Back in summer 2018, we had a couple of friends and family visiting us in Paris so we took this opportunity to wander around the city and make them discover our favorite areas. Of course we went through arty districts and were happy to (re)discover the 18th and 19th for instance. In that hood we discovered the great work of C+S and became fans straight away and got in touch with him quickly. Here we are in 2021, with more info via this interview below. Enjoy!
StreetLove THE ARTIST
His artist name C+S stands for Stencil and Collage which are the two mediums he associates in his work. Plus, there is a double meaning as these two letters are also the initials of his own name. Good idea 😉
What he likes most about his nickname, is that no one can easily guess whether the artist is a he or she. Most of people, even think C+S is a duo. He really enjoys this idea of mystery…
He was born next to Lyon, but moved to Paris 20 years ago and started to paste up on the streets at the age of 42, in January 2018. So we discovered his work, 3 years ago, 6 months after he really started on the streets.
He has always been drawing and painting. He fell in love with streetart as soon as he discovered it early 2000, when he came to Paris. But he didn’t dare to start creating for the street. He took his time to take the plunge. And now it is done, he can’t stop… he is totally addicted to street art!
He was over 40 years old when he started, and created one of his first pieces named: “Beauté Timbrée”.
As you now know, he works on his own, but from time to time he collaborates with other artists, like he did with Miss Green Grenouille: they mixed up their styles to create a piece and he feels really happy about the experience. Above the artistic point of view, he met a really nice person.
Unfortunately, street art doesn’t pay all his bills, so he has to have a regular job in parallel, well let’s say, for now 😉
And as soon as he is off from work, he starts his second life and becomes creative like crazy!
To promote his artwork, he mostly uses Instagram @c_plus_s_street_art and he is also very active on Facebook.
StreetLove THE ART
His main inspiration comes from, obviously, women and feminity in general!
He loves magnifying feminity through his detailed work. The women in his stencils are proud and independent. They can also be charming, playful, mysterious or more sensual, but they are always themselves. They unveil freely and assert their freedom.
In this direction, the stamps he is using as a background are representing Marianne, the symbol of freedom coming from the French revolution. Consequently, the stamps are strengthening the message of self-affirmation!
I love stamps. It is such a wonderful object of connection! Each used stamp has traveled somewhere and tells a story. It has been used to convey a love letter or a gas invoice…
who knows? and who cares?
Each stamp has traveled both geographically and over time, before starting a new life on the streets through his artwork.
Do you remember your first art piece?
Of course I remember. A first creation is always something striking.
He pasted up his first stencil on a bridge, next to where he lives. It was at dusk (of course) and in the cold of January’s nights. He was freezing, but so excited that he didn’t feel the cold. The Collage is still there! (Oh be proud of it, as often it does not stay very long in Paris…)
His work can be mostly seen in Paris, where he lives. He also had the chance to put up some artworks on the walls around the world: in countries like the UK, Spain, Indonesia or China. I’m sure there are more to come as soon as we will be authorised to travel again (soon ish).
To note in your agenda, he is currently working on a tribute to a wonderful female artist from South America… He will use stamps, but not French ones this time, as he usually does. And on top of this, he will be a bit more “playful” with the stencil… More to discover soon… the new series will be showcased on the streets of Paris anyway, during spring. Let’s get in touch!
StreetLove THE TECHNIQUE
I pay a lot of attention to the place where I paste my artworks.
It should be the perfect place, where the artworks will make the location even nicer.
He often tries to place it close to vegetation, even if it is not always easy to find such places in a city like Paris where we miss some green! It does not matter if it takes him time to find a good place. He loves to wander around and look for good streets and places in Paris. When he finally finds THE place, if he does not have an existing creation that fits, he takes measurements, takes a few pictures and comes back with an adhoc creation that will be perfect in terms of size, model and colors 🙂
He describes himself as a quite “old school artist” as he is using basic tools to create his stencils; paper, rulers, pencil paper, … and cutter 😉 But what else?
Most of the artwork is done in his workshop, warm atmosphere, and then it goes quickly out onto the streets. It takes hours to create the stencil, to cut it carefully, then to rework it when he notices flaws to correct.
Then finding, sorting out and pasting the stamps is also time consuming (and quite a pleasure). However, pasting on the walls or any other street support takes just a few minutes (once you have found the right place!).
And it is always an exciting moment! First because the piece will really reveal itself on the streets were it was meant to be. Secondly, because it is often the occasion of meeting curious people that come to see what you are doing. Meeting people when you work on the streets is an existing part of Street Art.
(Good to know, it is OK to come and join you if we have the chance to see you one day in action!)
StreetLove THE FUN
C+S is a fan of colours, any of them. But if he has to choose only one, he will go for BLUE.
He likes keeping a memory of all his pieces, so for each of them, he has photos during the creation and once on the streets. He admits that photos are finally more to share his work on social networks than for a personal archive he organises.
And he is fan of seeing photos taken by others, of his work: :much more interesting than his own pictures.
Not to talk only about street art here, he likes music better than movies. Found of music from the sixties and the seventies.
Indeed, people often chose a viewpoint that I did not think of before. And especially when the photos appear days, weeks or better months after the creation, meaning it is still in place and a good thing he can see how it evolves with time… with a touch of pride too 😉
3 things you love in general:
- Friendship
- Beauty
- Peace
3 things you hate:
- Violence
- Hypocrisy
- Turnips!
StreetLove WHAT’S NEXT?
Any upcoming events to tell us about?
Street art is about being surprised at the corner of any street… so, no clue for you on the up coming events! (Well, ok you like mystery a lot, don’t you?!)
Do you have a message for the StreetLove team?
Keep going! It’s good to have people like you that help to spread out our art around the world!
(Always with pleasure, thanks for your participation!)
