Name
Bénédicte Gelé
Website & Places you can find my work online
I have got a web site : www.artcheval.com, a blog in french: www.humeurs-equines.com and Artcheval on Facebook
Where I am
I am a French who lives in Shanghai for a unknown moment.
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I come from Courbevoie, a city very close to Paris. I have made all my studies near Paris. I always hated the school and I doubled all the classes of the end of cycle.
I loved just horses, friends and to draw… for my future job, i choose the drawing and I have obtained a certificate in Visual Communication. I became graphite designer for about 10 years. I really like my work until I lose it in 2004. I took the plunge as independent graphic designer.
When did you first start drawing & painting horses?
Like lots of girls, I have always drawn horses on my school books. I made some portraits with pastels when I was young for people who asked me for them, but that’s all. I had taken back brushes seriously in 2000, I made landscapes in oil in this period.
But in 2004, my boyfriend ask me why I didn’t draw horses because, in fact, I am fascinated by this animal ? I had never thought about that. But he was right. It was evident.
What is your favorite breed to use as a subject?
I really have no race preferred, but at the moment I am attracted by the baroque horses for their round and robust shape. But I can be attracted by a racehorse or some horse or other in a meadow since he has a glance, a posture which inspires me. I made a lot of glance of horses and I think that the eye is beyond the race.
Who are your main artistic influences?
I fall in love with the work of a french painter: Ben Ami Koller. He was an excellent draftsman with a strength of outstanding line. There is very strong black in his works.
Do you (or did you) have an animal that is the muse behind your work?
Yes of course. I have a mare since she have 5 years old. She have 22 years now. She appears in a lot of my work in a period.
And now, I have also a younger mare who inspire me a lot because she is Spanish with lots of wonderful round shapes!
Do you have any secret rituals you do to help you get in the zone for your art?
Not really but sometimes when I have some difficulties starting, I take time to prepare my work area. I like painting with music too!
Is there a particular place that brings you inspiration?
No. I paint at home because I don’t want people see me. I’m afraid about that! I will not be able to draw outdoor or in the desert maybe!
What effect do you think the Internet is having on art?
I think it’s a very good thing because without we can’t show our work. It is a window on the world.
And I can sell my work all over the world too. I made very beautiful friendship with other artists. I love Internet for that. Internet it is also to get advice or to give it onto our current work, to have immediate reactions. That helps to advance.
Which one is your personal favorite piece?
Recently I have some of it. What is very rare because I am never really satisfied and so I do not really like very much it. So I like “Regard VI and “Le cri” because that represents well what I have in mind.
Would you ever sell it?
I am attached in no way to my paintings, it represents what I wanted to make over the moment but after I leave on other things and we make our life each other from our part.
On the contrary, I will be delighted when it will leave, that will be a real gift.
What else are you passionate about?
I have no others passions but I can be easily interested in other things. For example, i began to (try to !!) learn Cheneese, its very interesting ! I like the photo but I have enough time to dedicate myself to it completely. I love reading also.
Working on anything new?
Not really new but I just carry on my road of creation and I navigate of medium in medium, and there I took back the watercolor!
More to Come
Thanks to Gelé for answering the interview and sharing her work. Be sure to check out her horse art site periodically for updates about her latest works.
Also stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists and photographers.
Are you a horse artist or do you know an equine artist you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop us a note to get involved.
Thanks so much for sharing this interview and the pictures. This gal’s talented. So strange she didn’t see her passion until recently. She really has an eye and art for capturing the horse in an unusual and gripping way. I’ll be keeping an eye on Bénédicte Gelé as I imagine her work will be celebrated in the future. What a great find!