Painting in a studio bathed in soft, morning light, Stéphanie approaches her practice with quiet intensity. Each line, color, and gesture becomes an intuitive expression of being—painting not as choice, but as necessity. Her work reflects an ongoing search for beauty, infused with color and hope, affirming her belief that creation itself is inseparable from life

BIOGRAPHY

Stéphanie was born in France and from an early age developed a heightened sensitivity to color and form. A formative visit to the Rijksmuseum at age ten, where she was captivated by miniature paintings, sparked her creative imagination. Back home, she transformed a cupboard into an elaborate doll’s house, complete with multiple floors and meticulous details—each shoebox becoming a miniature shop. By her teenage years, her passion for drawing had fully emerged. While attending school in England at fifteen, she spent countless hours sketching, building compositions from line and color, confirming art as her lifelong pursuit.

At eighteen, she entered Penninghen (École Supérieure d’Art Graphique) in Paris, graduating with honors five years later. Her early professional career included work for Lizzie Derriey in Paris, followed by a position in the creative department of Saatchi & Saatchi in London, and later a collaboration with the Carré Noir agency. In 1989, she exhibited publicly for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs at the Grand Palais in Paris.

In the late 1990s, Stéphanie began a significant collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier, who recognized in her drawings an affinity with Toulouse-Lautrec. She produced illustrations for publications such as Vogue and Marie Claire, designed textiles and scarves, and created invitations for Gaultier’s fashion shows, all of which received the First Prize of the Venus de la Mode. She was also chosen to illustrate costume concepts for Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element. Seeking greater freedom for personal work, she eventually became a freelancer, designing collections for Doré Doré DD and adapting her drawings to complex weaving techniques. In 1994, she held her first solo exhibition of 60 paintings in Paris, shortly before marrying and moving to Mexico, where she lived for eleven years.

Her painting is marked by a spontaneous use of color and an intimate connection between perception and expression. Drawn especially to portraiture, she seeks to capture the inner essence of her subjects, a quality that has led many to commission her work. Extensive travel further enriched her palette, exposing her to the colors and rhythms of diverse cultures. After leaving Mexico in 2004, she lived in Seville, inspired by olive greens and the deep blues of the bullfighting arena, a theme that culminated in a 2007 exhibition in Paris. She later returned to France, settling in the Loire Valley, where she continues to work.