Anita Leray

Anita, 67, comes from a small commune in the Vendée, near Montaigu. Drawing has always been a part of her life: she started with graphite, then acrylics became a natural part of her work.

She is fascinated by animals, particularly large primates and now ostriches. She often opts for a monochrome palette, but her artistic signature lies in the care she takes to colour their eyes.

Painting with her brush, the long-haired Martha, is for her a moment of intense meditation that sublimates every line and every nuance.

Her ostrich series was born of an encounter with a life-size papier-mâché sculpture. The bird's velvety gaze inspired her to create her first portrait of an ostrich. Decorated with a single poppy in its beak, it immediately won over those around it. She then took pleasure in personalising them as she wished, always starting by capturing the expression in the eyes, with the rest coming naturally.

Marked by experimentation and the quest for authenticity, her work combines technical skill and sensitivity to offer a contemporary vision of the animal world.