Val Escoubet is a portrait painter who stands out from the crowd due to her hyper-realistic works, imbued with the emotion of the characters she portrays with great conviction and momentum. She explores the fullness, love, gaiety, but also movements of the body, such as dance, which she highlights in portraits of men, women, and children.
Photographic portraits on the same level as painting
"I want my painting to feel alive and give the impression that the subject is going to jump out of the canvas": this is the objective she aims for with each new project. The characters are never static or frozen, thanks to the flowing nature of various fabrics, textures or hair.
Val Escoubet comes from the world of photography, with a penchant for black and white photos from which she is mainly inspired. We can definitely see this influence in her work. The characters are painted in "black and white" with variations of sepia, blueish tones, green, ochre, barely perceptible, but essential to the overall harmony she strives to create.
The choice of oil painting is therefore a no-brainer in order to obtain a similar sense of depth and nuance from each piece.
Deeply colourful paintings that echo Street Art
To enhance her portraits, Val Escoubet adorns the background of her works with bright colors and patterns often borrowed from the world of Street-Art, such as graffiti and Wild Style lettering.
The use of acrylic paint then becomes a necessity when fluorescent or metallic colours dominate a piece, or when multiple overlays or the use of dripping embellish the paintings. More than a nod to the graffiti artists she deeply admires, it is above all her affinity for urban Street Art that is well and truly part of her roots and culture.
Val Escoubet also works on commission. Don’t hesitate to contact the KAZoART team for a quote!
To know more:
Interview with Val Escoubet
