VALÉRIE AURIEL

Secret gardens and dream jungles

Let’s wander in the forest

“My forest and jungle painting evokes a world of dreams, of archetypes. My pictorial approach revolves around creating pictures that can be read in many ways, and provoking uncertainty. I create figurative paintings, but they are certainly not illustrative. I aim to shape an atmosphere that can be interpreted in different ways.”

The flower that looks like me…

Approach

“In my paintings, I explore the deep emotional connection that humans form with the plant world. Flowers and plants speak a language of intimacy, telling stories of a wondrous, dreamlike nature.

Trees, forests—whether tropical or temperate—and foliage are some of my favorite subjects. For a visual artist, the woods offer a vast, rich field of exploration with their abundance of plant life: trees, ferns, grasses of all kinds intertwine. The forest is also a place of mystery. Hidden behind the leaves, birds, mammals, and reptiles stir both curiosity and unease in those who pass through. Symbolically, the forest holds deep meaning. In fairy tales, it is often a place of trial, where the lost hero must overcome challenges and emerge stronger.

My series on orchids highlights the paradox of nature recreated by human hands within the confines of greenhouses. Beneath domes of metal and glass, a perfect jungle is reborn—colorful and welcoming, devoid of dangerous animals. It is a kind of lost paradise, reminiscent of the worlds imagined by Douanier Rousseau or Paul Gauguin.

Often bathed in a soft, golden light, my paintings echo a natural world that is becoming increasingly rare and precious. Through the formal beauty of my subjects, I aim to reconnect viewers with the living world, evoking a childlike sense of wonder at life’s small marvels—swaying grasses, scarlet blooms, and vivid, tangy leaves.”

Portrait de Valérie Auriel dans son atelier

Focus on an artwork

peinture, collage, paysage

This landscape is part of a series inspired by the engravings of Gustave Doré… I interpret them in colors and collages, but respecting the initial composition.