Marie-Claude LAVENANT
mcldd_aquarelle
Painter – Watercolour Artist
ABOUT
Light, material and artistic research through watercolour.
1. Watercolour Competition – City of Córdoba, Mezquita – Patio de los Naranjos (2026)
I seek to translate light, the emotion of a place and the poetry of a moment through watercolour.
Video – Painting the moment – Patio de los Naranjos, Córdoba 2026
2. An Encounter with the Light of Córdoba
During the Córdoba watercolour competition, I painted on location my interpretation of the Patio de los Naranjos of the Mezquita.
I chose not to reproduce the architecture in a descriptive way, but rather to capture its atmosphere: the strength of the lines, the warmth of the stones and the variations of light.
The Zorn palette, deliberately limited, allowed me to search for harmony of tones and values. The washes, blends and material effects become the visible traces of a moment experienced.
Córdoba watercolour competition – preparation of the Zorn palette (2026)
3. Personal Presentation
Trained in drawing, interior architecture and visual arts, I gradually discovered that watercolour was the medium that best matched my way of looking at the world. I paint on location whenever possible, focusing on light, atmosphere and emotions rather than simple representation.
Always seeking new developments, I explore the possibilities offered by watercolour: texture work, particularly in skies and materials, larger formats such as 85 × 65 cm artworks, and new ways of presenting paintings with American-style frames and watercolour paper mounted on frames. These choices extend my reflection on the relationship between light, material and space.
Video – Beginning of the creative process – Making the watercolor support
4. Artistic Approach
Water as an inner space
In my current research, the sea becomes a space for introspection. I seek to express this encounter between strength and silence, between external movement and inner breathing. Water becomes a metaphor for freedom, memory and inner journey.
Inside the Horizon – The Last Blue Mile – 85 cm x 65 cm (2026)
5. Background & Recognitions
2026
Accademia internazionale dell’acquarello 2a edizione 2026 (Italy)
Participation, Selected Artist
International Watercolour Award Italy (2026)
International Watercolour Masters (IWM 2026) – Lilleshall (United Kingdom)
Rising Star Award Winner
IMW 2026 Kilchurn Castle Scotland (2025)
International Watercolour Masters 2026
IV Festival Internacional Acuarela Córdoba 2026
Selected Artist
FIA 2026 – Père Bise Inn, Lake Annecy (2025)
Festival Internacional Acuarela Córdoba 2026
2026
28th Watercolour Festival of Bagnols-en-Beaujolais
Poster Prize 2026
2025
26th Salon des Indépendants de Lyon
Participation
1st Watercolour Biennale of Saint-Priest
Participation
27th Watercolour Festival of Bagnols-en-Beaujolais
Participation
Women in Watercolor International Juried Competition
Honorable Mention – Portrait category
WIW 2025 – A dance of eyes (2024)
Since 2020
Development of a personal body of work centred on watercolour: exploring light, transparency, texture, larger formats and new ways of presenting the finished pieces.
« Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. » — Claude Monet