Véronique Baleste

I am a native of the Arcachon Basin. After exploring the world of sociology during my studies, I embraced a career as a teacher. However, the irresistible call of my inner artistic expression finally took over. For 15 years now, painting has been much more than just an activity for me. It is a vital need, a way to fully express myself, to connect with my own essence and to feel life in all its fullness.

In the same way that I teach my students, I share on my canvases the emotions and lessons that life has brought me. Each painting becomes an open window on my personal journey, a visual exploration of what I have learned and felt over the years. As in a classroom, where I guide and encourage my students to discover new perspectives, my works invite the spectators to think and feel. Through painting, I translate life lessons into images and colors, offering moments of deep reflection and introspection.

This artistic approach is for me an act of generosity and sharing, where each painting becomes a bridge between my inner world and that of others. It is an invitation to explore together the complexities of existence and to find emotional connections through art.

Thus, teaching and painting come together in my desire to communicate, inspire and transmit, whether through words in a classroom or through colors on a canvas.

Each brushstroke is an affirmation of my existence, an exploration of who I am and what I feel. In each canvas, I seek to capture the intensity of my emotions, to freeze moments of truth and deep reflection. Painting is my way of being fully myself and celebrating the incredible miracle of being alive.

I paint portraits because I paint human beings.

Each face is a story, a universe of feelings and experiences. Each portrait is a profound exploration of human beauty and complexity, an attempt to freeze the moment when the soul reveals itself through the facial features. This is how I celebrate the infinite richness of our humanity, by painting not only people, but also their stories and emotions.

I chose to paint with acrylics.

In my artistic approach, I adopt several steps and it is essential that the different layers of paint dry quickly. Acrylic allows me to work efficiently and to superimpose colors and textures according to my needs. In addition, acrylic offers a varied palette of techniques that I exploit, such as stencils, collages and textural effects, thus enriching my works and giving them an additional dimension.

Street art is a source of inspiration for me.

This is mainly because it transforms the city into an open-air museum, a powerful platform to convey messages and emotions to the general public. Street artists captivate with their ability to use a variety of techniques and mediums. This diversity pushes me to experiment and innovate. Inspired by these principles, I seek to infuse my works with this vibrant energy and this ability to arouse intense emotions in those who contemplate them.

Writing plays a central role in my artistic approach.

Initially, I incorporated quotes from famous artists and authors into my paintings, giving them the role of messengers to express my own feelings. Through these words, I found legitimacy and a voice to communicate my emotions in a deeper and more nuanced way. Over time, writing has become an essential part of my creations. It is no longer limited to quotes, but becomes a form of personal and artistic expression in its own right. Whether through fragments of poems, evocative words or introspective sentences, each written element in my paintings contributes to enriching their meaning and emotional impact. This alliance between writing and painting represents for me an affirmation of freedom and a constant exploration of myself as an artist. It is a way of creating additional layers of meaning in my works, inviting viewers to discover and interpret different levels of reflection and emotion.