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The art of movement sculpture. Originally an American mother, Jane Laoust, a dancer with Roland Petit, and the scion of a family of sculptors for three generations, Hannah Laoust has always been immersed in the world of dance and sculpture. A classical dancer herself, it was quite natural that she decided to devote herself to bronze work by combining her two passions: working with the material by sculpting the woman in movement, the woman who dances. She has been exhibiting since 1988 in France and abroad around her favorite themes, which are movement studies and expression studies. Winner of “Défi-Jeunes” in 1991, she created her own brand of “utility sculpture” in 1992 (Hannah Ligne Déco), offering her sculptures in jewelry, fountains, lighting, staircase sculpture... She executes her bronzes from A to Z in the family workshop in the Paris region in 1992 (excluding pig iron), and in various formats, making it possible to offer creations accessible to all. His creations are airy, delicate and bear witness to an inner impulse where the form, fixed in bronze, invites contemplation.

Since lockdown and for personal reasons, Hannah Laoust has taken a step back. However, she can be found on the artist market in Montparnasse, Place Edgard Quinet, where her creations are exhibited and sold directly to the public. Your gaze is lost among all these women who dance, pose, meditate, and are so many invitations to pose in the present moment while looking up. An delight for the senses where the variety of formats offered, from simple jewelry to more imposing shapes, makes it possible to make its creations accessible to all.

The art of raku. A Franco-Chinese artist, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de Versailles, member of the Association de la Maison des Artistes as a professional French artist, Changzheng Zhu has always been immersed in art, handling the art of sculpture as well as that of painting with as much dexterity and talent. Repeatedly rewarded in France, frequently invited to organize personal exhibitions in salons or galleries, recipients of numerous awards, her works were very quickly noticed. Combining various techniques from these two cultures, they cannot in fact leave anyone indifferent. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the voluptuousness, the melancholy, the shapes, the looks of the women who constitute the heart of his inspirations and creations, as well as by the techniques used and put forward in most of his works: raku, this cooking technique where the sculptures, undergoing a thermal shock when they come out of the oven, are covered in particular with fine cracks. This specific rendering is also found in some of his paintings, leading to the production and presentation of unique and singular objects, and completely original paintings.

Changzheng Zhu was met at the art market that is taking place (all?) Sundays in the Edgard Quinet district in Paris. Among the variety of artists present, it was at his stand that we stopped first. It must be said that she is a very friendly and warm artist, who spontaneously tells you about her art, the techniques, the processes used, which is quite fascinating. Its journey and its history reveal a rich and inspired itinerary where simplicity does not exclude technicality. In order to leave with a little something from home that reflects her work, we chose this little ladybug made using the raku technique. A lucky charm that will serve as a very elegant paperweight, maybe waiting for a table one day.

The art of sculpture: lost wax bronze. Sophie Barut offers us an art full of delicacy and tenderness. His sculptures are an invitation to contemplation and wonder at the small things of each moment that remind us of the fragility of life and the urgent need to not grasp. Interior designer for 18 years, passionate about sculpture and modeling since always, it was in 2018 that the big turning point took place: from her workshop in Caluires in the Rhône, Sophie Barut is now fully dedicated to her passion. Bronze became her favorite material: based on her original clay works, she worked in partnership with a foundry who made bronze molds and prints, using the lost-wax technique, a long process that has hardly changed since Rodin. Her atypical life path (her husband had a head injury 8 months after her marriage) is not foreign to the recurring themes encountered in her work: childhood, the delicate balance of life, friendship, love, love, the small inner path, the ode to life.

I knew the artist before the woman I can say, having recently read her book testimonial on her life as a couple and as a family, confronted with her husband's disability. A moving book that made this small sculpture, acquired a few years ago, even more dear to me, thanks to a hard-earned bonus. She was so proud when she arrived. I even gave him a first name: Heloise. It is very small, has a discreet presence but everything is in this discretion: it is there and there, with a palpable density for those who know how to contemplate it.

The art of making handmade watercolors. In her studio surrounded by greenery in the Paris region, Isabelle maintains this absolutely fabulous profession of creator of watercolors using traditional techniques. Mineral or organic pigments, gum arabic, a homemade binder to handmade honey, turns of a wheel, drying time in successive layers in cups, and here come out these magnificent watercolors in incomparable colors that you can admire in the photos below. A wonderful alchemy, the fruit of patience and passion, which can only be carried out in small quantities, on its own scale, in order to respect all the stages of production. Lovers of watercolors, professional or aspiring, can only marvel at the quality of the pigments, exceptional colors, which make these products real little jewels of know-how and excellence.

In addition to the craftsmanship that did not fail to seduce us at first glance, we must recognize that these color sets grouped by theme are divine. In their small metal box, watercolors have a delicate, elegant side. Each set has an inspired name, “Sublime Barks, Lapland, Heliopolis”, and each cup as well, which immediately invites you to dream and poetry. Small, these sets can be easily transported everywhere, and even without being a great artist in the field, owning them is already imagining being one. Friends of cosmetics, we would like to find these same colors in makeup boxes.

The art of patinated terracotta. In her studio in Sèvres surrounded by greenery, more than fifteen years ago Guénolée began to immerse her hands in clay, this material which after firing becomes “terracotta”. This discovery will be a real revelation for her and the beginning of a great personal and creative adventure. A training with a sculptor from the Manufacture de Sèvres and another at the Ecole Boulle to learn to skate terracotta, gave him the impetus to create his own works. All its pieces are handmade and then fired at 1000 degrees in its ceramic oven before being patinated to the chosen color, the patina consisting in giving it its finish, its final appearance. Everything comes out of his hands, which gives each piece a unique and authentic character, which can even be personalized on request.

I met the works of Guénolée Courcoux about ten years ago and immediately, I loved the simplicity of her characters and the charm that emanated from them. My first acquisition was this sitting woman with a black patina, then the dreamy girl autographed for my daughter and the angel autographed for my son, when they were still very small. It is therefore a great pleasure for me to be able to pay tribute to this artist on this site who has accompanied us for a long time. Note: the seated woman is a model that is now offered and sold exclusively by Sézane as part of a partnership with this brand.

The art of dominotry. Dominotry is the design and manufacture of printed wallpaper, also called “domino paper” or “domino”. A wonderful heritage of the decorative arts of the 17th and 18th centuries, these sheets of paper measuring approximately 32×42 cm, decorated with small repeating patterns, were mainly used for the covers of books awaiting binding or for binding paperback books. They were also used to fill boxes and boxes or for wall decoration in small rooms such as corridors or alcoves. The beauty of these papers was primarily due to the use of hand-made rag laid papers. The outlines of the patterns were printed directly on the raw paper using an engraved wooden board, then colorized with stencils or painted by hand. These decorated papers gradually disappeared at the end of the 18th century with the invention of continuous paper (roll) by the French Louis-Nicolas Robert, who promoted the development of wallpaper in the 19th century. Created in 2012 by two heritage restorers specializing in wallpaper, the company A Paris chez Antoinette Poisson, (name given in tribute to the Marquise de Pompadour, born Jeanne-Antoinette Poussin, a great lover of the arts and in particular of wallpapers), the company A Paris chez Antoinette Poisson, (name given in tribute to the Marquise de Pompadour, born Jeanne-Antoinette Poussin, a great lover of the arts and in particular of wallpapers), settled in the heart of the former craft district of Paris, rue Saint Sabin.

A few years ago, A Paris at Antoinette Poisson joined our lifestyle at Antoinette Poisson. For reasons of cost, I have not yet had the pleasure of offering myself an entire wall lined with these wonderful domino papers. On the other hand, it is possible to get dominoes by the sheet and frame them. Antoinette Poisson also offers, much like in the past, manufactured objects: boxes covered with paper, envelopes, notebooks, fabrics, cushions... a way to dispose of a few more accessible objects and to live in this very 18th century spirit with timeless charm.