Thierry jaud
It is a little unexpectedly, on the terrace of a café, that we are going to speak with the artist Thierry Jaud. This one was not completely unknown to us because, with Luc Lanier, he has been running the Petite Galerie, rue des deux Porches, in downtown Brive-la-Gaillarde, since 2018. This space ensures, for him, the proper gallery function since, in order to work, the sculptor-painter needs a lot more space. That ’s why his workshop resides, not far from there, at 2, rue des roses in Malemort, allowing him, at the same time, to give painting lessons to individuals of all ages.
The artist, born in Royan in 1962, has always worked in images and pictures. After training at the regional school of fine arts in Angoulême, he worked for 10 years as a laboratory photographer in the advertising industry: shots, development and printing. Painting, on the other hand, has always been a hobby. But, in 1993, a romantic encounter with a Brivist girl changed, in a way, his life course. And, it was by settling in the region that Thierry decided to devote himself mainly to painting. He will exhibit everywhere: Royan, La Rochelle, Paris, in the Dordogne and in the Lot. In 1997, he took over the keys to his large, logically very bright, workshop studio in Malemort, which he still occupies today.
As for his activity as a sculptor, Thierry admits to us that he often associates his paintings with objects. He remembers having exhibited canvases which were associated, and sold, with real kilometer markers in order to locate the canvases in a determined geographical space.
“The association between painting and objects has always been natural in my mind » said Thierry Jaud.
The artist works with all materials: wood, plaster, resin and slate. Slate deserves a little explanation. Indeed, it was by exhibiting, in the atypical setting of Pans de Travassac in Donzenac, that he discovered this material.
« I discovered the site with these kinds of canyons, these huge sections of slate that also learning a lot about the technique of mining. »
« I simply wanted to work with this material. I’ve been working on slate for almost 10 years now. »
Regarding his relationship to art, one could say, without betraying it too much, that the artist is a real bulimic. “I must have produced more than 1 500 canvases ! I work in series of 10 to 25 paintings under the same theme. I start them almost all at the same time. Thus, the paintings respond to each other. In short, I go through with the idea and then move on. »
Thierry has tried almost everything: acrylic, oil, collage or pigments, and this, on different supports such as linen, cotton or even polyester. However, the painter admits a preference to work preferably with glazes, namely thin layers of paint. In addition, he admits to flourishing more in the abstract because, for him, we escape completely. As for his style, he tells us, in all honesty, that he couldn’t define it. However, he adds, people generally recognize my paintings.
About his audience, it is very varied, he admits, because it includes all social classes and all ages. The purchase can be either well thought out or an instant crush. With regard to the relationship between art and the public, he would like to tell us that, for him, in France, there is a kind of shyness with fine arts. He remembers that when he exhibited in Sarlat, many foreigners would drop by to have a look or chat in the gallery, while for the French it was less the case.
Art education in France is not sufficiently developed. Moreover, mass culture does nothing to educate. Think about it: we have calculated that visitors to the Louvre spend an average of 3 to 13 seconds per painting! There is too much to see. We stay in the surface of things.
“My real relationship with my audience should ideally be based on the simple fact that they enjoy watching it every day. It is sure that, on the other hand, financially speaking, it could be interesting for me if an art center buys one of my works at a good price but, in the end, if it is to stay safe from light, in a warehouse !… This is not what I want. Above all, art is about sharing emotions! “
With these last words, we warmly thank Thierry for having opened the doors of his gallery to us but also for revealing us a little of his art and his history.
Go out Brive strongly recommends going to the rue des deux porches to be able to discover the works of this painter-sculptor.
