S o p h i e  Z A I A 

M o n  h i s to i re  p e r s o n n e l l e

​

Animal painter

​

 

I draw and I have been painting since my childhood.

​

When I was a teenager, I started by drawing with a dry, oily pencil. 

Then comes the use of pen and Indian ink which allows me to learn the techniques of “tratteggio” and “pointillism”. I became a big consumer of sheets of Canson paper and drawing books. 

When I was little, I already capture lights and volumes very well. I like to draw shadows on natures dead, I like to put a point of light on an eye, I like to create curves...

Around 18, I took lessons with a painter, Michel Paupert who gives us will take sketch circus scenes, nudes...

​

At twenty, I moved and went to live on an island in the Indian Ocean. The colors, the light and the scents me fascinate and make me want to paint. I buy blank canvases, acrylic paint and brushes. Here I am, painting exotic landscapes and characters in warm, colorful colors. After a while, acrylic doesn't suit me anymore. I very quickly felt that I needed to work with fresh materials... so I bought my first tubes of oil paint. I love the texture, the smell and the mixture of fresh colors... I enjoy painting a lot of vegetation, coconut trees, palm trees, exotic plants...

​

In 1995, back in France, I'm learning the restoration of paintings in Paris and it became my job... a job that I still practice. I have been restoring paintings for over 25 years. The techniques between restoration and creation are absolutely not the same but both activities fill me with happiness. Restoring tables allows me to see hundreds and hundreds of tables and to sharpen my eye. 

​

In 1999 I created my first dog portrait, followed by other pets and more wild animals such as panthers, elephants.... I workson several types of support such as wood, leather, paper and canvas of course.

​

Today my workshop is located in a beautiful region at the foot of Mont Ventoux. 

​

Sophie

​