Simone Trojmann depicts the Ria Formosa with collage

Simone has been artsy since childhood, but it’s been since retirement that she’s been able to devote herself to creating. She experimented with oil painting, but her “big revelation” was found in fashion magazines. “The talent of the photographers, the grace of a fall of fabric, the contrasts of shadows and lights, a fancy object, exalted my imagination,” Trojmann described. “A chandelier became a jellyfish, hair a carpet of the seabed, a movement of dress, a flower swept by the tide… my first paintings, Reef, Earth and Sea, emerged from this profusion of movements and colours.”

She wasn’t satisfied with the rendering of the works, though, and sensed a “lack of relief unity, my collages had to marry the canvas.” The answer she found to this was resin, “an extraordinary material” that’s challenging yet rewarding to use. Her first work with this technique was the rooster of Nice, which symbolises the French rooster injured during the attack of July 14^th, 2016.

The inspiration for the EVE projects, for example, came to her naturally when she saw a model in a fashion magazine draped in red fabric. “I bought the magazine as many times I could in order to create a series of 8 EVE leaving the lush paradise towards their destiny made of brambles.”

Discovering the Ria Formosa

Simone Trojmann moved to the city of Olhão, East of Faro, in 2020 after reflecting on her situation during lockdown. She had previously visited the city for a few days, and she had been surprised by “the charm, tranquillity, liveliness and authenticity.”

“I loved every period of my work – the Picsou, the Disney – but it was above all the discovery of the Ria Formosa where I wanted to interpret the colours and depth of this landscape, requiring the casting of pure resin and pigments” Trojmann shared. “The tides that reveal these strips of land bathed in gold that can be seen both from terraces and from the plane. Several layers of resin are necessary in order to transpose the depth and the colours that emerge through the clouds with its silver reflections.” In her opinion, the view of the Ria Formosa is one that is yet to be interpreted in all its beauty.

The making process of these works of resin are complicated. The paper being worked on must be protected from damage, as otherwise they could soak all the liquid up and become translucent. “The resin is sensitive to heat and humidity,” which is a difficult fact to contend with in the Algarve, she explained. “Air bubbles can form in the drying process for at least 24 hours. It’s necessary to protect yourself from the fumes with a mask and gloves, despite the progress by manufacturers in terms of the quality of components.”

You can check out Simone’s works on her Instagram, @simtparis. She previously held exhibitions in France but hasn’t done so yet since moving to the Algarve.

“Resin requires a lot of personal investment,” she concluded, saying that it’s “because, at each layer, this living material has surprises in store for us.”