Simone Pheulpin

Fabric sculptor | Puteaux, France

A natural world in cotton

For Simone, perfection is when there’s nothing more to add
In 1987 she participated in the Biennale de la Tapisserie in Lausanne
She likes to inspire young artisans

The natural world is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Simone Pheulpin, a French artist who takes inspiration from trees, flowers, natural sponges and shells. She uses raw cotton folded on itself and held in place by thousands of pins to create artworks that are in demand all over the world and feature in many important museums and private collections. It can take several months to create a single piece, depending on its size. The end result, for Simone, should be a piece of work that encourages people to think, to take time, to do things calmly, to travel with the mind and especially to dream.

Interview

©Julien Cresp

How did you get into this line of work?: I completely changed the course of my life: before becoming the artisan I am today, I was a tennis teacher! But in my free time I would create colourful decorative panels for my children’s room. That’s how it all began. In 1987, I started this new activity as a business, without going to an art school.
How has your business grown over the years?: Almost 40 years ago I started producing a few pieces, then I increased that more and more. Since I've had an agent, Florence Guillier Bernard from the itinerant gallery Maison Parisienne, the work has greatly increased. Now, to meet demands, I have to work almost every day.
How is your craft linked to your region?: My home town produced cotton for automobile tyres, so the material is traditional. But that's it. The way I use the cotton to build my artworks comes from myself and my creativity; it’s not a typical technique of the area.
What surprises people about your work?: People normally don't know that a sculpture is born first in my head, and if for some reason I can’t make it as I want, it will never see the light of day; I don’t show it to anyone. Some sculptures almost create themselves, with others I encounter problems, but the buyer doesn't know any of this.

Simone Pheulpin is an : she began her career in