Can you tell us about this work for Alaena?
This painting depicts a surfer on the Basque coast.
I like to represent this beach and particularly the Belza villa, its emblem, because it is a place rich in history and its aesthetic fascinates me.
In fact, in 1966, Peter Viertel, a Hollywood director, came to Biarritz to shoot the adaptation of Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises' and at the same time discovered a formidable wave on the Basque coast.
It became the first wave officially surfed in Europe, I think this anecdote is really cool, especially since I'm a Hemingway fan.
I grew up at the top of the Basque coast, I learned to surf there with my friends which makes this place a treasure in my heart.
I depicted the surfer carrying her surfboard on her shoulder because it is a very "classic" pose. It was a style used mainly by surfers in the 60s because their boards were very heavy at the time.
What do colors mean to you?
These colors represent for me a beautiful alliance of nature and urbanism. Beige refers to the clay, present on the cliffs between the coast and Marbella, orange, undeniably the ultimate color of psychedelic summer sunsets, and the pale gray of the asphalt that connects us to our more industrial reality, marries wonderfully with the powder pink of the surfboard.
I find these four tones to be both soft and strong, and they represent Alaena's universe well, based on the richness of the earth's products with a sophisticated and minimal vision.
Do you have a ritual when you paint?
I like to wake up early and take the time to enjoy the joys and lights of the morning, before starting work until late in the day, then going for a walk or surfing at sunset. I like to listen to meditative music when I paint. Otherwise I don't have a particular ritual concerning my technique, sometimes I trace with a pencil on the canvas before painting, but sometimes I improvise directly with the brush. Sometimes I have a very clear vision of what I want to do, and sometimes I have no idea what I want. In these cases, I go at random and let my hand choose the colors by itself.
In a few words, who is the Basque woman for you?
For me, the Basque woman is a woman who is very loyal to her family, her traditions, and her country. She loves to live simply and carries in her heart the sublime views of the mountains overlooking the sea.