Discover the contemporary work of Joël BARTZ

I grew up in a city. mining in Lorraine. My father, my grandfather and his father before him worked in the industry. deep in the coal mines. Maybe it's all his years underground that gave him his strength. à my grandfather had a taste for the great wild spaces. When I was a kid, I went with him to explore the lakes of Lorraine, we fished for pike and perch that we gave to others. my grandmother so she could cook them. We traveled through the great forests in the mountains. the search for mushrooms and edible plants. Every day of the year we were outside, far from the noise of the city. I grew up close to this nature and when I came home I devoured the animal documentaries that were shown on TV. TV. My favorite was these images of the seabed. They nourished my nights by populating my dreams with strange animals, luminescent plants and incredible colors of which only nature has the secret.

Today I settled in. in the southwest, I go to the gorges of Aveyron to feed on its dead boxwood forests, its caves dug into the rock, its streams which swell the river and I return with a idea or branch that I work on for months to bring to light. I sculpt what remains of these outings, I transform familiar shapes into a dreamlike universe.

In Lorraine, winter lasts a long time, the inhabitants take refuge in the caves of their houses. This is why each household works hard to achieve this. make its interior as pleasant as possible. I don't have a big concept to explain my work, I kept it simple. of my origins this simple desire to make the interior of a house warm. For me I need to bring a little of the outside inside, the image of the open sea, the smell of the forest. My work speaks of my love for nature. When the sculptures light up, it is an invitation to explore. contemplation.

It was with time and practice that I finalized my skills. a very personal recipe for pastry clay paper to create luminous sculptures. I start by making a structure and frame in concrete, metal or wood on which I attach my electrical system. I cover everything with the said mixture in successive layers. Once dry, I proceed to Careful sanding and applies different oils, pigments and varnishes for finishing.