Like many thousands of other French people, my mom’s family and my dad responded to the National French Call during WW1 to help with the rebuilding of Morocco for the King of the day.
After this period of hardship, I was born in Casablanca and followed my parents example in drawing and painting, which was the natural form of expression in our family.
At a very young age I won a few prizes, but it was only in Hermanus, South Africa, about 10 years ago, that I started to touch oil paint and found great satisfaction in what was a great mystery to me before: the process of painting on the material called “canvas,” a surface that’s at the same time rather flexible and not smoothly flat! But practice makes perfect!
My only training was the criticism of my parents and two years of basic art at school in Casablanca, let’s call that self-taught. Much later I was favoured with the renowned artist Peter Earl’s wonderful help for a year in Hermanus and today I’m fortunate to have the expert supervision of Alyson Guy, in her Art Room in Volmoed.
Many great French Artists were foundational in my up-bringing such as Renoir, Claude Monet, Gauguin, Cezanne, Matisse, Delacroix and others.
They used their brushes as we use our cameras today! I have a frank admiration for the ability they had to record during a historical period which inspires me greatly to achieve my ideas on canvas, though contrary to the trend of today.
Together with these revered artists, I count my stay in Sahara and many other interesting places in the world to be the source of my general inspiration.
In Morocco they have a daily call which is used to attract and entice you into their shops: “For the pleasure of the eye”. May my work be such and more, touching also your heart and soul to bring you joy and peace in your life.
Bienvenu to my page!
Source: Claudie Lemoine Website; Featured Image: Pomegranates With Lavender