In this news, discover the career and inspirations of our partner artist Séverine Marclay.

Maxwell: Hi Severine! Could you summarize your artistic journey so far with your main stages?

Severine: Hi Max, it is important to know that I am a self-taught person, I learned to develop my own style. At school I was always interested in maps of the universe and drawing. My role in this artistic environment aims to transmit and train other people.

I learned a lot from books, I'm talking to you about vanishing points, perspective, cast shadow, these things are more or less easy for me.

My goal was to transmit so I had to learn to do that too! I said to myself “nothing better than going to see how teachers pass on their knowledge to their students”. So I enrolled at the People's University of Martigny.

In the end, this experience went very badly for me, I didn't stay there very long. In a Vanishing Point class, I felt very comfortable and it was easy for me, unlike the girl sitting next to me who had a hard time understanding. She asked me for help, and like any good person I decided to help her and started explaining to her. Unfortunately the teacher did not appreciate that I took his place and made me some disparaging remarks.

Finally it was my first lesson, I now knew what I should not do as a teacher!

I have been giving lessons for 20 years now and from the beginning I have always told my students “if you have understood, do not hesitate to help your neighbor and pass on your information”.

A few years later, loving the field of health very much, I wondered how I could combine art and health, so I also enrolled in an anthroposophical art therapy school in Geneva.

Maxwell: Today, what artistic movement do you associate your work with?

Severine: I associate my work with several artistic movements, but for me the movement to which I give a lot of value is surrealism. Surrealism allows me to go beyond the real, beyond the formalities, beyond the known and what is consistent. I like going out and overflowing with reality. The second element that I really like is the forest (the fog and the mountains). I like these items because they give me everything I need. When I'm not feeling great, I go straight to the forest and when it's foggy I'm even better. It is my place of life.

Maxwell: I will bounce on this place of life. You live in the Valais region, what has it brought you in your work?

Severine: Haaa Valais! I love my Valais and its strengths, it looks a lot like me. I also like this contrast. I'm not a soft person, I really like strength. We very often find in my paintings a small part of my Valais. It's my roots.

Closing remarks (Severine): Strength and authenticity is the key!

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Maxwell: Hi Christophe, could you tell us about your artistic journey, how did you become the person you are today?

Christophe: Hi Max, I'm originally a carpenter. I did my apprenticeship in this sector of activity. Then I went to work in a disinfection company for the treatment of frames against pests. After 20 years in this company, I had the opportunity to work for myself. Unfortunately, I realized very quickly that it wasn't for me. I quickly had anxiety attacks and loss of sleep, I felt out of place.

Convinced that everything has a meaning, during this complex period for me, I was able to discover myself, and in particular become aware of my hypersensitivity.

I was happy to have survived this burnout.

I have a philosophy “you can go from everything to its opposite”. So I went from pest control to artist. I was just told that “Rat” backwards is “Art”, I found it very nice.

One day I came across the Pinterest site, it was the click. At that moment, I had a call and I felt that I had to create, now.

I started to create at my own pace in my parents' workshop where I have the tools and materials needed to work with wood. I was spotted very quickly and I was offered to exhibit at a Christmas market and finally it was off!

What I like is that I can work at any time. I can go for a walk in nature, suddenly I see something that inspires me and I can start conceptualizing in my head the next creation, for me it has no value.

Maxwell: Great ! Thank you for this explanation! My next question is about your area. What was its impact on your work, color, material?

Christophe: Here in Yvonand, it's a place of very calm healing, there's the lake, people come to dream and it's a region in which you can find many places with vibration. This allows me to circulate my energy well. My sources of inspiration are often in resonance with the mountains. My creations have a good echo in the mountains. Maybe exhibiting in the mountains more frequently will be my future.

The lake has an influence on my creations, and now I am starting to create sails again. It's a form of mimicry of what I can find on our lake.

Closing remarks (Christophe): I would like to testify in relation to the various articles that I read. Creating with your own hands, even cooking, helps the body a lot, and the intellectual benefits are unimaginable.