Cyril Duclot is director of the tourist office in Mende. He is also a trail running and painting enthusiast.
Passionate about running for a very long time, Cyril Duclot switched to trail running for the nature and environmental side. Proximity to nature will guide his life and he will flourish there. “I prefer to run on the paths, because it is more flexible than on the tarmac. And, here, in Lozère, I am delighted. It's a real pleasure. I run once or twice a week, to let off steam after work.” This passion is close to his heart and allows him to escape.
He also has a second, more significant passion, painting. “It allows me to escape and concentrate. This artistic and pictorial universe is very diverse. I like to put a layer of realism by adding surrealism.”
The unconscious
He is interested in current events and sometimes, these are his sources of inspiration. African art and pop art also guide him, he constantly draws from one or the other, or even both, which means that his painting is diversified even if he feels that he has limits. “I still need to hold on to something, guided by the unconscious. But I have to master it on the web“, he explains.
He delivers a graphic painting, marked by shapes and colors. “It's a return. Because about ten years ago, I fell into a world that had nothing to do with it. It was more abstract painting and now it's a completely different register. This sensitivity has been dormant in me for a long time.”
In high school, Cyril Duclot took a literature and visual arts specialty in his final year. This allowed him to open up to this universe, even if his studies took him down a completely different path. “Every other day I paint, and sometimes during the weekend. It's been a long time since I watched TV in the evening..”
First exhibition
Cyril Duclot admits to becoming more and more patient in his way of painting. “I'm in a phase where I take the time to draw and if necessary come back to it.”
In the two years since he returned to painting, he has produced around thirty paintings. “Villa Malzac kindly invited me to come and exhibit, I accepted, even if it was not without a certain apprehension, because it is the first time that my paintings have left my garage! The public will be able to see them outside of social networks. I am doing this exhibition without pretension, hoping to get people’s feedback. It's a personal adventure. I hope to receive advice from the artists at Villa Malzac and perhaps exchange ideas with them.”
