Contest 8 - Winner's Interview - Eric Heuguet

Please tell us about your journey as an artist?

From a very young age, I showed an interest in drawing. My mother was told I was gifted and that I didn't overdo it when coloring with markers. In middle school, my art teacher, himself a painter, noticed my aptitude and encouraged me to broaden my horizons: discover the great masters of painting and visit museums to admire their masterpieces. This is how I developed my interest in art history.

Around the age of 15, I discovered dry pastel. This technique immediately captivated me. The ability to apply color and blend it with my fingertips fascinated me. My first pastel painting was a portrait of John Wayne.

I then had the opportunity to study at the École du Louvre in Paris. These years allowed me to spend a lot of time at the Louvre Museum and discuss their techniques with copyist painters. I practiced a profession for 25 years and, at the same time, continued to practice pastels with passion.

It was finally in 2022 that I made the decision to quit my job to pursue my dream: becoming a professional painter.

What is your medium and why did you choose it?

I love pastel because it's a technique that offers a direct connection with the medium. There's no need for an intermediate tool like a brush: the fingers apply and blend the pastel stick, providing a highly sensitive touch. However, I also use pastel pencils for the finer details of my works.

I particularly appreciate the velvety feel of working with dry pastels. Today, manufacturers offer a wide range of tones, with very high-quality pigments and excellent preservation. In addition, paper manufacturers also offer beautifully crafted media, perfectly suited to working with dry pastels.

What was the inspiration behind this work?

Animals are an inexhaustible source for me. The depth of their gaze, the richness of their coats and plumage, the elegance of their forms: everything inspires me. I feel that we human beings don't take enough time to contemplate the beauties of nature. We see them, certainly, but without paying them much attention. Through my paintings, I hope to restore the splendor of animals to their proper place and encourage the viewer to observe them more attentively.

Human beings don't pay enough attention to the beauties of nature. They see them but don't pay much attention to them. Through my paintings, I want to restore the beauty of animals to their proper place and make the viewer more attentive to this beauty.

In my painting entitled "Red-tailed Hawk," I find this animal majestic. It embodies the discreet power of the heavens. Each feather, each curve of its body, testifies to a perfection shaped by nature itself. His gaze is piercing, both vigilant and serene, reflecting an ancestral wisdom, that of a predator at the top of its food chain.

Who is your favorite artist? Why?

I really admire the work of Nick Sider and Julie Rhodes. They are great artists that I admire and their work is in the same spirit as what I want to show through my paintings.