I was born in France in 1975, in Fresnes, close to Paris. I still live in Ile de France where I have my workshop. I began painting in 1998. Most of the time, I paint in oil on large canvases. I especially like the rough feeling of a linen canvas under my brush, and sometimes it happens that the natural color of the canvas becomes part of the painting.

Besides painting, I like to draw nudes using pastels, and sketches in black and white. ? ?My paintings sometimes show people facing the viewer, sometimes only their gaze. I also like to paint scenes that are dreamlike or even grotesque with, I hope, some poetry. My main source of inspiration is man, the human being with his dreams, his myths, his fears and contradictions, his relationship with others or the world. Although I also like to achieve nude portraits in the classical style, more often phantasmagoria dominates my work. Through my work and the themes of my paintings, I feel close to the currents of the visionary / Symbolist / fantastic realism/ art nouveau. On the other hand my technique is inspired by painters of the Renaissance, the Impressionists, the Fauves, as well as cartoonists. These inhabit my mind and my dreams; when I work, they inspire me. ? ?Prior to attending classes at the Ecole Emile Cohl in Lyon (France), I practiced street art for some time, namely graphs. Once I completed my studies as an illustrator, my interest turned exclusively to painting. I began exhibiting my work in galleries of contemporary art.

http://www.arnaud-grappin.com