Florence (Flo) de Bretagne was born in France. She completed a bachelor's degree in Business and a master’s degree in Tax Law. However, she felt unhappy until she became a full-time artist. She began by studying at an art college for another four years. After that, she convinced her husband to move to California to pursue art full-time.
Today, Flo has been a professional artist for 26 years. She works from her studio, a converted garage in her Palo Alto home. She supports the local art community including by fundraising and painting over 150 murals in schools across the San Francisco Bay Area. Also, she hosts art therapy classes for leading Silicon Valley startups. As one example of her success and reputation in her local community, she frequently has startups send their employees directly to her for instruction on how to paint their corporate murals. Last but not least, Flo’s resume includes exhibitions in San Francisco's De Young Museum and SFMoMA. In other words, Flo's heart beats for art.
Thanks to the internet, Flo now sells her artwork all around the world. She sometimes sells as many as 16 paintings at once! Regularly, interior designers will buy her artwork to decorate their clients’ homes, from Paris mansions to Brazilian villas. Usually, her artwork sells fast. Because of this, collectors and other art buyers tend to secure her artworks in advance. Flo also works on commission, although she is selective about which clients she offers this service to. Interestingly, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Flo created paintings depicting destinations, hoping the works would serve as a kind of substitute for those who could not travel. One of Flo’s future goals is to create a large-scale installation of her artwork with mirrors.
The way Flo talks about her inspiration is refreshing, especially when compared to many other artists who seem to claim their style was born out of a vacuum. Flo describes her artwork as new inventions by the modern masters. She explains how she mixes Matisse’s colors with Rousseau's stylization and Hockney's playfulness and Kusama's intensity. Flo’s artwork pierces the eyes. Her use of colors is bright, optimistic and harmonic but also very intense. To achieve these effects, she mixes custom paints from powders. Flo's topics are dreamlike flower fields, abstract trees, adorable dolphins and pairs of peacocks. Her older paintings depict the French countryside and Parisian coffee shops. Her most famous collection of paintings are called Seed of Hope, Joy and Love.
Overall, Flo’s art is optimistic. Her organic floral pop-like style radiates childlike positivity. Looking at her artwork, I can’t help but smile. Flo's artwork has almost a print-like quality. Her patterns are bordered with textile design and I love how she breaks the surface into complex abstract patterns. In layers, she adds circles, and fills them with abstract details. She has been perfecting her signature style for over 20 years, however, she has never been protective about it. In fact, she generously shares her techniques on her blog for the world to see!
To read Flo’s blog, visit her website. To see Flo’s artwork up close and meet her in person, book an Art Visit with Flo de Bretagne.
