Julie Buibui

My first name is Julie, and people call me BuiBui.

Originally from the shores of Lake Geneva, I have settled in the Ain, beside a weeping willow. I live there with my sweetheart, my lovely daughter, my lovely son, lots of paper, quite a bit of paint and a whole bunch of pencils.

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a pencil in my hand.

Having studied art history (mainly of the 20th century) in high school, I earned a literary baccalauréat with a visual arts specialization (Bac L Arts plastiques) in 2005, then spent a very brief time at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. The teaching there was not for me!

Since then, I have been constantly painting, collaging, drawing and coloring, always looking for new ideas and techniques. It is a necessity!

Inspired by children's illustration, outsider art, street art culture and Indigenous arts alike, I work to develop a personal and poetic universe that is meant as an invitation to travel, into worlds inhabited by melancholy creatures, where time often seems to have stood still.

Based mainly on the human figure (often female) and nature, my work blends false naivety, colors, patterns and other haunting intertwinings, which are like so many pathways through the flow of our thoughts.

My characters and landscapes each have their own unique story, which I tell myself as I bring them to life, and I like the viewer to imagine it in turn…

Technique

Lately I have been mixing paint, acrylic inks and markers. I often add colored pencil and use my precious Rotring and Staedtler pens (refillable pens for technical drawing). I used gouache and pen a lot in the past, and I am still always looking for new techniques.

Having worked a lot on stretched canvases, I have recently been choosing supports with smoother surfaces, such as wood and paper.