▼ Culture Paint Through the Pain Spanish transplant Florencia Clement de Grandprey rewrote her story through painting. BY NILE FORTNER I n 2017, on Valentine’s Day, Florencia Clement de Grandprey got married. And exactly a year later, on February 14, 2018, her husband told her he was leaving her. Shortly thereafter, she found out her ex- husband had seven children with three differ- ent women and eight grandchildren — and he was still legally married to someone else. She spent that Valentine’s Day wretched until she started receiving hundreds of Facebook mes- sages and more than 1,000 friend requests. “A month earlier, I posted my mixed-media portrait of Michelle [Obama],” Clement de Grandprey tells New Times. “That day, the Obamas revealed their official Smithsonian portraits to the world, and thousands of peo- ple went back to my Michelle post. They were now reaching out, sending beautiful mes- sages, and I wanted to continue to share art.” Her mixed-media painting of the former first lady received more than 78,000 likes and 57,000 shares. She also gained 4,000 follow- ers that day and over a thousand comments. “I felt like I got noticed,” she says. “That was the year the stuff was happening with my ex, but the universe was looking out for me. I got one no but received 78,000 yeses. I didn’t let a negative moment stop me, and I chose what story to associate that day with.” Born and raised in southern Spain, Clem- ent de Grandprey is the daughter of an Amer- ican mother and a French-Italian father. Now 50, she worked as a tour guide in Spain, an English tutor in Italy, and an airline pilot in the United Kingdom. After 9/11, she was let go of her job and found herself living and working in Fort Lauderdale, where she worked as an interior designer. “I moved here in 2004,” Clement de Grandprey says. “But the reason I stayed is because I found a job, and I really didn’t have too much to go back to in Spain.” In 2014, she quit her full-time job as a proj- ect manager to pursue her passion: painting. “I’ve always loved drawing and painting,” she says. “When I was 5, I did my first oil painting of a house with a blond mother carrying a laundry basket. It was super detailed, and I still have that picture. I feel like painting has always been a part of my life.” When Clement de Grand- prey enrolled in college, she was dissuaded from attending art school and was instead encour- aged to study something “use- ful” that would lead to a real “real job.” Even though she lacks formal training, Clement de Grandprey believes it has led her to develop a style without rules, giving her creative freedom and combining her love of the classic masters with contemporary design flair to produce mixed-media paintings. She initially set out to paint on canvases and incorporate up- cycled and repurposed materials that would have been disposed of, such as discontinued fabric and paper samples, to create backgrounds and layer her sub- jects. Now, she paints directly on upholstery fabric and area rugs and has a variety of mixed-me- dia styles. The fabric patterns intertwine with the imagery, adding yet another dimension to her work. Ultimately, though, Clement de Grandprey’s goal with her artwork is to show- case men and women as inspiring, strong, and elegant figures. “When I paint, it’s like therapy for me, and “Wisdom of Love” is among Florencia Clement de Grandprey’s most well- regarded works. “I like painting on the rugs because it’s about looking be- yond the surface,” she explains. Clement de Grandprey’s work on colorful tapestry has also led her to look toward creating new concepts, such as her “In My Eyes” series. After gathering a collection of people’s eyes, all 100 open eyes are painted on Persian rugs and will participate in this year’s ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, next month. She’s also working on a book of her painted-eyes series scheduled to be released in September. “It reminds us to look out Photo courtesy of Florencia Clement de Grandprey One of Clement de Grandprey’s most well- regarded works is Wisdom of Love. “That’s the one that looks like Jesus,” I know it can be like therapy for others,” she explains. “I want to represent as many ethnicities and cultures as possible because I really feel like it’s important that everyone can see themselves in it and not just have it be one certain group. It’s for everyone really and inclusive.” Clement de Grandprey says. “It came out dur- ing the time of the pandemic, and people wanted wisdom when we were falling into the fear of the pandemic. It’s about more than a pretty picture, and the artwork has messages and meaning that people can connect to.” Clement de Grandprey’s style has evolved over the years as she continuously explores surfaces and materials. Her largest piece is 11 feet by eight feet, and each one can take about a month to complete. and see all the beauty in the world,” Clement de Grandprey adds. “And that there are as many points of view as there are eyes and the rug that will be in the middle is about introspec- tion and reminding us also to look within.” Even without any art schooling, Clement de Grandprey has racked up several acco- lades, including the “Latino Award” for the 2021 edition of ArtPrize. She was chosen as the Miami representative for the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series contest on display at Scope Art Show during Miami Art Week. “I want the message to be spread to as many people and places as possible,” Clement de Grandprey says. “The message on positivity and that a good change can come.” [email protected] 12 12 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 SEPTEMBER 1-7, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS |
