Adolie Day

Art and expression: Adolie Day

This month, the protagonist of the column Art and expression is an amazing illustrator that I discovered few months ago. Her works are so great that I couldn't not share them with you. Her name is Adolie Day, born Adolie Briand, she's a 31 years old wife and mother, she's french and lives and works next the beautiful  Nantes, in France. 

Artist for vocation, she is a freelance illustrator, works in editors, advertising campaigns and exhibitions. She's dited by La Marelle for which she realizes jewerly, objects and lovely books for children. Divided among France and the rest of Europe, in England she creates small dolls with Momiji (every doll has an adorable girlish bon ton style, so french allure!) and big walls decals with Chocovenyl. In USA, instead, she designs puzzles for Galison and cares some advertisting campaigns. She's also part of an amazing group of exhibitions in France, Italy and USA. 

Her illustrations are inspired by fairytales, it's a sort of little wonderland dream with sometimes melancholic characters and sad princesses, but with a lot of sweetness, it's a part of her. She makes surrealist and retro girl's portrait with rabbit and butterflies in her hair, with flowers like a dress and lover birds on her head. It's a poetic and cute little world.

Almost fashion designers, after her studies she worked for trhee years as textile designer: "I was dreaming about becoming a fashion designer". In part she realized this dream working for brands like Catimini. "I answered to an announcement for a replacement as a textile graphic designer at Alphabet, six month at Sucre d'Orge and two month at Kenzo. But when I worked in the fashion industry, I realized it wasn't my business. I decided to resign this last job to launch me in freelance. It was a vital need, like an obsession!".

A true artist with a true and genuine passion, grown up with markers in hand: "I was a quiet and dreaming little girl, and I drew a lot... stacks and stacks of papers, I spent hours to sketch", and still today after so many years "drawing is too important in my life". 

Always busy with thousand projects, among her last ones we can quote several exhibitions like "Black and White" (at Curiosité, a nice web gallery) and "PIN-UP Montréal, Métamorphoses en bord de ciel (at the l'Art de rien Gallery), terrific jewellery and stuff for La Marelle, ateliers with children and the works for her new book. She also cared other publishing projects, some news with La Marelle (a series of little styl and kokeshi dolls with a british label, and some advertising campaign for the USA.

With an always keen and creative eye, she takes inspiration by what surrounded her: "My inspirations are multiple: pictures, cinema, painting, graphic design. I like to slide the shalves of libraries to watch the books about photography and the biggest masters of painting. I like artist like Mark Ryden, Audrey Kavazaki, Marion Peck, Idrew Hem, Ashley Wood, James Jean, Ray Caesar, Klimt and Miyasaki". Also music is very important in her process of work. She's, in fact, also inspired by musicians like "Arthur H, Nancy Sinatra, Emilie Simon, Melody Gardot, Andrew Bird, Suzanne Vega, Leonard Cohen, Alela Diane, Pierre Lapointe, Morsheeba, Muse, Dalida and Gossip". 

Lovely and romantic, all her works have has love as inspiration theme. "Love holds the first place, of course, it is my engine! I'm happy and I want to share this feeling! Trying to enjoy the love and living carpe diem. Finally it's easy to say... If only it was not that hard!". 

Adolie is one of the few artist I know, who has been able to keep in touch with her childish side translating it into something new and creative. About her artistic style she says it's "surreal" like a "fairytale for adults and children. I like to draw like I imagine the dreams, sometimes with a touch of melancholy and nostalgia. We say that I try to convey poetry, lightness and tenderness". 

 

The work that perfecty represents these concept is, for sure, Lilichou, one of her first works and maybe the one to which she is most fond of. The lucky series of illustrated books have as protagonist the little and sweet Lilichou. There's a lovely story linked to these books: some of the many children who Adolie meets during the presentations of her books "thought that I was Lilichou's mum and that I was going mad at her because she did a prank!".

Taking a look to her works they ask how she finds the right concentration that led her to create so great illustrations: it happens that "sometimes I can't find the inspiration! I need to go outside, to do some shopping, to buy books, to go to the cinema, to travel for a better restart. The first step is a first draft in my notebook, it is just to find the idea, and it's usually ugly! Then, I look for graphic elements, decorations, colored atmospheres, in the magazines, books, films and photos. I stick everything in my notebook. I look for a composition, and I rework on my skecth for having a more precise drawing. I take some photos for the poses (I photograph myself) or for texture effects. I realize background page with acrylic, watercolour, graphite". 

For an artist, you know, the comunication is too important, even more when it's conveyed by the web. "Internet has always been a wonderful means of comunication, we need to use it and not become dependent. Otherwise it proves to be a trap! I love the feed of my blog and to interact with my followers, but I take a lot of distance with it to not lose sight of the essential, the creation. I've always loved to comnicate and meet other people, so when I created my blogand I started to see the participation, I thought it was incredible! I made some great meetings via Internet and I'm sure that it will continue!".

Believing in the motto "carpe diem", she always follows her heart that took her back to her first love: art. To those who want to pursue the career of illustrator, to say with Adolie, I'd suggest to "open yourself to the world, share with the artistsand be passionate!".

It was a really good pleasure to have introduce this fantastic artist to you and gave her space in my blog. I hope you enjoyed her works as much as I did. If you did, you can follow her on her blog,  facebook, twitter, etsy and these other sites: http://ultra-book.com-adolie, http://www.lamarelle.net

See you next time with other new artist and new works!

With love, Ladyfairy