Jane Puylagarde

Decorative painter

©Thomas Dufour

©Yacine Sadik

©Irina Zadek

©Yacine Sadik

©Florent Michel

Finding art in drops and shadows

Jane is a self-taught artist who builds 3D designs through layering paint
Nature, movement and shadow inspire her artworks
Her technique requires physical endurance and extreme precision

After studying law and political science, Jane Puylagarde found herself in the world of artistic creation and decorative painting. A chance encounter with a Mexican ceramicist introduced her to painting, which she first explored on everyday objects such as hat boxes. In the year 2000, Jane opened her own studio and, entirely self-taught, began developing a unique technique of applying drops of paint one by one to create textured, three-dimensional surfaces. “Working alone allowed me to build my own method and push my creative limits,” she says. Jane's practice is slow and physically demanding, each canvas requiring months of concentration and precise repetition. “I do not work with a message in mind. What matters to me is watching how the technique evolves and how it allows each person to feel something different,” Jane explains.

Interview

©Isabela Mayer

©Yacine Sadik

What was a turning point in your career?: The biggest turning point in my career was meeting an American collector who bought several of my paintings. He promoted me on social media and recommended my work to his circle of collector friends.
What life lesson has your craft taught you?: I learned to give myself time to complete projects and accept that it may be several months before my canvases were finally hung on the studio wall. I also learned to understand the journey of inspiration, from absorbing ideas to expressing them using my technique.
What is the most challenging aspect of your craft?: There is a technical need to work indoors to preserve the purity of the canvases, which requires a lot of endurance. I also find the physical strain of working seated and hunched over every day quite challenging.
What advice would you give someone starting out in this field?: The hardest part is reinventing yourself. It is important to find your own style – not to imitate, but to explore and evolve continuously.

Jane Puylagarde is an expert artisan she began her career in 1992