artist’s bio

Born in Vitry-sur-Seine (Paris suburb) in the summer of 1973, my family relocated to the Southwest of France (Bordeaux region) by the time I was a year old. In the summer of 1977 the family picked up and moved to Gabon, a small country in West Africa bordering Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Congo. I have amazing memories of growing up there, in a completely wild environment, from ages 4 to 9. After almost a whole year spent back in France, in 1983 our family moved to Madagascar, an incredibly beautiful island in the Indian Ocean off of the coast of Mozambique, where we stayed until the summer of 1989. We then returned to France and I moved to Santa Cruz, California, at the age of 21 after graduating from the university of Bordeaux with a BA in film production. I met my husband Scott in CA, and soon after the birth of our first daughter in 2005, we moved to Northwest Connecticut, where his family is located. I have lived in the quaint and artsy little town of Kent, CT ever since.

I consider myself very lucky to have lived in so many different places on this beautiful planet. These experiences have heavily contributed to my admiration for the variety of environments that surround us, my respect and love of nature. They most certainly also influence my attraction to vibrant colors, organic shapes and textures.

While making a living as an independent massage therapist (which I love!), painting has been more than a hobby to me. I have always found pleasure in the process, but was unfortunately not letting go without fear of judgement until just a few years ago. I have to credit a few friends here, without whom the pursuit of my passion wouldn’t have been possible: my friend Katy Armstrong for giving me the courage and push to explore painting again after a long stretch of silence, my art teacher and friend Julie Czeranda for encouraging me to let go and not fear the consequences, my friend and accomplished artist Heather Scofield for all her priceless advice and answers to my many questions along the way, and finally my painting class table partner Deana Tierney May who captured my attention by doing abstract work next to me. I could see how free and playful the creative process was for her and I was envious! I was silently struggling trying to make trees look like trees, while trying hard to come up with my own true style. Watching her work gave me the wings I needed to allow myself to let go and just play with colors and see what happens. That’s pretty much how I became an abstract artist.

Last but not least, I have to give my husband Scott A LOT of credit for his constant support and encouragement to make art a bigger part of my life than ever before. We have 3 beautiful daughters, 4 adorable pets, and therefore a busy household to run in addition to our full time jobs. Yet he’s done more than his share so I can pursue my passion.

Painting every day has been life changing for me. It’s been extremely therapeutic, liberating, a true source of joy (even with the occasional frustrations), and frankly vital at this point of my life. I believe being an artist is reconnecting with your inner child and letting yourself play again. I am playing with colors without a plan nor expectations, I just let my instinct guide the process. I mostly use vibrant colors as they uplift my mood and hopefully affect viewers of my work in a similar way.

Enjoy browsing the gallery and don’t hesitate to reach out!

E.T.