Erlé Ferronnière

Born in Nantes in 1971, Erlé Ferronnière is a French illustrator and painter who trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Angers, earning a national diploma in visual arts in 1994. Passionate about drawing and painting since childhood, he quickly turned his hand to fantasy and fairy-tale illustration. In 1997, he published Halloween, Sorcières, Lutins, Fantômes et autres Croquemitaines (Halloween, Witches, Goblins, Ghosts and Other Bogeymen) with Jean-Baptiste Monge, marking the first step in a long-standing collaboration. Together, they went on to produce the two volumes of À la recherche de Féerie (In Search of Faerie), which helped establish their visual style. Ferronnière also contributed to L’Univers des Dragons (The Universe of Dragons) before developing a more personal body of work with Fées & Déesses (Fairies and Goddesses) in 2009. His work draws heavily on mythology, Celtic legends and folklore, populating his images with fairies, warrior women, goddesses and fantastical creatures. The female figure and portraiture occupy a central place in his painting, with particular attention paid to faces and, above all, to the eyes. His approach favours a realistic, refined and atmospheric style, which lends his characters an almost mysterious presence. For several years now, he has devoted himself more to painting and drawing, while continuing to explore the realm of the legendary imagination. With Pixies, published in 2018, he extended this approach by single-handedly creating both the text and illustrations centered on the fairy folk.