The French Sophie Amauger is a frequently distinguished pastellist who knows how to portray her encounters with nature poetically in pastel. She prefers to work 'and plain air', spending hours on a beach or on a hilltop, with her straw hat on her head, so she herself becomes part of the picturesque decor that is so dear to her. The pastel strokes of Sophie Amauger capture the beauty of the French landscape and coastal area in an unprecedentedly pure and striking manner.
 
The art of outdoor life
Sophie Amauger followed her education at the Beaux Arts in Rennes and L'ecole d'Arts graphiques at Brassart de Tours. She lives and works in the South of France, which is clearly visible in her works. As a gifted artist, Sophie manages to create an impression with a few surefire pastel strokes, which accurately reflects the atmosphere of what appears on her retina. In order to express her own drives, she likes to quote her compatriot Cezanne on her website: "Painting from nature does not mean to copy slavishly, but to realize your sensations."

Amauger sees himself as a purebred landscape painter, who wanders through nature for hours and paints what touches her. She indicates that she does not have a favorite subject, but rather to be caught by a certain atmosphere that enchants her during her daily walks through the French campaign. Amauger sees himself as a spectator and actress, who always repeats the same ritual: looking, immersing, waiting, framing and finally recording. She waits for the moment when a door opens to another door and offers her an omnipotent sense of inspiration, only for a short moment ...

Moment of rapture
Of course, her pastels are worked out in peace in her studio later on. But the feeling of that first glance, that subtle atmosphere of a bygone moment, remains tangibly present in her work. The magical glare of the sun on a forest path or the primal force of a wave breaking in the surf - Sophie Amauger knows how to perpetuate like no other. Subdued character, but with an unprecedented atmosphere of warmth and security, which is partly caused by its warm and sunny use of color.
 
Sophie Amauger possesses a rare, precious power, revealing the poetry of the French landscape on the canvas. She travels with an open heart and a hungry eye through dunes, hills and paths. She is not looking for inspiration, but is waiting for the inspiration to find her. And when it presents itself, an intimate meeting takes place. Then begins the subtle play of seduction between the pastels and the depicted. Sophie Amauger stops all her energy in this moment. The result is an intimate insight into the landscape, as she has experienced it, created with pigments and love for nature. "


We invite you to come and admire the intimate landscapes of Sophie Amauger, during the exhibition 'Joie de vivre', from 15 June to 29 July in gallery Wildevuur.
 
More about the art of Sophie Amauger can be found on her own  website.
 
In our online gallery you can not only view the works of Sophie Amauger, you can also order the art book 'Pastels', an overview book from 2015 with pictures of drawings, personal texts and a biography of this talented pastelist.