Elle Refleurit

Elle Refleurit was created for Nathalie, but also from something in her story that deeply resonated with me: the idea that when life changes completely, we do not necessarily have to find our way back. Sometimes, we have to create a new way forward.

At the heart of the painting is a large, abstract shell. Its layers curl around one another in different colours and directions — soft, protective and sensual at the same time. For me, the shell became a symbol of femininity: something delicate in appearance, yet strong enough to protect what it holds within.

Around it, the composition continues to unfold. Higher in the painting, softer forms appear that remind me of lilies or petals. Unlike the shell, they feel more open and weightless, almost as though something is beginning to bloom around what has been protected.

That contrast became important while creating the work.

After profound loss, rebuilding does not mean recreating what existed before. Life reorganises itself. Some parts of us turn inward and need protection; others slowly begin to open again. New shapes appear where we never expected them. And eventually, all those different parts can belong to the same life.

This duality also made me think of Nathalie herself.

There is enormous strength in her story, but also a conscious return to softness. After having to reinvent her own life, she has created a space in which she helps other women reconnect with their femininity — particularly women who are accustomed to achieving, leading and being strong.

I wanted the painting to hold both energies.

The deeper tones and earthy brown forms give the composition weight and grounding, while the blush, cream and dusty pinks bring softness and sensuality. Neither dominates the other.

Because femininity, to me, is not the opposite of strength. Softness can exist because of strength — and sometimes it takes strength to become soft again.

Nothing in the painting is perfectly symmetrical. The shell, petals and surrounding forms all seem to find their own direction while remaining connected.

That is why I called the work Elle Refleurit.

Not because what was lost can simply grow back, or because life returns to what it was before. But because after profound change, something new can still begin to bloom.