About

Georges becherel - ARTIST

The Background

I spent the first thirty years of my life in Mauritius, surrounded by tropical light, vibrant colours, rich vegetation, and the constant presence of the ocean.

Those years have stayed with me. The brilliant blues of the sea, the deep greens of tropical landscapes, the warmth of sunlight, and the colours of everyday life continue to shape my artistic vision.

Although my paintings do not depict specific places, they are filled with memories of colour, light, and wonder gathered throughout a lifetime. Those memories have become part of my visual language.

The Living room as a studio - by choice

My studio is not separated from everyday life. It is the living room at the heart of my home.

It is my favourite place in the world. It is where conversations unfold, where family gathers, where my cats wander, and where ordinary moments quietly become extraordinary.

I chose this space because it is filled with the people and experiences that matter most to me. There is no division between life and art. They exist together in the same room.

Every painting carries something of that warmth, affection, and sense of belonging.

naïve colours and strawberries

Naïve Colours and Strawberries is a celebration of imagination, innocence, and the joy of seeing the world through childlike eyes.

Like a memory, a dream, or a childhood story, my paintings invite a touch of naïvety, where curiosity matters more than explanation and wonder matters more than certainty.

Birds, cats, humans, flowers, strawberries, and other familiar subjects appear in playful and unrealistic forms throughout my work. They are not portraits of reality but invitations into a colourful universe where innocence, imagination, and wonder continue to thrive.

The beauty of imperfection

Geometry Every line is painted by hand.

I welcome irregularities, unexpected marks, and happy accidents. These small imperfections remind us that a human being created the work.

Perfection rarely interests me. Life itself is imperfect, and much of its beauty comes from that fact.

The slight wobble of a line, the uneven edge of a shape, and the visible movement of the brush become part of each painting's identity.

The Symphony of Contrast

When I paint, my instinct is naturally drawn towards contrasting colours: blue against yellow, green against red, warm against cool.... Perhaps this comes from being largely self-taught, having developed my own relationship with colour through intuition rather than academic principles.

I have never felt compelled to reproduce nature or human civilisation through conventional colour harmony. Instead, I use contrast to create energy, movement, and emotion. Colour becomes less a faithful description of the visible world than an invitation to experience it differently.

Disproportion and Imbalance

I deliberately embrace disproportion, imbalance, and simplified perspective. Objects are free to bend, stretch, lean, and escape the conventional rules of space. Rather than depicting the world as it appears, I paint it as it is remembered, imagined, and felt.

These intentional distortions are an essential part of my visual language. They create a playful rhythm and childlike innocence, allowing emotion, imagination, and colour to take precedence over realism.

the technique and materials

My approach is largely self-taught and intuitive.

I work directly with colour and form, allowing each painting to develop naturally. Unexpected marks and spontaneous decisions often become essential parts of the finished work. Rather than correcting every imperfection, I allow many of them to remain. They give each painting its humanity, individuality, and sense of life.

I paint exclusively with acrylic on canvas. I am drawn to acrylic for its vibrancy, versatility, and dynamic character. Its fast-drying nature encourages spontaneity, allowing colours, forms, and ideas to evolve freely throughout the creative process. Acrylic also offers excellent durability, making it particularly well suited to contemporary painting.

Sixty Years in the Making

The long road to simplicity.

Although I have painted since childhood and come from a family of artists, I only began painting professionally in my sixties.

By then, life had already taught me the value of simplicity. My choice of technique, colours, and subjects reflects that journey.

I like it that way.

BIOGRAPHY

Although I was born in Ibiza in 1964, I consider Mauritius my motherland. It was there that I grew up, surrounded by a multicultural society, spicy food, the Creole language, tropical colours, exotic fruits, flowers, the sea, the sun, and the warmth of the Indian Ocean.

Later, Sweden brought another rhythm into my life: quieter light, calmer spaces, and a different sense of silence.

Between these two worlds, my artistic language began to take shape. The colours of Mauritius and the calm of Scandinavia continue to coexist in my work, feeding the moods, imagination, and sense of wonder that inhabit my paintings.

The contrast between tropical intensity and Scandinavian calm continues to shape my artistic vision and the way I think about colour, light, and space.

Acknowledgement

This journey would not have been possible without the love and support of my family.

My deepest thanks go to my wife, Felizia, who has shared life's adventures with me since 1999. Her patience, encouragement, and unwavering support have made this work possible.

I am equally grateful to my children—Cleo, Dante, Mavea, Tess, and Bastian—who continue to inspire me with their curiosity, joy, and imagination.

Finally, my thanks go to my two cats, Kanel and Moris, whose quiet companionship has become part of the atmosphere in which many of these paintings are created.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This journey would not have been possible without the love and support of my family.

My deepest thanks go to my wife, Felizia, who has shared life's adventures with me since 1999. Her patience, encouragement, and unwavering support have made this work possible.

I am equally grateful to my children—Cleo, Dante, Mavea, Tess, and Bastian—who continue to inspire me with their curiosity, joy, and imagination.

Finally, my thanks go to my two cats, Kanel and Moris, whose quiet companionship has become part of the atmosphere in which many of these paintings are created.