Portrait (n°46) (2024) Painting by David Stany Garnier

David Stany Garnier, a contemporary French artist, embarked on his artistic journey by joining a painting studio during his teenage years. Following this, he pursued a preparatory class at the Ateliers de Sèvres in Paris and later continued his studies at the Beaux-Arts d'Angers. Specializing in the visual communication option from the third year onwards, he explored various mediums such as video, computer graphics, photography, lithography, and screen printing.

Influenced by diverse sources, including advertising, Japanese visual arts, and cinema, Garnier developed a unique approach to his art. Unlike digital media, he places significant importance on the materiality of his works. He values the textural elements created by layers of paint, embracing accidents and extra thicknesses that catch light in distinctive ways.

Garnier's artworks often resemble palimpsests, where remnants of previous attempts contribute to the thickness and richness of a new image. The use of acrylics, known for their quick drying, allows him to work swiftly and capture the immediacy of his creative impulses. The process is akin to quick sketching, where a single stroke can encapsulate the essence of the intended representation.

One notable distinction from digital art is the irreversible nature of painting, without the luxury of the Ctrl + Z command. Garnier navigates the complexities of decision-making in his creative process, grappling with whether to improve, erase, or leave a stroke untouched. The accumulation of strokes and blots, while unpredictable, often leads to unexpected starting points and new approaches to the initially envisioned subject.