Eva Lemay

divide my time between Le Havre and Genneville (Calvados), where I have my studio — an inspiring environment between land, sky, and sea.

I have been painting since childhood, first guided by my father, a painter, and influenced by the anthroposophical ideas of my mother. My artistic journey has been enriched by time spent with Polynesian and Marquesan artists. Upon returning to France, I continued my training in workshops at the Université Populaire in Mulhouse and alongside visual artist Jean-Charles Delange here in Le Havre.

I’ve spent a lot of time studying the works of Monet, Matisse, Derain, Rothko, and many others — including, of course, my contemporaries.

I paint daily, in a constant search for ways to express the landscape. I explore the connections between external nature and internal emotion, attempting to convey natural forces and the traces of our bond with them. It begins with observing, feeling, absorbing — then translating the intensity of a sensation.

I seek something essential, something deeply human. My gestures unfold like a dance led by emotion, where failure becomes part of the process and time is unmeasured. I create, undo, redo, pare down, wipe, scrape, smooth… The vibration begins with color. From color arise structure, contrast, and light. Forms are suggested through tonal and textural variations, with minimal detail to leave space for imagination.

I search for balance — between form and feeling, presence and absence, the real and the imagined, telluric energy and atmospheric softness.

I began sharing my work after permanently losing my sense of smell — an urgent need to connect with others, with the viewer, the one who gives the painting a new life.

I exhibit with several artist collectives, including Courants d’Art en Normandie, Les Amis du Salon d’Automne de Paris, and in various salons. I also organize solo exhibitions in cultural spaces open to school audiences.