Rodrigues' adventure
In November, the hotel Le Pélican welcomed a new arrival... Rodrigues, a beautiful blue bird coming straight from the Atlantic Coast! During the trip, our dear friend unfortunately injured his leg. Katrine Gaultier, the visual artist who gave him life then traveled to Annecy to take care of him. Now Rodrigues is like new and proudly awaits you at reception! Back on our meeting with Madame Gaultier, a nurse like no other...
Katrine Gaultier's interview
Groupe PVG (PVG): Hello Katrine, can you tell us about your job as a plastic artist, where do you get your passion from?
Katrine Gaultier (KG): To be honest, I think I have always been a plastic artist, I was born that way! I had my first painting class very young and my first prize in small class. I have always worked with my hands. When I was older, I went to graphic art school and then worked in advertising.
PVG: Oh yes ? It's funny that you haven't turned to a craft job, even if the advertising includes a bit of creativity.
KG: Yes, because working in advertising before was very different. There was no Internet yet, we did not have computers. We worked a lot with our hands. When we had to do a design, we would take our brush, markers or pencils and we worked, so that suited me quite well.
PVG: And what is the suite of your experience?
KG: When I got married I gave up this profession to work with my husband. I had children but have always kept art in my life: I continued to paint and took classes at the Fine Arts or with artists in order to learn different techniques and after a few years I created a society.
PVG: What type of business was it?
KG: An interior design company! There is always this relationship to art: I worked with traditional techniques such as frescoes, tadelak or stucco. I did this for ten years, currently I continue to work but I devote myself much more to my artistic and creative activities.
PVG: You talk to us a lot about drawing and painting. How did you get this attraction for sculpture?
KG: It is true that at the time, I painted a lot more than I sculpted even though I touched the clay a little. Until I discovered a technical that really excited me: the wire fence! Visible or invisible, it is often worked with papier mache. Personally, I use resin.
PVG: Is that the technical you used to create Rodrigues?
KG: Yes exactly! This is the technical of wire fence with a metal structure, wire mesh and different layers of materials. These are several layers sanded, repainted and pigmented. For Rodrigues, I used reinforcing bar, resin and a special paint with different mixtures of colors to achieve the blue of the final result.
PVG: That's a big job! How long did it take you?
KG: It is true that it takes a while. Beforehand, there is quite a bit of hard but necessary soldering, which allows the skeleton of the animal to be built. It's a bit like a small architecture, I weld the pieces of iron together, then I add the wire mesh and then I use my different products. By counting the many drying times, we are on a good fortnight to make an animal like Rodrigues.
PVG: While visiting your Instagram account, we saw several pelicans… Rodrigues has friends, doesn't he?
KG: Yes indeed! The pelican is an animal that I love very much, I really appreciate its symbolism and I have made several of them. But fear not: each piece is unique and since they are handmade, none are alike! Pelicans do not have the same look, the same posture or the same hairstyle. You see, Rodrigues has more hair than others! I sometimes use scavenged materials and this is the case with his little powder puff. I collect a lot of things on the beach by the Atlantic.
PVG: Interesting! Rodrigues was definitely made for the hotel Le Pélican between the symbolism of the place, the color blue and this eco-responsible aspect... You have made a long journey to repair Rodrigues with a leg injury. Is this often the case with your job as a plastic artist?
KG: It's normal, I like a job well done and I was sorry to learn of his injury during the transport! And yes, I have to travel a lot throughout France for expositions. I also work on a whim, depending on whether the place tempts me, whether I've been to it before, whether I like it or not. I love it, it's always fun to discover new places! For example, when I was in Annecy I walked by the lake and took pictures of the ducks, it was inspiring. I have been to Annecy before but that was at least 20 years ago… I see that it has changed a lot but it is still magnificent! I will gladly come back to see you again and I am delighted that Rodrigues has found a beautiful place like Le Pélican to live.
PVG: Well thank you very much Madame Gaultier! Glad to have been able to welcome you, talk to you and thank you again for coming to treat our dear Rodrigues.
Find Katrine Gaultier on her Instagram account RIGHT HERE.