One-way ticket to the dreamland!

It all started when he was 6 years old, wanting to imitate a tree that his father had drawn. “It was like a revelation. I lived in the countryside with my parents. Drawing was a discovery of a cure for boredom, a great way to express my creativity, my inner self.” Etienne Quesnay started painting when he was 15 years old. After moving to Paris, he held onto his passion a little tighter. Etienne, who is also a musician, sees music as a complement to his painting, a means of telling the message he wants to give in different ways. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll do an interview with Etienne about his album.

We want to get to know Etienne more deeply and first, ask which movements influence his drawings. Expressing his lack of expertise with art history, “I particularly like Fauvism, the naive movement, and artists who have chosen spontaneity as their only technique. I rather feel things than learn them” says Etienne. Many artists have come across him on his journey to find himself, to free himself from the chains that restrict his creativity, to discover his talents, and to shape his own universe. Raoul Dufy, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Basquiat, and Toulouse Lautrec are a few of them. And most importantly, he talks about Gabrielle, with whom he shares his life, who inspires her every day, and who, like himself, is an artist.

Etienne’s talent is not limited to painting! We’re dealing with an artist who paints as Etienne Quesnay and raps as Kaesen. Although Etienne channels his focus on painting, he always expressed himself through rap during his years in Normandy. Rap, which he describes as an “escape route”, is the perfect way for him to talk about his problems, inequalities, and the love that doesn’t come, the love that passes. And he hints about an EP he will release when he is ready.

Etienne, who recently has been working on simple emotions, childhood symbols, melancholy, and poetry, notes that he tries to add a touch of innocence and sensuality to his paintings. He wants everyone who looks at his paintings to be able to find a piece of their own story. He has no other claims. All he wants is to evoke emotions… Etienne, who has no limit in terms of creativity, wishes to explore all mediums. “I know that the road is long but I want to take my imagination as far as possible.” Now, we are embarking on a journey into Etienne’s la la land.

How are you feeling these days?

What are your essentials during social isolation?

How would you define inspiration?

Any advice for the creatives?

How would you portray Paris?

Indoor or outdoor?

What is your favorite color?

Virtual or real?

Take us back to your childhood!