How did you start?

At first, I studied audiovisual communication – cinema and television – in Barcelona, ​​then I did a master’s degree in directing in this city before coming to work in Paris, then in Nancy.

Stop motion (frame by frame animation editor’s note) is not common, how did you get started in this technique?

Au départ, j’ai étudié le cinéma et je pratiquais la sculpture en amateur. Étant fortement passionnée du cinéma d’animation, j’ai tout naturellement combiné les deux pour créer des personnages qui parlent ainsi qu’un univers qui me ressemble. Lorsque j’ai fait mon premier essai, une tête qui parle, j’ai su que c’était ce que je voulais faire.

Ton travail semble influencé par Tim Burton…

Yes, especially through his first short films,  Vincent  in particular. But I think we mostly have common references like the work of illustrator Edward Gorey or classic monster novels like  Dracula ,  Frankenstein  or  Nosferatu . In animation, I am influenced (narratively more than aesthetically) by Adam Elliot, notably director of  Mary & Max .

How did you start in sculpture?

I have always drawn, since I was little, and then one day, I found a piece of modeling clay at home and I made the Fox from  The Little Prince . And then I showed the result and quickly I had orders, so I decided to do this professionally.

What difficulties did you experience when you started?

When I arrived in France, I had a very warm welcome and the people made me feel at home, which made me want to stay. However, I encountered certain problems when I arrived in France, in particular related to the complexity of the administration, the difficulty of finding accommodation with foreign guarantors or of being entitled to social security. Being European, from a neighboring country, we think it should be simpler… but not at all.

Despite this, I will always be delighted and grateful that your country gave me the opportunity, that Spain denied me, to develop my art.

What is your technique?

When I do both sculpture and animation, I always start by drawing my characters before modeling them in polymer clay, with a wire frame inside. If it’s a sculpture, I put it all in the oven to solidify it and paint it afterwards. If it’s for animation, the dough must remain soft to make the movements of the joints. Otherwise, in animation I also work with latex and silicone.

Compared to my sculptures, I do characters of my own design as well as custom orders. All of my pieces are unique and handmade. And it is precisely this artisanal side that leads me to do stop motion animation. There is something magical about the technique, something nostalgic even. Sometimes I have the impression that I continue to play in my room, like when I was little, this time with toys that I invented.

And having succeeded in making this my job and thus being able to tell my own stories to people, makes me really happy!

 

Tiny sparks will be on May 21 and 22 at the “le rayon vert” festival in Thionville, more info on  the Festival website

To find out more, check out the  artist’s Facebook page  and  website  !