MEET THE ARTIST

MARIE-OCÉANE SCERRI

Artiste ébeniste marie océane scerri dans son atelier

“I went walking for 30 days. It was a kind of meditation for me, deep and long, which shed light on what I no longer wanted and who I wanted to be.”

MARIE-OCÉANE SCERRI

LOUMOS WORKSHOP

CABINET MAKER, Saint martin de caralp (09)

Marie-Océane shares with us her life path, or how her quest for meaning led her to become who she wanted to be: cabinetmaker

Tell us your story, how did your vocation come to you?

I first had an advertising career in Paris for several years. Then, as the years passed, the questioning came. I no longer found meaning, I was unhappy, anxious because my job represented the complete opposite of who I was. I went walking for 30 days. It was for me a kind of meditation, deep and long, which shed light on what I no longer wanted and who I wanted to be. When I returned from this trip, although I was not really a manual worker at the time, I decided to retrain to do a cabinetmaking CAP in 2019.

How would you describe your style, your artistic approach in a few words?

For the sculptures, I would say that my approach is poetic, tender, simple and organic.
For furniture, I look for timelessness and a clean line in order to last over time.

What are the themes or subjects that inspire you the most in your work?

Nature and softness. But my first source of inspiration for the sculptures is the fall itself. I always lose myself for a few minutes in the veining to observe the curves, the knots, the color variations. Once immersed, the form comes to me. They are all unique and all have their own uniqueness.

As for furniture, I have a particular admiration for Japanese design. There is a balance, a magnificent simplicity.

How do you work?

For the sculptures, depending on the size of the scraps, I sometimes redeline, recut, re-refine the thickness to have the desired size. During these stages, I use machines that allow me to rough out the whole thing. Once the outline is made, I remove the material with the band saw. Then comes the hand work which is very dear to me. This is the moment when I come into contact with wood. I measure the force required, some denser than others require more patience to be sculpted. A gentle reminder that things take time and are worth it.
By gradually removing material, I gradually see the soliflore or sculpture appear. I perceive a multitude of new details. I feel whether or not this is the shape it should take and I readjust accordingly. My main allies in this work are rasps which allow me to obtain harmony in curves, roundings and straight lines. Gouges, knives and wastrings also help me remove material. Sanding - always by hand - then refines the whole and provides softness. I like the irregularity and the subtleties that my hand brings. I love this feeling of bringing my energy, my strength and my heart together to shape these pieces.

A message to convey, anything else you would like to share?

I would say: Do you feel at home where you are and in what you do? If so, continue! If not, then take action to bring about change.

SOME PIECES BY THE ARTIST

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