The work of Sylvie Marillaud is truly unique, refined and poetic.
Born in Poitiers in 1974, Sylvie Marillaud moved to the Island of Oleron on the Atlantic coast at the age of 16 to complete her bachelor’s degree in art studies.
In 1995, Sylvie was admitted to the Beaux-Arts of Nantes and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris to obtain her diploma in Art Studies. During her studies, she exhibited in various emerging art shows at the Alain Le Bras gallery in Nantes and at the Centre d’art contemporain de Toulouse.
From 2000, in parallel to her artistic creation, Sylvie teaches art in schools and then uses her entrepreneurial and graphic design talents to create the clothing brand “ La Coti ” which honors her adopted island that has inspired her so much over the years.
In 2018, Sylvie sold her brand to focus exclusively on art.
Since those early years of study, Sylvie has continued her personal research that led her to create the unique technique she currently uses.
First, she photographs the rich outdoor environment of the island, which she digitally reworks and transfers onto wood. The pigmentation of the image naturally becomes embedded in the wood grains and thus begins her creative process based on the application of various painting techniques. Once finished, the final image becomes a “mille-feuille” of artistic techniques that mixes photo with painting… or painting with photo perhaps? The genre of the medium no longer exists.
Why this black band?
The black stripe that regularly adorns the base of the works is directly influenced by the architecture of the houses on the island. Typically, the facades of the houses on the island of Oleron are painted white, and have a black stripe painted with tar at the bottom of the walls to protect against moisture. The glare of the island’s sun lands on these black and white walls and awakens the intensity of all the surrounding colors. This retinal experience influences the way she composes her work.