Meeting with Philippine de Contenson / Draw me a flower

Can you tell us about your background?
How did you discover your path as a creator and what was the revelation that made you want to get started?

Our parents taught us to appreciate beauty from a very young age. In nature, art, music, literature, beautiful stones… By introducing us to many creative fields and tinkering with them, they made us realize that we were “capable”, and that we had to follow our desires to the end.

Beauty is a powerful resource for life. I am convinced that by looking for beauty around us and transmitting it, we bring gentleness and warmth to the world and to those we meet. It is therefore obvious that I sought to make all this coexist with my studies, then my professional life and my family.

I have always drawn and painted (first as an autodidact, then in a more academic way: courses with professors from the ESAG and the Beaux-Arts in Paris, training with specialists of the great Flemish painters, when we lived in the Netherlands). The revelation was undoubtedly my meeting with the last representative of the Rouen School (an oil painting technique in nature, from the Impressionists). She took me under her wing for painting excursions (whether it was windy or snowy, we stayed outside!). Privileged moments of learning, which freed me from academic drawing, and welded my love of breathing in nature with that of painting. It was at that moment that this idea of ​​tailor-made allegories to represent those we love using nature germinated.

It was at the birth of our ^3rd As a child, I rediscovered the luminosity and softness of watercolor, a technique that is perfectly compatible with family life. By working it as I do, it offers an intensity of colors as powerful as oil and its transparencies allow for unique superposition games. This technique freed me from the material constraints that oil imposes, which allowed me to anchor creation in my daily life.

What muses accompany you and how do you keep your creativity alive over time?

The pace of our society is dense, we must learn to manage it so as not to get carried away to the detriment of our creations. My way of doing it is to preserve breathing windows, simple things that allow us to cut off: family hikes (if possible for several days!), reading, a hot bath with a scented candle and soft music, breaks to reflect on the meaning of what we do… and, above all, as little screen time as possible. My family is a strength, as soon as we can, all 5 of us go away (even sometimes when I exhibit far from home!).

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would you choose and for what type of project?

I would choose Anna de Noailles for her poems expressing a rich nature, full of life (or sometimes indolent), power… and passion. We could have created an anthology of abundance: a collection of words and colors to leaf through, to carry the daily life of today's city dwellers.

How do you see your art evolving in the next 10 years, and what new creative territories would you like to explore?

2025 is a year of new things for me: I am lucky to have been asked to illustrate a magnificent novel, giving me free rein in the form and layout! I also have many other projects (and dreams!): painting - very - large formats, finalizing my new range of puzzle cards (I won't say more, it's in progress), designing square silk scarves... continuing to meet great people and form new collaborations (designers, publishing, perfumery, etc.). I like things that change, new things and challenges!

Do we still have the same creativity when painting becomes a profession? And what are your tips for maintaining your creativity?

With a passion that is also a job, the balance is complicated to maintain (even more so when working from home!). I am lucky to have 3 young children and a husband that I love and who inspire me, they are a priority for me. Their presence imposes a sequenced rhythm on me. It is not always easy to manage with my work, but it pushes me to get out of my workshop and take a step back.

Despite this, I sometimes paint late at night, or during the weekend, without stopping. I think that we must have clear ideas about what makes our creativity live: above all, I like to play with my brushes and my colors, and I want the people who receive the allegories to be happy with them; I will not send a work until I am satisfied with it. If for this I have to suspend other imperatives for a few days (my site, my social networks ...), I tell myself that it is for the best. We must be serene with this and express it fully to those who trust us with their order, otherwise stress can make us work less well, and transform our passion into pressure.

If your creations could talk, what would they say about you after a long day at work?

They would probably tell me: "the end of long days is beneficial for the liberation of gesture and thought, but too long a day puts everything at risk." A compromise :-)

Is there a project that really changed the course of your career and why?

The first person who understood and believed in my custom allegories, watercolor portraits using the symbolism of the language of flowers and nature, when I launched this new activity 4 years ago. This first order gave me confidence, it showed me that other people were sensitive to this way of representing those we love, understood my approach.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned since starting your creative career?

It would be a 3-part mantra:
Give the best of what you can
Love to create your own creations
Move forward with boldness and confidence

What advice would you give to those who aspire to embark on a creative career like yours?

Having a creative career often involves being on all fronts: our creations (the driving force behind our activity!) and also areas that, sometimes, we are less familiar with. Motivated as never before, we move forward head down, without realizing that we can lose the perspective necessary for decision-making and our serenity. So, my biggest piece of advice would be the following: do not isolate yourself, continue to enrich yourself with family, friendships, encounters... This is what drives us, even if we work alone!

Come and discover Philippine’s world:
His website www.philippine decontenson.com
Her Instagram account @dessine.moi.une.fleur