Arakalon is an original name rooted in the heart ("kalon" in Breton) and the animal, the parrot, a very colorful bird! Thus, I see my practice as free and expressive creative gestures made with the heart. 

I am an abstract painter who combines mixed techniques: oil, acrylic, ink, watercolor. In the long term, I aim to create increasingly larger works! 

I completed a preparatory year at Brive-la-Gaillarde and then pursued three years at the Beaux-Arts of Poitiers (EESI). 

During my studies, I discovered a passion for painting and the joy of handling physical materials. 

I gradually shifted from digital practice to an analog approach. 

This was a true breath of fresh air and a significant step into the unknown. 

My practice focused on creating large free-standing canvases, displayed in unconventional spaces, including a stone quarry where I completed my degree. I developed a deep appreciation for the sensual relationship with canvas, color, and materials. 

After finishing school, I wanted to embark on a journey around the world, starting with  Thailand and Australia. 

Once there, I realized how essential painting was for me, and I decided to prioritize this path in my life. 

Thus, I returned to France. Now, I am developing my practice around abstract canvases, exploring the limits of color and the forms I can bring to life. 

• Talk about your beginnings as an artist: When did you start painting, and what were your first inspirations? 

I started painting during my preparatory school year. I didn’t enjoy it at all and found the approach too academic. 

Then, upon entering art school, I gave myself a chance—without expectations or limits. I naturally began with abstract paintings, which grew larger over time, leading me to produce installations in monumental spaces today. My first inspirations came from Anita Molinero’s installations, Kupka’s paintings, and Sam Gilliam’s works, among others. 

For me, painting is a radical way of expressing my energy. Abstraction allows me to fully play with shapes and colors. I see my paintings as laboratories of forms designed to convey their power to the viewer. 

• How did your training at the Beaux-Arts of Poitiers shape your artistic vision? 

My training allowed me to trust my intuition. I was able to explore formats that once intimidated me. I developed a taste for working on a large scale. The large scale enables me to experiment with limits: my body’s limits, my environment’s limits, and, more broadly, the world’s limits. Painting is my way of challenging the world and daring to see beyond finitude. It’s a spiritual quest in itself. 

Art school helped me build confidence in my project, and now I am pursuing it. 

• Can you share anecdotes or key moments that pushed you to evolve in your art, particularly in abstract painting? 

The facilities at my school were quite small, while my paintings kept growing larger. I often found myself taking over entire rooms, especially the hallways, to create. The entire school coexisted with my work, living alongside it every day. Let me tell you, people knew I was there; my signature colorful extravagance didn’t go unnoticed. 

A crucial step in my practice was changing my support. When I moved away from the traditional stretched canvas, I discovered a vast world of possibilities and arrangements far beyond the confined surface of a frame imposed by a stretcher. 

That’s when I created my first paintings on fabric, which have grown in significance over time. 

• What inspires you in abstract painting? What emotions or ideas do you aim to convey through your work? 

Abstract painting allows me to challenge myself with shapes and colors. It frees me from the rules of composition so I can create new ones. Abstraction is a challenge—a way to see things differently. For me, it represents a refusal to conform to social conventions or to limit my thoughts based on my environment. My paintings are a refuge that opens new doors to understanding. 

It gives me hope and strength. 

I channel an energy within me and try to translate it onto the canvas. This passion, this fire—I want to share it and empower others. If someone sees the world differently after encountering my work, I believe I’ve accomplished my mission. 

• Talk about your use of colors, shapes, and textures. What do you seek to express through large formats? 

Color is an extension of the world. It broadens the field of vision. For me, color works in this way: it takes form and creates a colorful extension of the world. My painting contains an artifact; I cherish it with colors and love. My paintings reveal the underlying layers, bearing witness to the depth beneath. 

Most of my paintings are currently minimally textured because I’m exploring the interplay of shapes and colors. 

Large formats are spaces where I can immerse myself completely. Each painting is an emotional plunge, with an undetermined duration. I want to create pieces that are mesmerizing, contemplative, and immersive, and large formats make this possible. 

• Which techniques do you use? 

I combine oil paint with acrylics or even ink. This allows me to enhance my shades, create new ones, and experiment with textures and drying times. Each technique has its intrinsic qualities; I strive to extract the strongest elements to compose my canvases. 

• Describe your daily work routine. How does a piece come to life? 

I always work on multiple pieces at once. I do this for several reasons. Two of them are that, with my energy, I need to channel it onto multiple surfaces while staying focused on what I’m doing. It also allows me to create a color harmony, a connection that forms between the tones of my paintings, because I use the same colors across all my canvases during each painting session. 

I constantly return to each piece until I reach the point where I think, “If I add another layer, it will be too much.” I often tend to add more, and telling myself to stop allows me to end the creative moment and let my work live as it is. 

• Tell us about your workspace, the materials you use, and your approach to each painting? 

Since I work on several pieces at the same time, they live side by side in the studio. 

I think of my work as a whole. My work is a corpus; each piece has its own independent life, but my focus is on the entirety of my paintings. Each painting has its own energy. However, I direct my practice toward creating a universe of forms and colors. I’m less drawn to unique pieces. 

• Share your habits in the studio. 

When I enter the studio, I dive straight into it. Every beginning is the key to a fresh energy that clears away doubts. When I’m in the studio, I enter the arena and fight the canvas until I finish it, or until it finishes me. There’s a sense of exhaustion that builds. Large formats are physical; it’s a real challenge. 

• What messages or emotions do you want your viewers to feel through your works? 

I think my goal is simple. I want to evoke tenderness, intrigue, or even joy. My paintings are made of voluptuousness; I hope that the audience will view their lives with a lighter heart. I aim to bring poetry into the world. 

• What are your current projects? Exhibitions, collaborations, or new works to come? 

Having already completed an ambitious installation project of my paintings in stone quarries for my diploma, I have very ambitious plans for the future. I want to create much larger, more energetic paintings! Above all, I aim to create installations on the scale of a building and beyond. The realization of these projects will largely depend on your support and that of my partners. 

The future is ahead of me, and I want to spread hope and poetry in this world. 

I plan to settle in Bangkok, where I will establish my creative stronghold and continue illuminating the world with color. 

• A project for a shop? 

I have just launched my painting shop. There, you will find all of my pieces from this day forward. I will update it regularly as my practice evolves. 

• Which direction? 

I'm starting to explore interior design through my art. I believe my work could transform and elevate spaces with vibrant, creative energy. I am actively looking for partners in this field to bring these ideas to life. Collaborating with architects, interior designers, or other creators could open up new horizons and help me integrate art into people's everyday environments.

• How can you help? 

To you who have reached the end of this article, I invite you to follow my work and support me on my social media. Every bit of support matters to me, and you can help me continue to make my art shine and share my vision. The link to my shop is at the bottom of this article, where you can discover the next piece that will captivate you. 

• Want more? 

Feel free to share your thoughts or questions by contacting me via email or directly on my social media. 

I will be happy to respond. 

Every comments are welcome. 

If you want to collaborate with me or learn more, don't hesitate to reach out. 

Find my shop here Arakalon painting shop.

Check my portfolio here.