(Exhibition at the Accessible Art fair - 2011)

What's your original inspiration for “Pencil Vs Camera”?

I have been drawing and taking photography since many years. I had the idea to combine these 2 disciplines in one new art form. This is the first image of the series. This first picture is very simple and realistic, the next images I made became more and more surrealistic and inventive. I started this project in April 2010. It’s still ongoing. I intend to make at least 100 Pencil Vs Camera creations.

Please describe what you are doing in a few words or phrases when working on a new “Pencil Vs Camera” image.

My primary intention was to create a "battle field" between 2 disciplines: drawing and photography, mixing imagination and reality. The only boundary is my own perception of the world. It's a very exciting project because I can share "pieces of dreams" with the world through illusion and surrealism. I integrate an inventive hand made drawing in front of a realistic background. There are several methods to achieve the same effect. My hand is always clearly visible. The drawing is always in black and white while the photo is often very colorful, this amplifies the contrast between the two disciplines. I like to focus on people’s life, portraits, nature, animals, architecture... the main themes approached in "Pencil Vs Camera" are: Love, Freedom, Death, Friendship and Nature.

Your works touched me because of their peaceful message and their "slow life" feeling. In my opinion, the pencil represents tradition and fantasy, while the camera represents modernization and reality. We are all thirsty for slow life nowadays. What’s your attitude towards living slowly?

That’s a very interesting interpretation. You’re totally right, the hand made pencil drawing belongs to fantasy and imagination while the photography is a simple reflection of modern reality. Concerning my attitude towards slow living, I must say I’m a rather “fast” person willing to be as efficient as possible in everything I’m doing. But this is because I don’t really have the choice; I actually like spending time on my creative projects and thinking about the future. I would really love to live more slowly and this is what I want to convey in my work. But, again I know it’s difficult because we live in a world where everything needs to go extremely fast…

What's the best way to live?

Every life is unique and fascinating; I’m nobody to say what’s the best way to live. I’d just say it’s very important to keep in mind important values and to share the fruits of your work with other people, I think it’s more enriching this way.

Who is your idol?

Well, I don’t know. I don't really "idolize" anyone, that’s a bit too much for me. But I admire and respect lots of people, mainly those who managed to improve the world we live in.

Have you ever been to China? What’s your opinion about China?

I’ve never been to China yet. I hope soon, may be in the frame of a future exhibition... I think it’s an amazing and powerful country. Everybody knows China’s culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex ones. I’d really be happy to discover it from the inside.

(*) Sunshine Magazine is a women’s fashions magazine based in Beijing, China.