JEANNE MAZE was born in London in 1955. Her earliest recollections of drawing and painting were with her grandfather, the post-impressionist painter Paul Maze, “he taught me to look at nature and he gave me the inspiration to express myself in the way I wished.” Drawing is the cornerstone of her work, “my grandfather would have endless notebooks with quick sketches and I have found that by observing daily life and recording it like this, I have the freedom to develop a subject later on in my studio.” Jeanne Maze works mainly in gouache and oil. “After I left the Byam Shaw School of Art I became fascinated by Chinese art and I received commissions to paint murals in the chinoiserie style.” After that followed exhibitions at London’s Cadogan Gallery and since 2006 she has lived in South Western France. She travels regularly to Marrakech. “I live in a region surrounded by vines and I found their shapes to be fascinating, twisted living sculptures. In Marrakesh the light is softer, but the colours are more vibrant. I found that there was a similar geometrical element in the subject matter of carpets and wool as there is in vines.” In 2014 Jeanne Maze will exhibit in a major exhibition of equestrian art organized by the Haras National de France. “I am lucky to live near a Centre Equestre where I can regularly draw an animal that I have always loved. They are like ballet dancers”. “I find it difficult to describe my style. My grandfather told me always to be true to yourself, never to try and imitate. I see what is there and I try to refine it to show what excites me. Sometimes it’s more sculptural, other times more geometrical or kaleidoscopic.”