Artist Statement

I was 4-years-old and I still remember my little school table at the kindergarten in my native France. With my nose nearly on top of the drawing paper the environment around me seemed to vanish. Then I was alone painting a cherry pie; how much I wanted to get right the color of the custard. From that moment on I have been an artist.

When I enrolled in art school at the Beaux Arts in Tours, France, acrylic painting was just being born, so I tried it. I loved it and since then it has worked well as a medium for me.

I discovered that a typical canvas was too confining. I wanted to go further; go outside of the frame. I love space so I began to incorporate the three-dimensional world into painting scenery on the entire surface of furniture. This got attention right away when I moved to Santa Barbara, California. Hand painted furniture was barely known in the way I was doing it. The national magazine “Victorian Sampler,” in which my work was featured in 1988, said, “Maryvonne LaParlière was one of the precursors and perhaps the one to establish the concept of painting an entire scene on a piece of furniture…”

​​From furniture I progressed to painting on walls and doing murals of all sizes and shapes. I feel very comfortable using space and visualizing abstractly the proportion and perspective. Knowing how to do this seems to come naturally to me and that ability has allowed me to create large intricate scenes of all kinds and styles.

I absolutely love Nature. I feel totally immersed in nature’s cycles and am keenly aware of its palpitations, rhythms and forces. I am continually amazed by its mysteries and strength. Nature is my absolute inspiration, both physically and spiritually.

I have noticed over the years that my art seems to charm and attract children. Perhaps it is because they sense in my work that I have kept my inner child alive. Perhaps they see spontaneity, fundamental happiness, and genuineness — that I am authentic.