Coralie Huon is a multi-disciplinary creative, artist, and illustrator, exploring her passion for visual storytelling via various mediums, from illustrations, products, or larger scale installations and murals. Huon loves to transform concepts and stories into compelling visuals through creative collaborations . Her distinctive style translates as much in crisp black and white lines as well as bold and bright colourful creations.
Self-taught or art school?
I am self-taught, although I have been to applied art school and architecture school which have both included art classes.
I have been drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil and always pursued some form of visual arts and creative projects throughout my life.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
I would love a Richard Serra sculpture in my garden or a room with a light installation by Olafur Eliasson in my home.
How would you describe your style?
Realistic, Graphical, Illustrative.
I use a mix of acrylic and gouache paint pens and actual paint in my drawing and painting, resulting in landscapes expressed in clean, precise lines. Some of my drawings are exploring contrasts in black and white, working on the balance of shadow and light, and some of my artworks boast bright and bold colours.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
My work is often triggered by a feeling I want to express, often the feeling of connection, bliss, and expansion that retaliate my own experiences (often in climbing or hiking outdoors) or triggered by the picture of a place/a person that I find inspiring. I use photographs that I take on my own travels or that I gathered as a starting point of my artworks.
From the photographs, my mind creates a mental image of how it will translate into drawing or painting and I follow that impulse throughout my creative process. Since working with colours I do quick studies before starting bigger paintings to test colour harmonies, but not always. I work best instinctively, straight in the canvas, following the flow of the moment.
I have been following a slightly reverse process recently, where I have a colour composition in mind, some elements I want to play with, and a feeling I want to bring up one canvas, and I then look for the picture which will support this vision.
Is narrative important within your work?
It varies on which project I am working on. Some part of my work is about illustrating memories, places, and evoking the feeling related to these landscapes. In more recent works I have been using the mountains, the sun, the skies, the waves, etc as symbols and metaphors for a deeper meaning and an underlying narrative relating to my personal emotional experience.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
There is such a wealth of incredible artist in the world that are incredibly inspiring, it’s hard to pick! I will just pick three artists that have made an impact at different key times of my life:
Salvador Dali has been a massive revelation when I was a teenager, which is when I got interested in the world of art. His representations of dreams were awe-inspiring to me as well as one of the first time that I could see the glimpse of someone’s experience I could relate to through their paintings.
Ai Wei Wei is one of the contemporary artists that really create in me a wide variety of emotions, thinking, and reflections through his art. The way he manages to convey his messages in such an efficient and impactful yet unexpected way is something that I find deeply inspiring.
Closer to my own themes, I love the work of Jeremy Collins, an American artist, and adventurer. For his inspiring creations but also for his involvement and impact on communities around the world.
What or who inspire your art?
My work is mainly inspired by nature, landscapes, and outdoor sports, in particular mountains, and climbers. These themes are an echo of my own passions and of the experiences that makes me feel whole and joyfully alive.
I am also influenced by spiritual practices and thinking, such as yoga, meditation, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Where’s is your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is currently in my home.
It is a lovely space where I have both a garden-facing desk where I draw and an area dedicated to my painting practice. Having worked on a lot of smaller formats, I haven’t had the need to have a proper and bigger studio, although that may change soon as I am looking to dive into bigger formats. I have a wall where I pin all my drawings and ideas for years well as a free wall area that I use to test mural designs.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I start every day with a yoga and meditation practice to center and ground myself. You might not call it a studio practice per se but it’s a key one for me in order to get in the right energy and let the creativity flow freely.
I do listen a lot to audiobooks and podcasts when I paint, somehow the talking occupies a part in my brain that allows me to get into the deep flow and switch on my visual focus a notch!
At the end of the day, I cleaned up and tidy my space so I am ready to dive right in in the morning. It is also a ritual that allows me space and time to reflect on what I have done during the day and what I will tackle the next day. I sometimes complement this with some journaling.
What are you working on currently?
I am working on a painting series called “Eternal change”.
This body of work has been triggered by a series of events in 2020 that led to a personal breakdown, and the paintings are the narration through the phases and the emotional states experienced.
Through the symbols of the mountains, the sun, and the skies, the series is an exploration of the theme of grit, resilience, challenges, permanence and impermanence, trust and hope, holding on and letting go, known and unknown. This series aims to provide a sense of connection to bigger life cycles and to the bigger picture to help to express the subtle nuances of feelings of the mental struggles that can be experienced in the face of challenging times.
Where can we buy your art?
You can get in touch with me by email at contact@coraliehuon.com or via my Instagram @cocodro as well as through my website www.coraliehuon.com.
I have a monthly newsletter when I keep people posted on exhibitions & new artworks for sale (you can sign up on the website)
