Interview with Virginie Schroeder

Background and Inspirations

Vincent: Can you tell us about your academic background?
Virginie: I studied medical-social sciences, business, and art. I took weekend classes with a fine arts professor for five years, every weekend.

Vincent: What inspired you to become an artist?
Virginie: My father is a talented cabinetmaker and sculptor who taught me a passion for art from a very young age.

Vincent: Was there a key moment that shaped your artistic career?
Virginie: I always knew I would be an artist because only creation and imagination truly appealed to me. I have been a creative person all my life.

Vincent: What are the major influences that shaped your style?
Virginie: My father, who sculpted wood and other materials, and my mother, who was into sewing. My art classes also helped me discover many techniques. I love learning and constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

Vincent: How did Canada become part of your journey?
Virginie: Canada had been a dream of mine since I was 15. In 2004, my husband and I visited for the first time, and it was love at first sight. We left everything behind and moved here in 2009. Today, I am a proud Canadian and grateful that Québec has welcomed me.

Vincent: How would you describe your art in one sentence?
Virginie: My art is like my personality—passionate, intuitive, innovative, full of surprises and love. Each piece I create is a part of my life story.

Vincent: Is there a piece by another artist that has particularly moved you?
Virginie: I admire Renaissance painters, especially Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. Their talent, creative research, and innovation inspire me tremendously.

Techniques and Creative Process

Vincent: How did you come up with your signature textured groove technique?
Virginie: One day, I saw an old beaded curtain fluttering in the wind, and the revelation happened. I started drawing those floating lines, and my style was born.

Vincent: Why did you decide to integrate sculpted butterflies and flowers into your work?
Virginie: I had this idea for a long time. It was during a brainstorming session with you at the gallery that I decided the time had come to make it happen.

Vincent: Can you explain the creative process behind one of your new series pieces?
Virginie:

1. I sculpt and paint each butterfly and flower individually without knowing where they will be placed.
2. Then, I design the overall composition.
3. I sew the elements onto the canvas and add texture to enhance the 3D effect.
4. Finally, I harmonize the details and apply varnish.

Vincent: What are the most complex technical challenges in your work?
Virginie: Imagining the final piece before even starting and playing with colors to create the perfect illusion.

Vincent: How do you choose the colors and materials you use?
Virginie: I rely on instinct for colors and use my artistic knowledge to select the best materials.

Vincent: Do you use any specific tools to sculpt your elements?
Virginie: Yes, I have a range of specialized tools: sculpting knives, modeling tools, wire loops, needles, scrapers, sponges, brushes, graters, rollers… and many more!

Vincent: Do you work on multiple pieces at the same time or just one?
Virginie: Always on multiple pieces at once.

Themes and Messages in Your Art

Vincent: Why do you incorporate references to luxury brands in your work?
Virginie: For aesthetics and symbolism. They are part of our modern history and culture.

Vincent: Your works pay tribute to iconic personalities. Why this choice?
Virginie: I admire these figures for their talent, charisma, or influence. They bring dreams, beauty, and hope.

Vincent: What do butterflies and flowers represent in your work?
Virginie: Love, freedom, beauty, happiness, and hope…

Vincent: How does your vision of aesthetics translate into your work?
Virginie: Through the perfection of details, colors that make people dream, and the harmony and contrast that create charisma and softness.

Vincent: Do you think art can influence our perception of beauty and luxury?
Virginie: Absolutely. My works transform these abstract notions into visual and emotional experiences.

Vincent: What fascinates you about playing with visual perception?
Virginie: The illusion of colors, unexpected optical effects, and the fact that each viewer perceives a piece differently depending on the angle and lighting.

Past and Future

Vincent: Is there a piece you are particularly proud of?
Virginie: All my Marilyn pieces and my Chanel bottles. Every artwork must make me dream; otherwise, I’m no longer an artist.

Vincent: What has been the most memorable reaction from a viewer to your art?
Virginie: A collector once wrote me a long letter explaining how deeply the piece he purchased had touched him. It was incredibly moving.

Vincent: What are your upcoming artistic projects?
Virginie: A Marilyn made entirely of butterflies and flowers, a Murakami flower combining lines and sculptures, and a Converse sneaker reinterpreted in my style.

Vincent: Is there an artistic dream you would love to accomplish?
Virginie: Right now, I’m exactly where I need to be, and I love everything I’ve accomplished. The future will tell… I enjoy living in the moment.

Vincent: Does your art adapt easily to custom commissions?
Virginie: Yes, I love creating bespoke pieces.

Fun and Quirky Questions

Vincent: What is your ritual before starting a new piece?
Virginie: I don’t really have one. I let instinct guide me.

Vincent: If your art were a music genre, what would it be?
Virginie: Pop, rock, electro.

Vincent: If you could have dinner with any person, living or deceased, who would it be?
Virginie: Andy Warhol—I would have so many questions for him!

Vincent: If you had to paint only one subject for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Virginie: I can’t even imagine that… 

Vincent: What is your lucky object in your studio?
Virginie: A wooden horse and a Xi’an warrior statue.

Vincent: If you were a color, which one would you be and why?
Virginie: Deep purple—it’s a powerful color that embodies passion, creativity, spirituality, and innovation. It inspires those who seek to elevate, innovate, and love deeply.