Isabelle, a Nohô Host Passionate About Painting

On Nohô, every passion becomes an immersion into a unique world. This one belongs to a painter who explores light, emotion, and the invisible through deeply intuitive oil painting.

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Isabelle, a painter passionate about the technique of oil painting on canvas. My work focuses on light and the interplay of light and shadow, even though I work in color. I don’t do quick sketches or digital art. It’s a traditional art form, where each piece takes time to come to life on the easel. Sometimes, a canvas takes me over a month to complete.

What drives me is the authenticity of the creative process. I paint at home, in a small space set up in my dining room. I work with the living, with colors, and with the depth that only oil painting can achieve. I tried acrylics, but I didn’t get the same result. With oil, the blending and successive layers create an effect closer to reality. It’s also a very sensory experience, with the smell of turpentine and the patience required while the paint dries.

What has your journey been like?

I’m self-taught. I didn’t go to art school. But I was surrounded by this world. My brother was a painter; he used to paint scenes on the banks of the Seine in Paris, then he worked in a gallery in Montpellier before giving it up. When I was little, he would already take me with him and teach me how to spread paint on the canvas with my fingers, guiding my movements. I also have a cousin who’s a painter. And I’ve always drawn, always painted. I couldn’t even say when it started; it’s as if it’s always been there. Over time, I’ve come to understand one thing: there isn’t really such a thing as talent. It’s mostly about hard work and practice.

Where does your inspiration come from?

At first, I focused a lot on my Spanish roots. I painted flamenco, culture, and Mediterranean traditions. But over time, I moved away from that a bit, because I felt less connected to it. For the past year or two, I’ve been working more on identity. I try to make the invisible visible: emotions, traumas, doubts, anxieties. But I don’t work in a dark style. There’s always a form of beauty in my paintings. And above all, an idea of light, of a way out, of a solution. Even in the more sensitive areas, I always look for an opening toward something more positive. My inspiration also comes from observing people. On public transit, on the street… sometimes an attitude, a glance, can spark an idea for a painting.

What is your relationship to the creative process?

I paint a lot at night. It’s a time I particularly love, with the silence. Silences speak volumes to me. At night, I’m immersed in creation. During the day, I’m more focused on interactions, projects, and exhibitions.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions?

Yes, several projects are coming up. I’ve just been accepted into the Taylor Foundation in Paris. I’ve also been selected for a show in Lyon in September, at the Espace Bondy.

I’ll also be exhibiting in a show centered on Frida Kahlo in Montpellier, at the Galerie Électrique. And other projects are in the works: calls for submissions, group exhibitions, sponsorships… The end of the year is likely to be quite busy.

I’ll also be exhibiting in my town, in the town hall, for five days. I’d like to take this opportunity to invite a wider audience, particularly from the metropolitan area.

What do you offer on Nohô?

I offer a genuine opportunity to discuss art; I’ll take the time to answer all your questions and explain my creative process. This might involve a day where I also paint—we can figure that out together.

Paintings of Intimacy and Light

On Nohô, every encounter offers a glimpse into what is not always visible behind a work: time, gesture, and sensitivity. Isabelle’s work is part of this quest for inner truth, between shadow and light, silence and color.

A painting that does not seek to illustrate the world, but to reveal its hidden emotions, always with an openness toward light.