At the core of this series lies the dialogue between color, shading, and form, woven into structures that feel both intentional and organically alive. A Life in Chessy finds its source in azurite, often interlaced with malachite, a mineral pairing that embodies both guidance and grounding. From a lithotherapy perspective, azurite is linked to the stars, a compass of vision and inspiration, while malachite anchors to the earth, love, transformation, and the mirror of self.

Unable to hold the stone itself, I chose to paint it, to let its spirit accompany me. Following a process reminiscent of Tibetan masters, I created pigments to translate the mineral’s soul into a living presence on paper. The village of Chessy, France, where azurite has historically been found, becomes the anchor of this narrative, binding place, matter, and destiny into a luminous thread of memory and creation.

A Life in Chessy is more than a tribute to place or mineral: it is a meditation on how guidance and love can appear in unexpected forms. Azurite becomes the North Star, a companion pointing toward the infinite, reminding us to follow what inspires. Malachite forms the foundation, the heart that sustains, the mirror that reflects truth. Together, they unite sky and earth, aspiration and belonging.

This series reflects the belief that even when we cannot hold the star itself, we can still walk under its light. By painting their essence into existence, I pay tribute, through matter, symbols, and energy, to stones as companions rather than possessions, allowing their presence to resonate within art.