
Romane Peychet Lacaze, guest artist
Naturisme Ludique
Every season, Bask in the Sun collaborates with several visual artists, photographers and illustrators for its tee and sweatshirt prints. From Biarritz, Romane Peychet Lacaze draws naked women struggling with everyday objects. A universe zany enough to invite her to sign an entire summer mini-collection.
Who are you? Where are you from?
A native of the Bassin d'Arcachon, I moved to Paris at the age of 14 to study art and theater. Dynamic, curious and full of life, I then went on to drama school and then graphic design studies until 2016, when I became a freelance illustrator, while keeping a keen eye on the stage, cinema, literature and fashion, which are also key factors in my development and my work.
You draw (almost) exclusively naked women. Why do you do this?
I love the purity of the naked body and the softness of the shapes they represent. I've grown up surrounded by strong, independent women who take responsibility for themselves, free and shameless, by the ocean and on naturist beaches. A place where all body types can come together, without complexes. This is undoubtedly why femininity and nudity have naturally become the driving forces behind my inspiration.
I like to mix women and everyday objects, and I like to see feminine forms everywhere in my daily life. My drawing is very simple and uncluttered, and some call it "playful naturism". I use as few lines as possible, so that the two elements represented end up as one. If I had to describe my work in one word, it would be "metaphorical". Everything we do, experience and touch can be a metaphor. A metaphor for society, for beauty stereotypes, for the consumption of love, friendship or just plain overconsumption.
Mon travail est engagé. Je prend au pied de la lettre l’expression « femme-objet » pour jouer, mais aussi pour dénoncer le consumérisme, les dictats de beauté, la libération de la femme. J’appartiens à la génération des femmes « photoshoppées » dans les magazines, à l’excès sans que cela soit précisé pour le lecteur. J’ai donc grandi avec « l’image parfaite » inventée par la société au dépit de la femme de tous les jours. Mes illustrations sont ma façon à moi de dépeindre cette ère qui m’a longtemps complexée et m’a souvent fait sentir pas à ma place. La nourriture par exemple représente pour moi l’éphémère par excellence. Ça se dévore, se savoure et se termine et puis on recommence…
Your graphic style is close to that of the ligne claire comic artists. All your characters lack are speech bubbles. If they could talk, what would they say?
My characters are mute and I believe they will remain so. I'm the narrator. I prefer to let their bodies express themselves freely instead of a speech bubble.
I've also started drawing short sketches. It's the same, in these short stories I never give them a voice, because for me the body speaks for itself. As a former introvert, I remember, as a child, retracing certain events or altercations in my day as if I were the narrator. By rewriting these scenes in my mind, I'd get a grip on my disappointments and fears. I think that's why my short stories are constructed in this way, like a short film, a mini-documentary of just 3 or 4 scenes, all expressed by someone external to the story, like a voice-over taking a step back.
What are your preferred tools and media? The old-fashioned notebook or the digital tablet?
I've never worked with a tablet. Much to the chagrin of my former teachers and illustrator friends. Drawing by hand gives me the outlet I'm looking for. It's a medium that does me good, like a ritual, and I have my preferences.
I draw on paper only, first with a pencil and then with a fine black felt-tip pen, before erasing the whole thing, yes yes, really old school! I try as much as possible to favor recycled materials or those with a low ecological impact, which is why I've turned to bamboo paper. Quite thick and slightly yellowed, it gives the final drawing before coloring a slightly vintage look that I really like, and above all keeps the fine felt-tip line very clear.
I've never liked working with a tablet, because there's something sentimental about irregularity. I find that digital drawing smoothes out the lines to such an extent that the work loses its charm and authenticity, and takes away some of its life and feeling. I do work with color software, however. I like the encounter between my imperfect drawing and the flat tints of digital colorization. That's my paradoxical side!
For Bask in the Sun, you created an avocul, a diptych featuring an oyster, a pinacolada and surfers. Can you tell us about these drawings?
A lot of my drawings have to do with the sea. These are two subjects I particularly like to deal with. Firstly, because I grew up by the sea. I come from a family of fishermen and oyster farmers, hence the drawing with the oyster. But also as a nod to the title of the painting by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer that I love so much: "The Girl with the Pearl". My drawings are often inspired by titles or expressions that make me laugh, and which I then have fun hijacking or illustrating.
Food, and more specifically cooking, is a very important part of my life. As a passionate epicurean, it's only natural that food should feature in my illustrations. Fruits and vegetables such as avocados feature prominently, hence the play on words and the "avocul" design. The Pina Colada is part of a series exploring aperitif tables. I've drawn mojitos, Ricard "ricul" and Spritz. Always in an extremely feminine universe. You could say that I'm the illustrated woman swimming and drowning in colorful mixtures inspired by my drunken evenings...