Camille Lartigue
Self-taught artist born in Montpellier, now based in La Fare-les-Oliviers near Salon-de-Provence, I create hyperrealistic portraits and body studies using monochrome dry pastels.My work explores the beauty of women enhanced by sunlight, through an aesthetic that is at once sensitive, warm, and deeply Mediterranean.
[email protected]
about
The story
I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember.Over the years, I explored a variety of media and techniques before discovering my artistic identity during the lockdown, while I was living in Toronto.I deeply missed the sun of Southern France—its warmth on the skin, the intense light of summer afternoons, and the sense of peace that comes with days spent by the sea.
It was through trying to capture that feeling of longing that my artistic universe gradually took shape.I eventually missed the sun so much that I decided to return to France.I have been drawing under the sun ever since.
The inspiration
My monochrome works depict faces, bodies, and fleeting moments bathed in the light of the summer sun.I am also drawn to textiles: salt-soaked towels after a swim, and crumpled shirts worn at the end of a day returning from the beach.Through these details, I seek to evoke a feeling rather than a scene—the warmth of the sun, a sense of calm, sun-kissed skin, and the gentle nostalgia of summer memories.
The technique
Rather than graphite or charcoal—both black—I chose brown: a warmer, more sunlit tone that has become my signature.I often describe my technique as a form of dry painting. I work exclusively with dry pastels and a few pastel pencils, applying the pigments with a variety of brushes to create soft, precise, and highly realistic transitions.I work on Rosaspina paper, a cotton paper with deckled edges. Its distinctive texture, which subtly shows through the pigment, together with its slightly ivory tone, plays an integral role in the identity of my work.My limited edition prints are produced on Hahnemühle FineArt paper.I pay particular attention to reproducing the original paper texture, ensuring that each print preserves the visual presence and tactile quality of the pastel drawings.
