Mise à jour le 20/02/2023
Brigitte's natural paints
Brigitte shares her journey, paintbrush in hand, with clarity and simplicity.
Introducing the craftsman(1) painter
I am originally from Morbihan but I also have Burgundian roots. I have lived in the Gulf of Morbihan for about fifteen years.
In my exploration of painting, I was quickly drawn to ancient techniques that utilize natural materials and binders. Since these techniques are no longer taught in art schools, I sought training through workshops.
In this context, I was introduced to the technique of icon writing at the Abbey of Saint-Martin de Mondaye located in Calvados by Odile EVRARD, former student of Father DROBOT, Russian Master-iconographer, as well as to the technique of fresco by Jean-Jacques JOLINON, fresco artist, at Les Passeurs de Fresques who provide their training in Troyes in the Aube.
It was during a retreat at the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Marie de la PierreQui-Vire located in the Yonne that I discovered painting on burlap with hide glue.
This technique was used by the monk painters of this abbey, notably Dom Angelico SURCHAMP (initiator of the Zodiaque editions) and Brother Yves in the post-war years.
I work on burlap.(2) raw, heavy-weight paper that I stretch either on a frame or on bamboo bars.
The pictorial material is composed of natural pigments.(3) such as earths and ochres(4) mixed with a binder made of rabbit skin glue(5) cooked then diluted with water.
The paint is applied hot to the canvas. In some cases, the binder used is egg yolk mixed with water and vinegar, according to the icon painting technique.
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“Rapha-El or God heals”
"I was sent to test your faith, and God sent me at the same time to heal you." Book of Tobit 12:12-15.
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments)
Skin glue - egg. (100 x 100) -
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My aim is to create a simple and understated painting, made of flat areas of color and not tempered by artifice of brushstrokes; a calm painting that leads to naked and silent contemplation… The ultimate goal being: to paint “The Sound of Subtle Silence” (1 Kings 1:19-12). I held my first exhibition at the Chapel of Arradon (where I live) during the summer of 2019.
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(1) Craftsman – painter: a traditional manual trade in which the working of the material takes precedence. “The humility of the craftsman who must submit to the material”: a quote from Dom Angelico Surchamp, monk and painter of the Abbey of Sainte Marie de la Pierre Qui Vire.
(2) Jute: derived from the bark of the trunk of the white jute plant (Corchorus capsularis), a herbaceous tree about 3 to 4 meters tall cultivated in tropical climates (mainly in India and Bangladesh). The fiber is extracted by retting (soaking in water), and then the fibers are hung in the open air to dry naturally. It is an environmentally friendly, artisanal crop as it requires few inputs. Jute fiber is known as "golden fiber" because of its golden sheen.
(3) These pigments, extracted from the soil and naturally oxidized in their natural environment, exhibit remarkable stability over time, unlike synthetic pigments which can change by oxidizing in contact with air or react with each other. Thus, canvases created by the monks of La Pierre-qui-Vire more than 70 years ago using this technique have retained their vibrant colors.
(4) Except for blues, which no longer exist in natural pigments. I use two synthetic blues: ultramarine blue and coeruleum blue, which is a cobalt blue (but which is unfortunately only a pale copy of the wonderful Chartres blue).
(5) Rabbit skin glue: a natural binder used since ancient times (probably since humans began painting). Raw rabbit skin glue comes in the form of granules. After soaking in water for 24 hours, the glue is cooked in a water bath at a maximum temperature of 60°C. Upon cooling, it solidifies into a gel (natural glues are thixotropic, meaning they solidify when cooled and liquefy when heated). The glue is always used warm.
"The Inner Child"
The canvas is placed behind a stainless steel sculpture "The Wedding" by Philippe Le RAY, they resonate: the Light illuminates the inner energies under the gaze of God.
Raw burlap – pigments – hide glue. (100 x 100)
“Jesus came into your day,
Didn't you see it?
The circle, and by extension the basket, symbolizes the divine. Our earthly lives, symbolized by the square, are more or less dark or light, but all are rooted in the divine. They are represented in a variation of natural landscapes, in reference to the man of the seventh day of Genesis, molded from clay and destined to return to the state of clay.
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue. (112 x 80 cm)
"Christ the Savior"
“Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him; with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 90
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue – egg – (88 x 85)
Ave Maris Stella
Mary embraces the world. Or in Mary's arms
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue. (Diptych 2 x 120 x 100)
Living Water Raw Burlap
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” “Lord, give me this water so that I may never thirst again.” John 4:13-15.
Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue. (Triptych 3 x 100 x 100)
We are pleased to share with you that Brigitte has joined her Lord on October 17, 2023