BIO en Français • (ENGLISH Bio scroll down)
Ann-Sophi est née à Copenhague dans une famille de créatifs franco-danoise en Août 1970.
Son père était un entrepreneur designer, il fabriquait des objets en bois pour la cuisine (Denmark Digsmed Design) et sa mère est styliste. Du coup elle aussi dessine depuis toute petite.
À ses 6 mois toute la famille est partie habiter à Bangkok car son père avait une usine là-bas où ils coupaient le bois. Après deux ans et demi ils sont rentrés à Copenhague. Les parents se séparent et elle part vivre à Ibiza avec sa mère. Là bas se trouve l’oncle d’Ann-Sophi qui y habite déjà, il est peintre sculpteur. Elle a vite repéré qu’il avait plein de crayons de couleur dans son atelier.
Grandir à Ibiza c’est une chance extraordinaire car c’est un vrai melting pot. C’est cosmopolite et il fait bon vivre.
Il a quand même fallu partir car l’école française n’allait que jusqu’à la seconde donc elle a terminé le cycle au Lycée Français de Madrid.
Annsophi ne voulait pas être artiste car « le dessin ce n’est pas sérieux » d’après elle alors elle a décidé d’être « business woman » en commençant des études de Sciences Économiques et Sociales à l’Université de Créteil à Paris. Il n’a fallu qu’un seul trimestre pour découvrir le fiasco. (Les maths incompréhensibles, la pluie, le gris dans le ciel, les cours de démographie déprimants, etc).
Elle ne sait plus quoi faire. Sa mère lui rappelle qu’elle a toujours aimé dessiner et pourquoi pas tenter cette voie. Donc elle est partie faire des études pour devenir graphiste dans une école d’Arts appliqués et métiers d’Arts en Catalogne.
Après 6 ans d’études, elle part vivre à Paris (par amour) et y habite pendant 12 ans en tant que graphiste et directrice artistique dans plusieurs entreprises spécialisées dans internet.
Un longue maladie survient pour changer le cours de la vie.
Elle décide de partir vivre à Marseille seule avec son bébé d’un an, près de la mer et du soleil jusqu’au jour où elle rencontre un marin Australien qui vit à Antibes.
Depuis Ann-Sophi dessine, peint Antibes avec la joie de vivre.
ENGLISH BIO
Ann-Sophi was born in Copenhagen into a Franco-Danish creative family in August 1970.
Her father was a business man and designer, he made wooden objects for the kitchen (Denmark Digsmed Design) and her mother was a fashion designer in Ibiza. Ann-Sophi draws since she was little.
When she was 6 months old, the whole family moved to Bangkok because her father had a factory there where they cut wood. After two and a half years they returned to Copenhagen. The parents separate and she goes to live in Ibiza with her mother.
There is Ann-Sophi's uncle who already lives there, he is a painter and sculptor. She quickly spotted that he had plenty of colored pencils in his studio.
Growing up in Ibiza is an extraordinary opportunity because it is a real melting pot. It's cosmopolitan and it's good to live there.
We still had to leave Ibiza at a certain point because the French school only went to a certain grade so she finished school at the Lycée Français in Madrid.
Annsophi didn't want to be an artist because "drawing is not serious" according to her, so she decided to be a "business woman" by starting her studies in Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Créteil in Paris. It only took one quarter to discover the fiasco. (Incomprehensible math, rain, gray skies, depressing demography lessons, etc.).
She didn't know what to do anymore. Her mother reminded her that she has always loved drawing and why not try this path. So she left to study to become a graphic designer in a school of Applied Arts and Crafts in Catalonia.
After 6 years of study, she moved to Paris (for love) and lived there for 12 years as a graphic designer and artistic director in several companies specializing in the internet.
A long illness occurs to change the course of life.
She decides to go live in Marseille alone with her one-year-old baby, near the sea and the sun until the day she meets an Australian sailor who lives in Antibes. Since Ann-Sophi draws, paints Antibes with the joy of living.My own interview
Since when do you paint ?
I have started painting since Spring 2017, I decided to add colour to my drawings by doing a challenge of painting a fish a day for 100days. In spite of having studied art for 6 years, I had never used watercolor. But I draw since I was 4 or 5y old.
Do you have an exhibition ?
All my art is exposed in postcards in Antibes in daily four shops, one in Biot and one in Juan les pins.
I don’t feel the need to do a proper exhibition yet. Maybe in a few years.
Do you have a studio ?
Not yet. I paint at home where ever there’s free space and nice light. I have a precise idea of my dream studio and I’m sure one day it will show up. For now Antibes has not many options for me the way I want it.
Why don't you do commissions anymore ?
Because I have enough painting ideas on my own. I don’t want to be told anymore what to paint. It’s time for me to paint what is in my list to paint.
How do you proceed when you paint ?
I usually wonder in town and observe, enjoy the moment and then I see something I want to paint. I take a picture and I draw it at home most of the time. I’m not too confortable drawing outdoors with people passing and checking what I’m drawing.
It can take from two to four hours to draw with many details. After that I need a pause. I might come back later or another day to ink the drawing leaving some areas to ink after the watercolor.
Then comes the watercolor moment, I need to feel in a special spirit, fresh, with energy to paint. The light outside is important. It has to be bright and colorful. It can take just two hours or many more because some parts are difficult and need a lot of concentration so I get distracted after a while. Or I get interrupted by people at home coming to talk to me while I paint. I don’t really appreciate that.
Then I ink some details like on shutters, plants, people, etc.
The paint needs to rest at least a whole night so I can look at it with fresh eyes and see what’s missing or needed.
How do you proceed with the postcards ?
Once my painting is finished, I scan it with my A3 scanner in high resolution and then I work on it in Photoshop. It needs cleaning spots and mistakes. Then on a new document I create a file of a postcard size with what’s needed for it to be printed with “Antibes” on it too. I also create a back side for the post card. Once the two files are ready I send them to one of my online printers.
About 7 or 10 days later I receive them. Make packets of 25 cards and go to deliver them to all the shops I’m used to work with in town.