Today we’d like to introduce you to Elodie M. Richard.
Hi Elodie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I am a French artist painter, I have been living in the United States since 2016. My latest art project takes the shape of a humanitarian project. I entitled it: “To Ukraine, A War Journal, 2022”. Instead of showing the obvious atrocities of war, I wanted express a vision of war in Ukraine that finds strength in those moments of solidarity and humanity and suggests the horrific through a poetic linear art where color and symbols address ideas about Ukraine or its oppressor. My artistic challenge was to channel the atrocities of war while seeking the essence and simplicity to initiate our deepest emotions. I have been working on this project from February 2022 until December 2022. With my 33 original illustrations about the war in Ukraine, I created a Limited Series of Art Books (a War Journal) and Limited Series of Fine Art Prints. In December 2022, after several communications to present my art project, I met in person the First Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC, and it was an honor for me to offer the two first copies of my art book about Ukraine to Mr. President Zelenskyy and the Ambassador of Ukraine in the United States. It was a very intense day trip to Dc, my husband had accompanied me there, and it was very emotional for both of us. First Secretary Kateryna Smagliy was nice to us and was very moved by the project and the book. We were grateful for her precious time, genuine interest and consideration. It was already a massive reward and recognition to be heard and to get the books to be offered to the two officials. Know that my art book was sent to Ukraine the week after with an official attached letter I was asked to write to Mr. President Zelenskyy. It was truly an honor as I put all my heart and art into this project.
On each print sold, a portion of the sale will be donated to the IRC to help families affected by the war in Ukraine (International Rescue Committee). I also self-publish the entire war journal, printed on demand. It is the exact copy of the original offered to the President of Ukraine and the Ambassador. If interested, clients can reach out to me by email to get further information and order it. This is an ongoing project.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest dilemma I encountered as an artist was how to give closure to a project related to the war that is still ongoing. I hesitated between continuing to create while following the news and trying to put my work out there so it could be shared with the public and start to generate donations through a percentage of the sales I would do. I currently am finalizing my official copyrights acceptance by the Library of Congress in Washington DC. I also am searching for potential publisher to work with and a contemporary art gallery that will invest in my work so I can focus on creation/production and continue to grow.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Cultural identity, ancestry, current events such as the worldwide pandemic, immigration, environmental issues, our connection/disconnection to nature, war, storytelling, and imagination impact my contemporary graphic language and art. My artistic influences vary from the Polish School of Poster of Warsaw (for the graphic and color use), Kazimir Malevich (Polish Ukrainian Russian avant-garde artist), and social realism propaganda art. I am also influenced by the art of the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershoi (for his subdued paintings of interiors). I often incorporate humor and irony into my work around the human condition. The paintings may seem vibrant but camouflage an uncertainty in our modern times.
With ‘’Saved by Nature’’, ’’Rite of Passage’’, ’’Life in the City’’, I put in perspective my own life experiences with the universal issues of reconnecting with nature, the difficulties of growing into adulthood/society, and the discomforts/alienations of living in the city. These chapters keep growing with life experiences.
Identity is everything but simple. I seek a graphic simplicity to express its complexity and the deep emotions mankind is made of.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My father was in the army, so from a very early age, we had to change location and restart from zero regularly. It was an adventure, a life where you grow up meeting new people and discovering new places. It opened our eyes to what was out there, the unknown, to different cultures too but was also the anxiety of the unknown, the regular feeling of loss, trying not to get too attached, too settled, because things would change again and again. From an early age, art was my refuge, my way to express myself visually about things and express my emotions and fears or how I would absorb the world around me as a sponge to give my version of it.
Pricing:
- $200 : To Ukraine, a war journal, 2022 (limited series art book)
- $85 limited series signed art prints about ukraine
Contact Info:
- Website: elodierichard.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/elodie.m_ richard_artist/?hl=en - Facebook: https://m.facebook.
com/Elodie.Galerias.Ztuki/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/elodierichard - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
erelodie?lang=en
Image Credits
All images are copyrighted ©️Elodie M. Richard – 2022
