Caroline Besse

Decorative painter | Saint-Julien-en-Quint, France

Living and breathing colour

Caroline has invented her very own painting medium
She considers her body to be her primary tool
She works with interior decorators as well as private clients

Through her decorative panels, Caroline Besse explores the sensitivity and intensity of colour. With her unique mastery, this artisan-painter has created her own medium with which to paint, a substance that combines the fluidity of Chinese ink with crushed minerals, creating a rich and luminous texture. After studying Van Der Kelen's decorative painting techniques, Caroline trained in Chinese calligraphy and ink painting under a Chinese master. She encountered crushed minerals through Buddhist painting, while Nihonga, traditional Japanese paintings, form the basis of her craft.

Interview

©Caroline Besse

How are tradition and innovation expressed in your craft?: Tradition can be seen in the techniques I use. I have adapted them to invent and imagine new decorative panels. While using my traditional know-how, it was essential for me to create a contemporary and clean visual. Through minimalist graphics, I reveal the character of each colour.
What do you like most about your profession?: Everything! From painting alone in the studio, to sharing it with the decorator and the client. I particularly love to see how colours interact with humans.
What may people not realise about your work?: Maybe the amount of preparation. It takes ten layers to make one colour, and around 24 hours of drying time between each layer. So it takes many days to complete one panel! It requires lots of patience; the entire process is linked to patience.
How is your craft linked to the area where you live?: Though based in Paris, I recently opened a workshop in the Vercors region. Here, I am in direct contact with nature and its neverending inspiration. I use spring water for my paintings. On the other hand, Paris is the place where all the great architects and decorators are, where culture lives.

Caroline Besse is a master artisan: she began her career in 1996 and she started teaching in 2009