Au fil des rencontres: L’Encre Rêveuse, the art of sculpting with a 3D pen

Violaine Sausset, born in Chartres in 1981, began taking courses at a very young age at the Lisieux School of Plastic Arts, then at the Beaux Arts in Caen in Calvados (14). There, she developed a true passion for drawing and painting.
Graduated with a CAP (Certificate of Professional Aptitude) and a Bac Pro (Professional Baccalaureate) in Crafts and Arts – Graphic Communication and a level IV professional certification as an assistant manager of cultural and artistic projects, Violaine turned to the profession of graphic designer and began in 2001 in logo design.
She continues to draw, paint, search, explore and experiment with various techniques.

However, Violaine notes that the representations of female faces and silhouettes quickly reveal themselves to be the common thread of her works.

However, drawing and painting did not satisfy her desire for materials or volume. That is, until 2016, when she discovered a new tool for children's creative hobbies: the 3D pen.

Who are you, what do you do?

I always wanted to be an artist, even though it took me a very long time to dare to make it my one and only profession.

At once a graphic designer, creator of hand-painted jewelry, and then a sculptor. It's not easy to define me because I am at once a designer, sculptor, and stylist; my work is a sweet blend of everything I love, between contemporary art and haute couture.

Currently brainstorming and looking for new ideas because the desire to move forward, innovate, and always improve is very present.

Could you describe your journey into art and what sparked your passion for this form of expression?

As a child, I wanted to be a stylist but I didn't want to sew, I only wanted to draw dresses. Now I draw my sculptures of dresses and bustiers, I'm not sure which artistic category I really belong to.
I organize my graphics in volume, I draw, I twist, I heat thanks to my modeling pen, the 3D pen, and PLA, a bio-sourced plastic which, when worked with the latter, becomes malleable in my hands.
The desire to switch to volume became obvious a few years ago, I needed to understand the material differently, to be able to inhabit the space, to play with light and to grow.

The arrival of the new materials immediately caught my attention. I saw it as an opportunity to do something different.

What are your influences, your inspirations?

I feed on what I experience on a daily basis, the objects and shapes that surround me, nature in all its states.
I question, I explore, I analyze, I invent, I test and I try to go further and further for myself.

How would you describe your art?

The synthesis of lacemaking and graphic techniques.
I draw inspiration from my personal history to create my poetic and committed universe that blends the silent screams of the body and the power of resilience of the imagination.
My works challenge our relationship to bodies and femininity, to what we show or what we hide.
The strength but also the fragility that emanate from it sometimes echo our way of embellishing external appearances to conceal inner doubts and wounds.

Your lace sculptures created with 3D pens are highly admired. Could you explain how you came up with the idea of combining these two worlds?

What difficulties do you encounter when creating your sculptures?

I work in different ways, depending on what I want to do. The reflection on the design of a work is therefore a moment of great concentration and takes time. But of course, unexpected difficulties arise that need to be resolved during the design process.
The PLA material is made from recycled materials, Co-products (Francofil's PLA range) or sometimes loaded with different metals, which can give the filament its color. 
But this also changes the way I work or can clog my pen more easily. 
It is therefore necessary to understand the filament according to what is inside it.

I make molds so I can draw on them and have regular shapes. I play with the speed of my gesture in order to obtain a more or less fine thread.
I stretch, weld and assemble pieces made one by one in order to add volume. I twist hot, cold depending on the fineness of my graphics.
But the greatest difficulty remains in solidifying certain places so that my sculptures stand because the weight is very, very light. So I have to find different solutions for each of them.

Have you ever considered participating in a fashion show with your creations?

This is the question that comes up most often during exhibitions.
It's a dream that hasn't come to fruition yet; photos were taken by a photographer friend Alice Santarem. 
But I've never had the opportunity to work with a real model with the right measurements.
The material is both flexible and rigid, and I hope to have the opportunity to make this dream come true one day.

What is the most ambitious challenge or project you have undertaken to date?

It's about making it my profession!!!

I am fortunate to do what drives me, but it is not always easy, especially from a financial point of view, let's not hide it. It's a choice that requires a lot of perseverance and hard work.

The creation of my first dress was also a challenge made possible by the cancellation of all exhibitions due to the health crisis, which freed up time to complete a large piece of work, around 400 hours.

In your opinion, what impact can art have on our society? Especially in the age of new technologies such as 3D printing.

Art challenges us, questions us, makes us think, makes us dream, brings out positive or negative emotions in us. Art breathes and provokes in us what we cannot touch; it fills the soul.
3D printing opens up many possibilities, and I think it will enable great progress; indeed, it already is. 

The big question is, how far will we go?

As an artist, what are your dreams or goals that motivate you, what messages/emotions do you want to convey through your works?

When I create, I dedicate myself entirely to my work and vice versa. It's a moment of union, of artistic meditation. A discussion between it and me because what I don't say... I create.
It's, in a way, my therapy; my initial idea transforms, and I follow my instinct until deliverance.

The birth of a piece is a moment of freedom, lightness, a transition to something else.

I hope to bring emotion to people's hearts and eyes, a moment of escape and dream, because I am a big dreamer who thinks that anything is possible.
I want to demonstrate that fragility is a great strength and that one does not go without the other.

Concluding our exchange with Violaine Sausset, her journey and her 3D lace creations perfectly illustrate the spirit of our series “Au fil des rencontres”. At Francofil, we are proud to be able to support and offer our customers materials worthy of their projects!
Violaine embodies the successful union between passion and innovation, proving that creativity has no limits when fueled by curiosity and the courage to push the traditional boundaries of art. Her work, an exploration between past and future, invites us to reflect on beauty, fragility, and our own perception of art in modern society.

Through his story, we see a shining example of what it means to live from one's art, defying conventions and exploring uncharted territories with a 3D pen as a compass. Violaine reminds us of the importance of pursuing our dreams with determination, and that art, in all its forms, continues to be a powerful vector for dialogue, emotion, and change.

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