Biography

As a Franco-British illustrator, Priscilla is very quickly and deeply drawn to Japan, its culture, traditions and spirituality. Having studied illustration at Norwich University of the Arts, she decides to fulfill a dream in furthering her education in Japan. In 2008, she leaves for the Osaka Seikei University in the town of Nagaokakyo (region of Kyoto) to study painting.

Priscilla’s encounter with nihon-ga (traditional technique based on natural mineral pigments) transforms her artistic vision and aesthetic sense, which is already very consistent with Japanese values. This pictorial approach involves a long period of contemplation of the subject before the work can begin. The materials used, exclusively natural and often rare, as well as the relationship between the painter and subject, have an impact on the artist’s way of life. Nihon-ga teaches how to appreciate and respect nature. For that matter, Priscilla uses raw timber, a “live” material, as a support for her paintings.

Priscilla is mainly inspired by the plant kingdom and floral themes. She is also fascinated by the myths and legends of Japan, which offer a vision of nature inhabited by thousands of spirits.

Artist Statement

Priscilla has never really left Japan. She carries a piece of the country’s culture in her. Endless sources of inspiration including the countryside and Japanese forests are for her the embodiment of values such as harmony and respect. In search of perfection and very concerned with the environment, Priscilla is not satisfied with the world around her. Her artistic work is her way of fighting against what revolts her: rampant urbanisation, the power of money and a society of consumerism, putting work before a comfortable standard of living… Her refusal of the world is expressed in a peaceful way by choosing to show us soothing inner landscapes. Her work exists as a kind of digression resembling the hanami tradition, which involves going to admire, at springtime, the cherry trees in bloom. Through her paintings, she invites us for but an instant, to forget our daily lives and worries.