Francoise Nielly

Life, wide open spaces, Paris, sushi, blue lagoons, the Internet, New York, humor, books and Vancouver. Are these some randomly thrown words? No!  Actually, these are some of the things Francoise Nielly loves most. The artist, who found and fell deeply in love with colors, grew up in the South of France, living between Cannes and Saint Tropez, never far from the light. She continued her path by studying at the Beaux arts and Decorative Arts, currently living in Paris, near Montmartre, the place that gathered and sheltered many famous artists throughout time.

Bacon, Warhol, Bodini, Freud, Christos are some of the artists Francoise feels close to. She finds inspiration in them, but she says she gets her sense of space and construction from her father, who was an architect.

Orange, yellow, electric pink and green are few of the vivid colors the artist creates, by combining different pigments.  Oil and knife are mandatory for this many layers and when playing with transparency.  For her vibrant, illuminated works, Francoise Nielly uses canvas of sizes that reach even 6 feet in length. Beauty and emotions are captured through these portraits, as well as the colorful variety of the human soul.

We have the honor of interviewing the painter, so here are a few questions and her answers:

1. First of all, why painting? We know that you went from photography to the world of advertising. What did painting have to capture all your attention?

While I studied at the Beaux Arts, I oriented myself more toward « art » than « advertising ».  Still it was in advertising where I worked for 15 years, and I have to tell you, with real pleasure.  Sometimes life experiences allow us  to explore and then to begin a new challenge and another life story, linked to a lifelong dream – painting.

2. And now, why did you chose portraits? Is your dazzling color palette most suitable for this approach?

First of all, I don’t do just portraits.  I began with figurative nudes and then moved slowly toward portraits mainly because I have always been intrigued by faces and the lives behind them. Even as a child I  designed faces.

I can not honestly say that my approach to color is the best, but I can tell you that it is what I prefer at the moment.

3. In your opinion which is the most interesting city in the world when it comes to colors? Where do you usually find your inspiration?

Well, there is color and then there is light.  If you want to speak about color, then I would say that, for me,  London is the place that has most marked me for color. For light, I would have to go with Vancouver, BC. 

Regarding inspiration,  I’m not really sure how to answer that.  I suppose I would have to say that my bed is my source of inspiration.

4. Which period of your life has put the strongest mark on your work?

It is definitely the moment when I had the incredible opportunity to find this immense studio here in St. Ouen.

5. Now, lets talk a bit about the future. We want to know a bit more about the silk scarves collection. What is  next? Clothes maybe?

I’m happy that you’ve seen the scarf collection.  Regarding the future, I’m beginning a project with two young creators who have established the line IRM. We are going to present our work in September.