Myriam Azoulay-Naim
Painter
Bio
After several years in a large bank financial department, I decided to devote myself entirely to my passion, painting. Self-taught, I started in 1996 with oil paint and brushes. I reproduced existing works, to train and familiarize myself with this technique. I painted some paintings inspired by Van Gogh, the first one is his self-portrait, then Corot and Picasso. I also tried dry pastels, worked with fingers. Then I painted my own paintings, always in oil, and always a little more abstract. I loved working in oils, but the disadvantage of painting in the living room is the extremely long drying time. I really enjoyed painting, but I felt a kind of dissatisfaction, even frustration, in the work I did. I put a lot of sensitivity into it, but a part of me was missing. So I put painting aside for five or six years, but I felt a lack. Then certain events in my life made me feel this irrepressible desire to express all that I felt, all that I wanted to bring out of myself. I could have chosen writing, or another mode of expression, but I chose painting. Since November 2021, I have discovered acrylic paint. It has the advantage of drying quickly, and is just as enjoyable to work with. I no longer use brushes but knives, rollers, a trowel, a pie server, a kitchen knife, my fingers, because I like to feel the material ! I work in thick layers, and I almost always create relief. When I start a painting, I never know in advance what I will do. I first apply a first color, spread it out, add another color, go in one direction, and usually end up covering the whole thing when I don't find the inspiration. I photograph every step of the process, I become completely immersed in it, I think about it every second of the day, I dream about it at night, often. And finally comes that moment of grace when I feel inhabited by an intense and powerful emotion, and there, my fingers guide me. I don't think about what I'm going to do, I express with passion a very deep feeling in me. Art becomes interesting when it is guided by an emotion, by passion, and not by reflection. This is also why I place so much importance on the title I choose for each painting. I can spend hours searching for the title that will best reflect my intentions and emotions. And only then do I feel satisfaction in my work, the joy and the need to show it. I finally feel that my paintings are and reveal a part of me. For this reason, I am delighted to be able to expose my art on social media, and every message of congratulations is a real support and encouragement. That's why I hope with all my heart to be able to make it known to an even larger public.