Artist of the day: June 2026

Friday, June 5, 2026

Artist of the Day, June 5, 2026 : Flavien Couche a French painter [Artist to watch in 2026] (#2545)

Flavien Couche (1981) is a contemporary French painter. From a very young age, his passion for drawing blossomed, fueled by a deep fascination with comic books, which he devoured voraciously. However, it was in 1999—while visiting the Fauvism exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris—that Flavien Couche experienced a transformative awakening. This revelation ignited within him a fervent determination: he would become a painter.

Embarking on studies in visual communication, Couche honed his artistic technique. He ultimately shifted his focus, pursuing a degree in Fine Arts in 2005.

Flavien Couche’s artistic journey gained momentum when he began exhibiting at various contemporary art fairs in Paris and throughout the region. The positive reception his work received validated his artistic choices and propelled his career forward. In 2014, Couche began a new chapter by moving to Reunion Island, where he explored a palette of brighter, more raw colors—deeply influenced by his new environment. He subsequently returned to the mainland with a fervent desire to immerse himself in the vibrant landscapes of the South of France.

Currently residing and working in Sète, Flavien Couche’s art straddles the line between figuration and abstraction. His work is driven by a profound desire to give material form to the imperceptible—to unveil the very essence of the invisible.

Inspired by Surrealism and German Expressionism, Couche employs color as a powerful tool to transcend emotion and imbue forms with sensuality. His paintings—characterized by refined, intertwined shapes—evoke a gentle explosion for the viewer's eye: a visual "Big Bang" that both captivates and intrigues. In this vein, he is currently developing his "Divagations" series. While Flavien Couche works primarily with acrylic for its immediacy, he also takes an interest in India ink.

His work is currently garnering increasing recognition: he was selected by the international platform Artsper as one of the "26 Artists to Watch in 2026" and received the Jury's Favorite Award at the Salon des Artistes de Juvignac in 2025. His works have also been featured and highlighted in both the specialized and regional press.

© 2026. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Flavien Couche or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only

Flavien Couche

Flavien at work

Femme au cumulus, 2022

Bavardage, 2024

Femme au bastingage, 2024

La main levée, 2024

La muse et le basilic, 2024

La stratégie, 2024

Le cracheur de feu, 2024

Le tuteur et la table basse, 2024

Nouveau souffle, 2024

Algorithme, 2025

Des bois, 2025

Interlude, 2025

L'inspiration, 2025

La Catapulte, 2025

La Nature, 2025

La parole, 2025

La planche et l, 2025

La source, 2025

Le carrelage, 2025

Le coup de foudre, 2025

Le Pupitre #2, 2025

Le Pupitre, 2025

Le Sacre, 2025

Le secret, 2025

Memento, 2025

Prémonition, 2025

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Artist of the Day, June 4, 2026 : Claude-Max Lochu, a French artist, painter and designer (#2544)

Claude-Max Lochu (1951) is a French artist, painter and designer. He was born in Delle in Territoire de Belfort, and completed his degree at the École des Beaux-Arts of Besançon. Lochu was exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, and is now exhibited permanently in Faure Museum as well as in 2 galleries in Paris and Lyon.

Claude-Max Lochu completed his National Diploma of Painting at Art School in Besançon (atelier Jean Ricardon) in 1975 and first exhibited his works in 1976 in Rabat and Tanger, Morocco. In 1979, he set up in Paris and exhibited his work at the Montrouge Contemporary Art Show in 1981 and 1982.

During a first trip to Japan in 1982, he studied the Sumi-é, an ink painting technique, with the Japanese painter Shiko Itoh. In 1985, he returned to Japan to visit Hiroshige's Tōkaidō road between Kyoto and Tokyo, and was inspired by the concept of fueki ryūkō, permanence and movement, developed by Bashō, the haiku poet.

Lochu also works on still life, interiors, landscapes of south of Europe, such as Mont Ventoux and Sorgue in Luberon, Aix-les-Bains, Valley Di Cecina and Volterra, where he looks for poetry rather than the representation. In addition to his works at the Artima gallery in Paris, Lochu exhibited at Faure Museum of Aix-les-Bains. Since 2001, he has held personal exhibitions at the Accademia libera natura e cultura in Querceto in Italia.[4] Since 2006, he has participated in the Peace and Light Festival for the project of Temple for Peace to be built by the Vajradhara-Ling Center in, Aubry-le-Panthou, Normandy with a view to promoting world peace.

© 2026. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Claude-Max Lochu or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only