PORTRaiT

EsTELLE LagaRDE a FaiRY-FingERED aRTisT

Sharmila Bertin

She appears on the screen, an azure bandana wrapped around her wide brown fringes and a smile as bright as a summer day. In this day and age, between busy schedules and the comfort of telecommuting, our interview takes place "virtually". I have been following Estelle Lagarde's work for some time now and her art always leave me speechless. Works of art, of course, because what this gouache artist does with her hands cannot be described otherwise. Her paintings deserve to be framed and exhibited in a major Parisian gallery. Paris was indeed the professional starting point for the young woman after her studies in the jewellery arts. She settled there to train as a gouache artist for a major name in the Place Vendôme, eventually hiring her. However, her experience was not as fulfilling as she

"i FEEL FORTUnaTE TO FinD insPiRaTiOn in EVERYTHing THaT sURROUnDs mE"

would have liked. "I worked on serial pieces", explains Estelle Lagarde, "The same one for four years. I could make it again with my eyes closed. I became ill at the time, to the point of suffering a major depression and then a burn-out. My body became completely dysfunctional." The suffering turned incandescent, radiating to the point of becoming unbearable. "I was watching myself slowly die and the idea of seeing myself extinguished for ever was causing me great inner pain" she confided to me with restrained humility. Estelle Lagarde's resilience leaves me in awe. "This pain became the conductor of my hands, united in saving my life. Pigments and brushes became my instruments as my earliest creations came to life. I felt myself reviving little by little. A genuine

THanks TO HER TaLEnT as a gOUacHE aRTisT, EsTELLE LagaRDE bRings TO LiFE sTRikingLY REaLisTic DRawings.

smile appeared on my face once again. I loved feeling it so much! I knew it would not deceive me. I needed to listen to it. It gave me the strength to let go of everything so I could live my life's greatest dream, to become a designer!" she added. At the end of 2018, Estelle Lagarde established her creative studio putting her talent as a gouache artist and designer at the service of major jewellery and watchmaking companies. With the tip of her brush, she brings to life drawings of meticulous precision and breathtaking realism, enabling the viewer to imagine what the finished product will look like. One almost feels like caressing the precious gems and pearls she brushes onto the paper. She created her own brand, Lagarde©, in 2019 - "I had a crazy desire to make my own watches and fine jewellery". Then she created Lagarde Jewelry Drawing with her brother Thibaud two years ago, a professional training to learn the gouache technique based on her experience. "I feel fortunate to find inspiration in everything that surrounds me. My driving force is emotion. I like to express my inspirations spontaneously, whenever I feel the urge. This is how I manage to speak so lovingly about my jewellery. I need freedom to let my creativity flow", concludes Estelle Lagarde with her infectious smile.