We first met Brigitte du Merac in Paris last year and were thrilled when her colorful little landscapes were scooped up quickly. We went back begging for more and Brigitte did not disappoint. We also got a chance to learn more about this spirited French woman who just returned from sailing the world on cargo ships, dodging pirates and hopping on and off with canvas and brushes in hand to capture the local scenery.
Brigitte du Merac started her illustrious career as an illustrator of Christmas cards … when she was seven years old. Her parents had other intentions for her, but this young free spirit knew then that she wanted to be an artist. She went on to study at the prestigious “Sup” in Paris (the Ecole Superieure des Arts Appliques) with training as a student in the studios of the City of Paris of La Grande Chaumiere. For the last fifteen years, the artist has been painting full-time, and supporting herself as an artist.
As an eternal optimist, it isn’t surprising that Brigitte’s works are animated with energy, light and love of life. Her optimism and positive outlook has translated so well to canvas that several doctors have used her work as a form of art therapy. In fact, many of her paintings hang in doctor’s offices all over Paris. The artist was recently (2007) featured in an article in the French magazine, “Art et Artiste.”
Brigitte is a great adventurer. When we last saw her, she was on her way to Mali for a few weeks, to paint. She had just returned from a trip around the world on a cargo ship, where she got off at every port and painted quickly before the ship took off again. In her own words:
“I feel painting is a fulfillment which I currently try and make people share in giving them moments of joy, poetry and emotion. I love colour, light, harmony, faraway spaces that induce dream and escape. My favourite subjects are Brittany and the South of France, but I also enrich my vision with wide new horizons taken from my travels all over the world. I first capture the lush of nature which surrounds me by listening, breathing fragrances, feeling coolness, heat or wind, that is to say, the atmosphere. I then choose the lines and stresses which my painting will be composed of. Emotion arises from these multiple encounters, that I like to express on canvas. I am a personal admirer of Rembrandt, Goya, but also Pissarro, Monet, Corot, Turner, Cézanne and de Staël: These are my masters. They motivate me to get higher and improve.”
AWARDS
Silver Medal (Frette-sur-Seine)
Honour Medal (Versailles)
E.Bernard's Award (Cormeilles)
A.Prince's Award (Beauchamp)
Maurice Martin's Award (Moret-sur-Loing)
Taylor Foundation's Award
Purchase of the City of Paris (1993)
First Prize of the City of Paris (1996)
Gold Medal (Frette sur Seine)(2001)
First Prize of the City of Corbeille (2002)
Medal of the City of Moret-sur-Loing (2003)
Mark Price, Petit - Charenton (2003)
EXHIBITIONS
Salon des Indépendants (member), Paris
Salon des Artistes Français (member), Paris
Shows in Versailles,Vanves,Rambouillet,Cormeilles,Pontoise,Chatou,Maisons-Laffitte,Bourg-La-Reine,Enghien-les-Bains,Paris…
Personal exhibitions in France and abroad:
Nicosia (Cyprus,1994),Brussels (Belgium 1997,1999,2000),Lille (France,1997),Lausanne (Switzerland,1999,2000,2001),New York (U.S.A,1998), Hamburg (Germany,1999),Berlin (2000)
Hong-Kong (2001), GMAC (Paris, from 1997 o 2002)
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