Around Villa NEO we have hung some beautiful pieces of artwork by local artists. Some of the most vivid of these hang in the guest suites and have been painted by Pati Guyot. We met up with Pati to discover a little bit about her life, what influences her paintings and what she thinks of her artwork ending up with us at Villa NEO.
Tell us a little about yourself and your art.
I’m a French artist and settled on the island of St Barths in 1983, after a long trip travelling around the world.
As soon as I stepped on the island, I fell in love with it and decided to stay in paradise. I had no money, but my heart was full of hope. After a few years painting watercolours, I drew a logo: “St Barth French West Indies” which became well known and a business success as the logo was duplicated on clothing and objects. My work started to get recognised and set me on the road to success.
I never stop painting. Outside of St Barths I exhibit in a few LA galleries and at the Art LA show.
My work is instinctive. I try to capture life vibes. I use strong colours, in particular red to capture my heart. It is exciting but can also be very painful.
What inspires you?
I live at Pointe Milou on St Barths above the sea. It’s a rough view; the sea breaking on the sharp rocks, with strong winds, almost an Irish feeling. It is very inspiring for me.
Tell us about the paintings we have in Villa NEO
The work displayed in Villa NEO is painted on paper. I used watercolours, acrylics and china ink.
In the painting “Furie”, I was trying to decrypt and decode a dream, the mystery, the soul of an invisible thing.
The painting “Plage rouge” is a humorous story, portraying the attitude of the people on the beach.
“Soleil” is a happy painting, full of energy and the writing in the sun is a secret code. Decipher it if you can! It is a good luck painting.
How should we look after your artworks?
To take good care of my paintings, avoid direct sunlight. They are very shy and may fade away!
What do you think about the setting of your art in the villa?
Villa NEO is a wonderful heavenly place and I am sure my paintings are happy there.