We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sandra Encaoua. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sandra below.
Sandra, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
We live in a very anxious world and it is complicated to protect ourselves. Personally I don’t listen to the news, I don’t have a television and I try to be in touch with my inner self to find inspiration. Nature is also very important to me because it brings me back to the essential and soothes me. I think that you have to prioritize the important people/things in your life and keep away from the rest. Otherwise we are overwhelmed by information and bad vibes.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a French-American painter. I paint mainly with oil, aerosol and watercolor. Born in Paris,
I spent several years in the USA, in Miami where I exhibited my work in major international art fairs, including ART BASEL and ART Fort Lauderdale.
My series [Passing Through] has won several painting awards (people choice award by the wellington art society, 1st prize for painting by the city of pemproke pines,..) as well as a grant from the Andy Warhol foundation (NY). This series of paintings is composed of large oil and aerosol portraits and attempts to retranscribe a range of human emotions, from sadness to joy, through letting go or love.
I also published a book [Love?] a few months ago. This book questions the feeling of love and tries to answer the questions raised by love: why, who, how,… It compiles about sixty works, watercolors and drawings, accompanied by quotations and texts of authors. You can order it directly www.encaweb.com/product-page/love.
I currently have two other book projects, one of which is on the theme of Kintsugi, the repair seen by the Japanese, that I will present during the famous JAPAN EXPO that will take place in Paris in July 2023.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
You know, I have been a painter for about twenty years now. It’s a difficult and complicated path, and at the same time rich and joyful. I think that the main quality is confidence, in oneself and in one’s art. Then perseverance, you have to define and keep your objectives. The most complicated quality to implement is serendipity, this capacity to always have an open mind, to seize opportunities and maybe also to listen to that little voice that speaks deep inside you.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
One of my mother’s mottos has always been ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. I think that it is her, as well as my grandmother, who imposed on me to be strong, to not give up, to go all the way. I belong to a line of ‘warriors’ and I sincerely believe that my daughters are also the heirs of this line.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.encaweb.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sandraencaoua/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sandraencaoua/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-encaoua-berrih-33695595/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSXFeBG1fYHFgsaI6IYHhA
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