le village à St François (2013) Sculpture by Claire Richelme

Claire was born in Provence in 1957.During her childhood she was immersed in the bright colors and warm light of south of France.She began to draw and paint at a very young age but it's French Literature that she studied in Aix en Provence.Then,attracted by the tropics she left for the Indian Ocean where she taught drawing and geography to the Muslim children of the island of Mayotte.
In1980 she landed in guadeloupe(French West Indies) where sheopened an Art Gallery(Gallerie Ayti). She traveled frequently to the island of Haïti to collect Naïf Art. Throughout the years she felt the urge to paint the beloved islands.Inflenced by the naïf paintings, she dares to use the bright colors of life under the sun. As she traveled and hung around the painters studios, she became mor involved in relations than in business.In 1984, she met the painter Callebault who taught her how to use all the earth colors like burnt sienna and umber,to catch the typical attitude in her drawins, the very special traits of locals(market places, fishermen...)Her time in the magical town of Jacmel and historic town of Cap Haïtian , her attraction to voodoo and the
contacts to native artists gave her material to express.
Claire works also with watercolors but it's acrylic that she prefers to give strength to her painting. She also uses glass tile from Italy to execute magnificient mosaïcs.

• Nationality: FRANCE
• Date of birth : 1957
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary French Artists