MARTINE GENICOT

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  Martine Genicot paints an inspiring line of primitive and naïve original artwork in acrylic and oil. Martine is a self-taught painter and an accomplished artist. Her folk style signature takes you on a Tour de France and a Fantasy Tour where her unique perspective unites the spiritual and the imaginary.

Martine Genicot was born in Bordeaux (France) in 1956, where she grew up until she married in 1977 and moved to Belgium. While expecting her first child, she fell in love with the novel and refreshing style of Belgian naïve painters. She started her first primitive paintings around that time.
As she moved from Belgium to France and England while raising her four children (including twins), she no longer had time to paint. But she felt something was missing in her life. To overcome the imbalance, she started learning yoga, ultimately becoming an instructor, so as to reach inner spiritual peace. This had a great impact on her style.
She moved to Southern California between 1992 and 2001. She took art classes in a local college. However, she felt restricted. She went back to her original primitive style, painting scenes of France as a way of keeping in touch with her roots while at the same time, using symbolism to express her spiritual side. She seeks to carry an original message stressing the narrative or symbolic aspect of the picture. Scenes of everyday life, memories, dreams and fantasies with a love of colours and shapes evoke the subconscious and the longing for a simpler way of life.
Today, Martine is living in New York. She has developed her own recognizable naïve style.