I had a happy and pampered childhood. My most beautiful memories are linked to the image of my grandfather, "Apé". An exceptional painter, a magician of the colour and the light, a creator of an idealized world inhabited with clowns, flamenco dancers, harlequins and children, Apé was also a fascinating and moving storyteller, a discrete and generous man, a marvellous grandfather who passed on me his love for life and Art, with tenderness and patience. I will never forget our walks in St-Cloud wood,
Looking for the "small elf" who hid candies and chocolates in an old oak... I will never forget the stories that he would tell at the end of the meal, as poetic and lively as Cyrano... I will never forget the hours spent in his studio, a mysterious and sacred place inhabited by Commedia dell' Arte masks, mirrors, musical instruments, piles of                       books and documents... The moving and harmonious sound of Bohemia that filled the room. I would discover his canvases: the figures moved with elegance and the landscapes were animated by light and shade; the dense colour flashed out in vibrating and sumptuous masses. Quiet and attentive, I would look at him working. Everything was magic. Apé, my grandfather, my "Maestro", I dedicate this painting to you, “the painting lesson” with all my love. When I am in my studio, at once thousand details such as the palette, the turpentine odour ... remind me of the emotions of these moments spent near you: we are still together and everything is magic again.