How did you get into this line of work?
I completely changed the course of my life: before becoming the artisan I am today, I was a tennis teacher! But in my free time I would create colourful decorative panels for my children’s room. That’s how it all began. In 1987, I started this new activity as a business, without going to an art school.
How has your business grown over the years?
Almost 40 years ago I started producing a few pieces, then I increased that more and more. Since I've had an agent, Florence Guillier Bernard from the itinerant gallery Maison Parisienne, the work has greatly increased. Now, to meet demands, I have to work almost every day.
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How is your craft linked to your region?
My home town produced cotton for automobile tyres, so the material is traditional. But that's it. The way I use the cotton to build my artworks comes from myself and my creativity; it’s not a typical technique of the area.
What surprises people about your work?
People normally don't know that a sculpture is born first in my head, and if for some reason I can’t make it as I want, it will never see the light of day; I don’t show it to anyone. Some sculptures almost create themselves, with others I encounter problems, but the buyer doesn't know any of this.