The artist

My name is Agnes or Anges. I was born in Paris (France) in 1965.

From a very early age, I was drawn to art. My aunt has framed some drawings I have made when I was as young as 6. At 15, I did sketching classes at the Museum of the Louvre and grew frustrated because the teacher would never come to help me or comment my drawings. At 16, I drew live portraits with charcoal at the art classes of the Mairie of the VIth arrondissement of Paris. At 17, whilst living in Finland on an exchange programme, I learnt the etching technique and took part in a black and white photo club.

From age 15 until 34, I did a serie of thirty china ink drawings where I combined symbols. A selection of these drawings can be seen in the Gallery section. These drawings allowed me to express feelings about the events in my life in a concealed way. My drawings were a source of great pride in my family although no-one seem to understand their meaning.

I was brought in fear of need and in the belief that artists don't live decently so I didn't until now pursued my passion professionally. Instead I graduated in a lucrative profession. But at age 30, I still hadn't managed to let art and colour into my life. In March 1997, I visited San Francisco and was invited to a house where the hostess was a mosaicist. Her work mesmerized me. This opened a door in my head head where colour started pouring, in dreams, little by little. It took another two years before I learnt the mosaic technique. My encounter with mosaics was so casual that I didn't understand the impact it would have on my life.

From then on, a mosaicist was born. I did mosaics at night, after I put the kids to bed, collecting material from tile dumps, painting and cooking tiles in my kitchen oven, and working on my cramped balcony in my Paris flat.

In 2001, after moving to London, I did her first mosaic course at the Mosaic Workshop - which allowed me to refine the technique of cutting mirror - that I love using in my art.

I now live in Almondsbury, North Bristol (UK) and dedicates a day per week to my art and practice. I do mosaic "paintings", where symbology and imagination is central to the work.

This is how I see my art:

"Our society does not value broken things and no longer puts emphasis on mending, repairing and acknowledging the beauty of imperfect things. This is symbolic of how society treats people as well. In this context, mosaics is a way of mending the soul and make beauty surge out of things that were destined to be thrashed. Broken mirror, which in superstition is the epitome of bad luck, is a real jewel in mosaics as it draws light into the picture and adds a living dimension to pieces - making them change colour with their environment and with the time of day.

"A broken object used in a mosaic piece allows to go beyond the preconcieved idea one has about that object and opens new dimensions for it. As in life, it sometimes takes a break or accident for the object to be allowed to go to its full potential. Until such object has been broken, its neatness can hide a higher potential. For an example, please look a the mosaic called Spring of Life in the Gallery section. The earth from which the tulips spring has been made with broken pieces of a beautiful garden stone clock that was smashed by a storm.

I find this a metaphor for life. Until we face our major challenges we go about our neatly arranged life despite the unhappiness it contains until something forces us to go out of our comfort zone and reinvent our lives. Mosaics add such a dimension to life."

Although I have done a couple of exhibitions in small galleries in the past, I now prefers to dedicate my time to doing art instead of courting galleries. I participate to the yearly Almondsbury Art Show (where I live) every autumn. The next show is scheduled for 22-23 October 2004 in the Old School Hall. Some of my pieces will also be exhibited in garden centres in the Bristol area soon.

I intend to continue building my art portfolio. I would like to explore other techniques such as sculpture and ceramics, to add a dimension to my work. In time, I would like to give up my day job to dedicate my life to healing, art and writing and to spend more time with my partner and two children. Please visit my page called the Soul Coach for more information on my spiritual work.

I am considering working in a team with an interior decorator or an architect to bring life to buildings in the spirit of Gaudi, my all time inspiration. I do commissions. For contact details, see the contact page.