Page 6 - André Deymonaz - 2016 ©atelierrean

André Deymonaz Les 5 frères et leur mère. Casablanca-Marseille sur le paquebot “Koutoubia” en 1949 André, René, Gérard,Guy, Nouvelle-Calédonie 1953 Jehan, Rufina, les parents d’André. Olivier et Laurent, les enfants. « Le Revest », 1986

From my childhood
, I always had a pencil in my It wasn’t my aim to make a living out of it - that wasn’t even

hand so that I could play and draw the things kids have fun with.
imaginable - it was a pastime that gave me the chance to meet

I used to draw boats, cars and characters, and it gave me the people who shared the same interest. I regularly sold paintings and

chance to give material form to whatever I wanted and to explore I could see that some members of the public were interested in my

my imaginary world.
work.

I loved illustrating stories, and these drawings are stronger in In March 1986, I was invited by the town of Voiron to put on

my memory than the texts that went with them.
my first solo exhibition, which was a great success, to the point that

My parents, on the other hand, looked at this budding love of famous galleries started to take an interest in my work. I was living a

drawing with reluctance. They would have preferred me to be top of dream, but I didn’t dare believe it, it seemed impossible to imagine

the class. I can easily forgive them because it must be said I was the that having fun painting could take on such importance. I began to

last of five boys who were all absolutely passionate about drawing.
imagine I could become a professional painter, but the same doubts

But whose fault was that? My father’s! He was our example, came back all the time: it’s too fragile, it won’t last, you can’t make

since he painted when he had free time. He would often donate his a living from your passion.

paintings to the school fete. So I was immersed in this environment, So for some time I lived my life as an optician and my life

and I found my first means of expression in drawing.
as a painter in parallel, but it became difficult for me and for my

Much later, my career as an optician took me away from the entourage. Chantal encouraged me to make the choice that seemed

south, to Isère, in Voiron. Then, in 1968, I married Chantal, and our the riskiest:

two boys, Laurent and Olivier, were born in the 1970s.
TO BECOME AN ARTIST

I painted on and off through the following years, until the Once this decision was taken, with the support of my family,

children were teenagers, when I had more time to devote to all my anxiety disappeared very quickly.

painting.

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