Marie-Isabelle Callier

Decorative painter

©Geraldine de Caritat

Dreamy landscape panels

Marie-Isabelle makes double-sided paper screens
Her creations have a mysterious transparency
She is inspired by nostalgia and nature

Marie-Isabelle Callier started out as a graphic designer and advertising illustrator, and subsequently focused on children’s books and painting. Since 2018, she makes painted room dividers with a special technique – she paints in watercolour on waxed Japanese paper. “I coat the paper with wax to make it waterproof and give it a velvety transparency that changes with the lighting,” she explains. With her double-sided screens, Marie-Isabelle aims to create a dialogue from both sides of the screen. “The murmurs of the material continue on the other side. Depending on the light, the transparency allows us to see a certain blur, a presence of light and delicate shadows. There is an invitation to go see and experience the material on the other side.” Marie-Isabelle is currently based in Luxembourg.

Interview

©Vincent Flammion

©Geraldine de Caritat

How would you define what you do?: I try to offer people beautiful images that allow their mind to get lost in serene thoughts. To be able to do that, I need to think, observe and feel freely. I then express my experiences in my very own way.
What are some of your sources of inspiration?: Nostalgia is an important one, for example childhood memories. Nature is another: my work often features landscapes, in which trees take centre-stage. By shifting between the abstract and figurative, I create a scenery that appears distant and personal at the same time.
In what way are the images you create linked to a territory?: They are not linked to an actual territory, only to my imaginary territories. These are places, often based on memories, that I can only visit in my dreams. I am for example inspired by childhood memories of poplar trees along canals in Flanders.
What does 'well made' mean to you?: I consider a work as well made when there is no defect in it, so you can feel a unity. Think of the vital force called qi in Chinese culture, which literally means ‘breath’ and refers to a kind of material energy. I want to give such a feeling of energy to the people who look at my work.

Marie-Isabelle Callier is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1988