A bit of mischief.

I do not see myself as a serious painter. I enjoy it and have what they call 'fun ': a little bit of Chinoiserie, A Little Bit of Mischief. Can I call it? It is with watercolours that I am serious and, following layer by layer, make a work! The Work!

Chinoiserie has something rather irresistible about it... Flowers that have never bothered with botanical accuracy, birds that might have escaped from somebody's imagination, and branches that seem to have a life of their own.

As an artist, I find this style wonderfully liberating. Why worry about making a peony look exactly like a peony when you can give it a dozen extra petals, an extravagant personality and perhaps a touch of pink? And why should a bird obey the laws of nature when it can be turquoise, slightly eccentric and dressed for a royal occasion?

I enjoyed playing with the flowers, twisting branches, decorative leaves and unexpected little details. The warm background gives everything a slightly vintage feel, while the colours do their best to create a garden that is far too cheerful to be realistic.

I suppose this is not really about painting nature as it is, but about painting nature as I would like it to be: a little more theatrical, a little more colourful and considerably less concerned with behaving itself.

After all, if we cannot put an imaginary bird in a garden, where can we put one? Do you have a wall that needs my birdies?