🎨 MODAL EYEBROW

Project 01 — Private Commission

✍️ MODAL INTENT NOTE

« The Big One » is the fruit of a shared challenge and an extraordinary artistic journey.

It all began with the dream of a client who has become a dear friend: to bring the raw presence of a life-sized elephant into his everyday life. He did not simply want a painting — he was looking for a confrontation, a frontal emotion capable of dialoguing with the very architecture of his room.

Together, we thought through every detail in advance: the full-charge composition, the gaze looking straight into the eyes, the forward movement and that warm, almost palpable light of the savannah in late afternoon. The monumental format was born from this collaboration, dictated by the space that would receive it.

Once the composition was approved, I embarked on what remains one of the greatest challenges of my life as an artist. Over a year of solitary work in the studio, the canvas became a part of me. There were moments of intense doubt and immense joy, measured by the rhythm of worn-out brushes and emptied paint tubes as I brought this giant to life.

The day I applied the final brushstroke is etched in my memory as a moment of pure emotion and pride. Beyond the technical achievement, this painting perfectly embodies what a successful private commission is: the fusion between a collector’s vision and an artist’s project.

Today hanging in its new setting, The Big One continues to live. And that is the greatest pleasure of this adventure: knowing that a unique work has found its place in the story of a life, and being able, from time to time, to go and greet it.

🎨 MODAL EYEBROW

Project 02 — Private Commission

✍️ MODAL INTENT NOTE

The genesis of this painting rests on one of the most beautiful expressions of trust a collector can offer an artist: carte blanche.

When my client entrusted me with his desire to see a Canadian wolf come to life, he left me free to explore the subject. Immediately, my mind turned to our childhood fears and the fantastic imagery of the animal. Not the wolf of fairy tales, but the wilder, rawer one from the writings of Jack London.

This project was born from the desire to convey a powerful, almost mystical atmosphere: that of an enormous wolf, black as the night, whose golden gaze pierces the darkness without a shadow of fear before man.

Together, through our first exchanges, we had validated this quest for atmosphere. I then withdrew into the privacy of the studio to build the composition. The choice fell on a posture that was at once aggressive and defensive. To heighten the dramatic tension, the carcass and background were reduced to a dark, almost abstract mass, allowing the wolf’s face and gaze to impose themselves with full force.

The final result places the viewer at the heart of a story: we have just caught the wolf mid-meal, instantly becoming his rival.

This painting perfectly illustrates the magic of a private commission when the initial dialogue is complete: starting from a simple wish to journey together towards a work that is inhabited, narrative and intensely embodied.

🎨 MODAL EYEBROW

Project 03 — Private Commission

✍️ MODAL INTENT NOTE

« Aoskway » means Moose in the Huron language. It is under this name — heavy with history and myths — that this monumental work was born, the fruit of an intense artistic challenge and an exceptional private commission.

The project came to life on the return from a trip to Canada. My client, deeply moved by the vast open spaces, shared with me his fascination for this immense and majestic animal. From our very first exchanges, the objective was clear: the canvas had to convey the raw power of this incredible deer cleaving through the powder snow, heavy snow clinging to its chest in the raking winter light.

Painting a moose at such dimensions demands absolute precision to do justice to the texture of its coat and the heaviness of the winter atmosphere.

For me, naming a work is never trivial. The title must evoke a story, an underlying emotion that sometimes escapes the first glance. It was as the brushstrokes accumulated that the word « Aoskway » imposed itself as an obvious choice, invoking the spirit and respect of the Huron hunters who roamed these territories before us.

Unveiling the finished canvas is always a moment of great tension for me, but seeing my client instantly overwhelmed with emotion, finding the exact atmosphere of the boreal forest and the fascination of his journey, was an immense relief. Finally sharing the secret of this title with him sealed our adventure.