ITW – Charlotte Molas, femininity in pastel colours
Charlotte Molas is living & working between Paris and Biarritz. Drifting amidst her exhibitions, collaborations and multiple magazines spreads, she’s now a full-time illustrator. Inspired by the old advertisements of the 50s, Charlotte seduces with these illustrations full of femininity in colors pastels.
Your work reminds me of 1930’s and 1940’s advertising, is that simply a coincidence?
I do particularly enjoy that graphic era. But I especially love the work of poster designers throughout the years. Like Bernard Villemot (1911-1989), Raymond Savignac (1907-2002), Paul Colin (1892-1985) or Michel Bouvet (1955-). Their impeccable composition, their thought process and their colour usage are all sources of inspiration.
How would you define your style? When did you find it?
Defining one’s own style is a hard task! I would say a big old retro/modern mix sprinkled with comical zest!
What is your creation process? Do you need to be alone in a calm and quiet environment or rather in a lively place with music playing?
I work in my cave-office, in the dark with artificial light, and Pierre Bellemare’s stories on in the background or a rubbish TV show on my iPad. Those are my ideal work conditions. But I can also work on the floor, in a café or between my daughter Paz’s toys, if she isn’t at day care.
What tools do you prefer to work with?
A mechanical pencil, a rubber, a black felt-tip pen, my iPad-scanner and a computer. That’s what I would take away with me on a desert island (deserted but still with Wi-Fi). I don’t need much. But I recently went back to using paints, stamps and stencils for my latest exhibition KOUKOUYOU, which I used to work with a lot when I started out.
Your illustrations are often full of life, are you always on the go or are you rather more calm and composed?
I’d say unpredictable, adventurous and very athletic. My partner says calm and composed.
Paris is a recurring feature in your work; how does Paris inspire you, is it more the city or the Parisians themselves?
I was a Parisian for 10 years; I love Paris even though I now live in a Biarritz. Paris would not be Paris without its people. So I’d say it’s them who inspire me most.
I may live in my “cave”, but I have a deep-rooted love for humans and deem myself to be a very sociable person. And it’s the human creations throughout the years that have shaped my drawings. I haven’t invented anything new.
What do you enjoy about collaborating with brands, magazines or advertising agencies?
To collaborate with the press, a brand or an agency always means you need to adapt yourself to different situations. And that’s what I like: challenges, something new. As I said, I am apparently calm and composed but inside I hate staying still. I like having to solve new problems each week, especially with the press, then create an image for a book cover, then the following day create a pattern for a scarf and maybe the following month work on porcelain.
What would you ideally love to create if you had complete carte blanche and infinite funds?
If I had infinite funds my priority would be to use that money for education and LGBTQ rights. I would use my carte blanche to send Trump to a retirement home. And if there’s any money left after that, I would start doing sculpture and I would erect a statue of myself like OJ Simpson or late Christian Audigier in my garden. Because you have to indulge yourself once in a while.
Buy now the Charlotte Molas “SKISLOPE” tee-shirt !
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More information on Charlotte Molas on her website and her Instagram.
