Inspiration
Each painting originates from a quote, a poem or even her own writing and which inspires her to create more profoundly. This deeper understanding becomes a revelation of insight.
As a graphic designer, Agnes draws constant inspiration from her study and awareness of current and contemporary trends. The result can be seen in these unique and stunning pieces. In her use of wood, Agnès seeks to transmit the harmonious vibration of nature’s unending life energy to the viewer. Her merging together of these primal materials evokes the mystery of creation. The individually shaped and sanded pieces of wood bring life to her paintings. Their intersections create a remarkable graphic effect and thus become much like the musical notes on a score. They become a visual counterpart to a musical symphony, bringing dimension and depth to the paintings while also offering the viewer various levels of personal interpretation.
"Words converge where fine wood meet, intersections combine and ideas unite".
They become the calligraphy of distant countries or continents, each far from the other, but meeting here. Through this diversity of cultures and the richness of humanity, we are taken on a voyage of enlightenment. Extracted from a living composition, after a year of exploration, connecting shapes, mixing and matching colors at the intersections of lines, new forms emerge. Letters and words are transformed into an imaginary world that closely collects and poetically unifies diverse ethnic groups. This mixture of symbols - juxtaposed, intermingled or associated - was born from the idea of a simultaneous communion of cultures and the senses, safeguarding their singular oneness.
These recurring themes are often linked to the idea of travel - physical, intellectual or spiritual. Whether in relation to nature, or a personal inner journey, these inspirations take us towards the cradle of life. Agnės Bouche leads us there.
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CARPE DIEM
«Seize and enjoy the present day» (Horace)
Bargain-hunting here and there-deep within oneself-, taming the subtle sensations felt back at the sight of the slightest shades, and detecting one’s own «centre of gravity»- this axis intimately linked to the blissful moment when one can say «carpe diem» - all this leads us to what is essential: to hear beyond the music we are listening to, and see beyond the words we are reading, to feel beyond all interpretations and juggle with our most convoluted emotions.
Being lucky enough to be an artist is being able to seize any ordinary and fleeting moment in life, like childhood memories, as original paths full of colours flashing in mind, and then assimilate them instinctively and intensively. I wish I could immortalize the merest moments leading to friendship and love, and intensify the divine link among artists-all of us being artists in some way.
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FOREST BATH
It is five o’clock in the morning during the rainy season. I am fully immersed in the incredible rainforest. I am thrilled by inimitable visions of myriad dark greens which glow amid the glimmering reds of the lush shade. Many variations of Mother Earth’s life forms seem to exist here, and their presence evokes the virile power of life witnessed in the voluptuous encounters between microcosm and macrocosm. Each inch of that black or red earth is full of life, whether plant, animal or mineral. Thus, everything seems to be allowed - nothing happens by chance. Gigantic fan-shaped palms vibrate like djembe drums in the driving rain creating bass sounds that muffle the strident whistling of invisible birds. The huge sturdy leaves pulsate color and quiver in greenish blues producing sparkling variegated reflections. The sap is oozing its odor, mixed with the sweet smell of the alluvium humus. The world is teeming with life. The animals have nestled in the shadows and uttered fewer and fewer sounds. The Buffle toads with their piercing croaking seem to be transmitting a trickle of signals to the grumpy apes which are brawling hoarsely.
Like living fossils, the tree-ferns have spread open. Swollen with dampness, their sweet scent evokes the ancestors’ spirits. Drop by drop, I have fallen line with this ancient cadence, as if tamed by its beat. The tempo becomes more and more deafening as this wondrous concert speeds up, and my inner rhythm matches the beat. The pungent smells of humus make me feel dizzy. My spirit wanders free and wide. I try to grasp the meaning of so many sounds erupting and repeating indefinitely, and embrace their essence. While communing with what has been unchanged since the dawn of time, I realize that my own evolution is in its early stages, still unable to associate these fundamental sounds with their shamanist characters. As the rain is eases off, giant butterflies flit about as exotic birds sip the last drops of water with pleasure.
At sunrise life’s momentum begins again with another miraculous concert that quickly becomes intense. Here, there and from out of nowhere, the sounds of chirping, twittering, hooting, and screeching alternate and bounce over the vegetal thickness. I am feeling sated; I am a part of all creation, and creation is part of me. Then, having found fulfillment, I attempt to contain my intense emotion, keep it under control, and stretch it out like a jungle vine to understand the message - my state of pure joy at being in harmony with nature, as if I were also nestled in that timeless lush greenery.
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THE MYSTERY OF NATURE
The tree, as a clear symbol of life. It is the link between earth and sky, between what is visible and invisible. The sap carried by the trunk and limbs reminds us of the blood running in our veins. Perpetually regenerating and rooted in the earth, its branches reaching for the sky, the tree returns us to the roots of our own primal origins.
Agnes believes in balance and the sacred forest. She is committed to saving and replenishing the majestic and beautiful trees which offer their material to her art. She is a member of Association Akiri, and works against the Amazonian deforestation and encourages others to join in this vital fight for our planet.
Translation : Acey Harper