Mayeul Gauvin

Wallpaper maker

©Alexandre Tabaste

Stories told on painted surfaces

Mayeul designs and paints custom decorative murals, textures and set designs
She uses a recipe she developed for sculptural carton-pierre in her pieces
Her creations are made using ancestral, eco-conscious techniques and natural paints

Mayeul Gauvin creates custom wall murals and set designs rooted in a profound respect for craftsmanship and storytelling. She pivoted careers to pursue her life-long dream of opening her own atelier. Mayeul studied decorative painting at École Pivaut in Nantes following her academic training in art history and literature. Today, her practice combines ancestral techniques, such as tempera painting, with contemporary experimentation, including her own recipe for sculptural carton-pierre material. Inspired by natural textures, textile motifs and art history, she approaches each commission as a site-specific narrative. Not only is her work visually rich, but it also aims to make painting practices more environmentally conscious.

Interview

©Felix Marye

What motivated you to pursue decorative painting?: At the end of the first year of my master’s degree in art history, I realised it was my last chance to follow my dream. I secretly took the entrance exam for the decorative painting programme at École Pivaut, and everything changed once I got accepted.
What makes your craft unique?: I create custom, site-specific work that blends historical techniques with sustainable materials, such as oil and tempera painting with a sculptural carton-pierre material I developed myself. I specialise in oil-painted décor on all kinds of surfaces – furniture, objects and canvases. I tend to use a place or an object as a starting point to imagine layered, intersecting stories.
What inspires your creations?: I am inspired by natural materials, traditional textile patterns and art history. However, a pivotal moment for me was a volunteer trip I took to Togo, where I discovered natural paints. This experience profoundly shaped my values and practice.
What do you love the most about your practice?: I love the flexibility of painting and its ability to tell stories in all its forms. It is one of the earliest artisanal gestures created by humans, and it has existed across all cultures and throughout every era. Also, although I am frequently commissioned for abstract textures, my foundation is in hyperrealistic figurative painting, which remains a passion of mine.

Mayeul Gauvin is a rising star she began her career in 2016