Lou Benesch is a French-American artist and illustrator based in Paris. Fascinated by tales, myths and stories of all kinds since early childhood, Benesch has always loved giving shape to the creatures and characters that populate these imaginary realms. She says: “What still moves me so much about these stories today is their capacity to speak to, and about, the most universal and deeply personal aspects of our world; it is this duality that I try to infuse in my work.”

Benesch’s process is very instinctual — she explains that images come to her, almost as visions, with “something almost otherworldly that pushes me to lay them on paper.” Themes and topics appear as her images take shape. “Once I am able to take a step back, I can see that these images are often the reflections of very personal memories and experiences: pieces of my childhood, spiritual questions that have been populating my mind, my evolving understanding of womanhood, and many more. I see myself constructing these images by utilizing a mix of some personal and some very universal symbols and images, and by the end I hope the piece speaks both to my individual and to the collective unconscious.”

See more from Lou Benesch below!