The European Days of Crafts (JEMA) take place from March 27 to April 2, 2023. They promote crafts in France and Europe. 7,000 events are organized throughout France for people of all ages: visits to companies, some of which have the “living heritage companies” label, open days at workshops, training establishments, museums and monuments. ..
The Francisco workshop is part of the theme “sublimating everyday life” which punctuates this year’s edition of JEMA and will prove the importance of crafts in everyone’s daily life.
Imitation marble, mirror effect, patina, faux wood, imitation precious stone, decorative painting has no limits for the Francisco workshop and its founder, Aurélien Francisco. This decorative painting workshop based in Île-de-France creates modern and dynamic compositions in a classic and traditional style. We met Aurélien Francisco at the International Cultural Heritage Fair at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris.
The fact of having learned on my own, it allowed me to free myself from the codes of certain schools, to be able to dig into everything that was done in the decor, all over the world. Not necessarily having a hand that is too shaped for a style.
Aurélien Francisco, founder of Atelier Francisco.
For me, it was a pleasure to learn by myself, to make my own mistakes, to mix materials that don’t necessarily mix together. By the curiosity that has driven me since I was a child, to seek out everything around me, and in the end, that may be my style.
Aurélien Francisco was born in Seine-et-Marne, the largest department in Île-de-France. He grew up in an environment conducive to crafts, with a florist grandmother in whose shop he spent a lot of time drawing. At school, he doesn’t know what he wants to do, or rather, he knows he wants to do a manual job where he can draw. During an internship in the construction industry, without really knowing the profession of decorative painter, he perceived its potential and its creative opportunities.
After a vocational baccalaureate in fittings and finishes, he began his career in building painting. He discovers the world of excellence in craftsmanship and a taste for colors, a journey that leads him to decorative painting. In 2020, Aurélien Francisco becomes Meilleur Artisan de France in the decorative painting category. Frustrated at not being able to express his creativity in his profession, he started his own business at 22 with Atelier Francisco.
Reflections, nuances, combinations, materials and harmony, the team of his workshop offers both decorative painting in within the framework of a restoration than within that of a creation.
“ We have imitations of simple materials for the restoration of a castle or the request of a client, but when we are in a creative phase, we will use everything. For example marble, the story that marble tells, the richness of this material, the rendering of light, everything that is in marble. Sometimes, we don’t have everything with the paint, so I like to look in the codes of the material for things that will be able to be copied. On a marble slab, add a few fragments in gold leaf. We are going to recover a little of this nobility of the material and translate it into another form. To work on the visual effect and not just the limitation of material. »
Creating a contemporary and visionary composition in a conventional style, for Aurélien Francisco, this is possible thanks to teamwork.
“ I started on my own but very quickly, I realized that I loved teamwork. It’s a pleasure to build together, not to travel alone because there is competition. It is a professional and human adventure. To redo, I will do the same. Sharing with others is an extraordinary wealth. To see how far we can, to see the beautiful things that we can leave as a legacy in the heritage. Working in a team means being capable of anything. »
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