research. Without this hardship, I don't know if I would have come this far and learned so much about myself.
“The concepts of lightness, fluidity and weightlessness are fully incorporated into my work. My paintings stand out through the environment in which they are displayed, due to the shiny and reflective surface.”
MY CREATIVE PROCESS
My main inspiration comes from nature. I feel its energy, I observe the movements – the colours, the smells – all my senses are awakened.
I only paint when I feel good. This is very important to me because sometimes I get angry and worked up, vexed by external events, politics, etc. and in those moments it’s impossible to paint. It’s so important to not have any darkness in my creative work.
When a person looks at my paintings, I want them to feel good and receive all the positive energy that I put into it. Fortunately, I am a very happy person and most of the time I can protect myself from external negativity.
INTERPRETING MY WORK
Each of my creations can be rotated. I propose a sense of reading with several interpretations. I leave the future owners of my creations free to turn the tables and rediscover my art as it changes position and light.
The perception of the elements and the colours that make up my work are limitless. Before our eyes a mixture of materials and an infinite colour palette. Once light penetrates through, it creates a movement of shadows and reflects a complex visual.
“Three-dimensional work with matter allows my designs to evolve as light changes throughout the day. Shades and tints dance with the light projected onto the works.”
INSPIRATION
I create my work through a sense of photography. More than a decade of photographic work in photography shapes my painting and I believe it shows.
Early in my photographic training, I discovered the works of Cathleen Naundorf, Sarah Moon, and Marie Taillefer. I’ve profiled the harmony between two mediums: photography and drawing.
There is wonderful sensitivity in their photos. They are masters of film and polaroid; they utilize very cool chemical effects. Their creations represent the balance between fully controlled scaling and emulsions that react to chance desire when temptation is present!
Even today, I admire their work. It is still a great source of inspiration. In my own way, I knew how to use this photographic and pictorial palette to create unique and singular artworks rich in textures, colours, and movements.
My paintings are often related to the work of enamels. This comes from the complexity of the materials used. The brilliance of the material and the colours, the dance between the opaque and transparent layers, the full saturation of the colours, as well as this deep and luminous rendering are present in the technique of enamels.
Detail of “Georgia”
Elements of water are present in my creations, through fluidity and also through certain aspects that recall the effect of mother-of-pearl. This natural and organic material, a symbol of femininity and protection, has colours ranging from creamy white to golden to iridescent rainbow. It’s a beautiful, fascinating palette.
Working with round compositions gives my work a new dimensionality. The circle, a sign of unity, has no beginning or end. It is perfect and infinite. It is a geometric shape that can be found everywhere in nature.
BEST ADVICE GIVEN
“Go ahead!” Get started 100% in your creativity and stop trying to find a job for financial security, that quote marked the start of my leap into my full-time artistic life.
“Make it large !” - this advice opened me up to movement and as a result, the sensations I create became even greater!
WHAT SHE’S READING
- Vegetal colours by Michel Garcia
- Bleu by Michel Pastoureau
- The four Toltec accords by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Le ChouBrave Magazine
The artist with “Plume de Paon”and “Douceur cosmic,” respectively
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Not to listen to the fears of others and to have the conviction that everything is possible!
I am proud of the day I decided to let go, to let go of my fears and limiting beliefs and devote myself 100% to an artistic life and it was from this point onwards that I found real happiness.