There was a time, in a previous life when I was an educator, I met Lucien in a "day center" intended for these guys and girls from the street.
Every day Lucien came to drink milk, in very large quantities! It seems that the day after a hangover, milk soothes the stomach... I asked him the same question every day: "How are you today, Lucien?" Which he took every day from the same angle, a cold and direct "no" that kicked my ego as a young educator in the ass.
Lucien lived on the street, was rather old (in any case, very marked by his years of wandering and solitude), hid behind long hair and a white beard; behind his filth and his piss too; lost in the meanders of his own thoughts and solitary murmurs... The kind of "monstrous" guy, you know?
This game of ping pong between us lasted for weeks. Until the day I said to him, laughing: "But Lucien, you're taking all our milk stock, I'm going to take you to milk cows!" Well then, without realizing it, my sentence echoed one of his most precious memories: his childhood on a farm where he was in charge of milking goats. It was the first day I saw sparks in the eyes of this dear Lucien, the first day his tongue loosened to tell me a part of his life. The day I took all his humanity in the face. One of my strongest work memories.
I made this illustration during the holiday season. In this period of cold and abundance, I came to direct my thoughts towards all these isolated men and women. I thought of their physical needs, but also and above all of connection, warm exchanges, caring relationships...
The Secret of Cernunnos,
There are some dreams for which you would be ready to sacrifice a toe to explore them a little longer, you know?! This is one of them.
In a friend's garden, my gaze is drawn to what appears to be a deer dying on an old blue bicycle. Intrigued and anxious to help, our hearts pounding, my friends and I approach. But, poof, gone!
Hop, without really consulting each other, but aware that something important is happening, we decide to start looking for him throughout the village; squares, alleys, forest edges, everything is there.
Nothing, nowhere to be found. Exhausted and worried, we sit on a low wall. Silence. A heavy climate of sadness and guilt reigns.
Until this wonderful creature appeared a few steps away from us, accompanied by 4 protective humans. They were luminous, incredibly gentle, half human, half deer; neither male nor female; ageless. They were far beyond gender and species, far beyond the notions of space and time.
They were injured, one of those fatal injuries that let you see the inevitable outcome. My friend and I were devastated, torrents of hot tears running down our faces. It was as if a part of us was getting ready to leave and we weren't ready for that. We didn't want them to die.
With all the kindness in the world, they approached us and explained that they had to die by fire, that this cycle lasted 30 days and that it was an essential step for them to change into something divine.
What you need to know is that a few weeks before this dream, in real life, I accompanied a deer to its death. It had been knocked down by the reckless driver in front of me. Which earned me a good dose of tears, anger and a feeling of injustice.
Another lesson in impermanence. Life is nothing but a succession of cycles, movement and transmutation.
The Secret of the Banshee,
At times your energy is fire, anger and destructiveness, you know?
So we can say that this Banshee came straight from my guts, with a desire to establish the right to expression for all, whatever its nature. A desire to also denounce a power often associated with the masculine. Power established by intimidation, blackmail, manipulation, denigration, lies, etc. I imagined this Banshee screaming so loudly that she would sweep away with a scream the object of my current setbacks. Poof, the thing turned to dust!
My thoughts also turned to the mourners I was lucky enough to hear during a distant stay in Mali. This memory still gives me chills. Perhaps you too have had this kind of experience? These women clearly have the power to create a symbiosis that you cannot resist. You end up letting yourself slide into the moment as if into warm, soft and welcoming sheets. And you have tears welling up in your eyes. You have not experienced the recent loss, but you cry. And no matter how hard you try to hold back, with your Western modesty, you can't. And you end up crying hot tears too. You cry in symbiosis with all these strangers. You cry for all your past and future losses. You cry with love for this moment of intense generosity.
The secret of Ares,
It wasn't easy for me to find THE "right" representation for Ares. I searched, fumbled, found, started, abandoned, tore, searched again, started again, etc. So much so that for the first time in my humble career as an illustrator, I almost threw pens, paper, pencils and screams out the window! You could say that this dear warrior came to test my fighting spirit, my self-control and my perseverance! This illustration is not easy!