Quentin Monge shows us the joy of nature

As a child growing up in the South of France, Quentin spent much of his time outside, exploring the surrounding beaches, hills, and woodlands. Even now, his paintings and digital illustrations reveal a childlike delight in the outdoors. "The outdoors is what I value the most,” he tells Wrap. "You may feel that the elements of nature are far bigger than you, but you’re still part of it. You can’t own nature, you can only enjoy it.” And this enjoyment is evident in everything from Quentin’s subject matter – carefree figures sunbathing on a beach or cresting a wave on a surfboard – to his colour palette, where careful acrylic strokes burst with summer colours – vibrant yellows, pastel pinks and endless variations of blue.

However, Quentin’s love for home didn’t hold him back from travelling abroad. In 2011, after gaining a Master’s degree in Graphic Design from the École de Communication Visuelle, he spent some years living in Melbourne, London, and Paris, before returning in 2018. "Getting lost in the city was always a thrill, but I missed seeing the horizon,” he says. "In the end, the call of home was too hard to ignore. Now I'm back, I realise the magical influence this place has on me and my work.”

Despite juggling personal work, client projects, and caring for a new baby, Quentin doesn’t follow a strict daily routine. "I like to get the emails, paperwork and daily worries done first. I need to clear my head before I start painting,” he says. "Night-time is often my best time to work. Everything goes silent and quiet.”

Working with clients can mean tight deadlines and precise design requirements, but where possible, Quentin likes to paint his designs before rendering them digitally. This is how he approached a project with French fashion house Hermès to develop a design for a new beach towel. "I had a great experience working with Hermès,” he remembers. "It was a real collaboration, like we were working hand-in-hand.” His other client work includes editorial designs for publications such as Time Out, and GQ, and projects for brands including AirBnB and Barclay’s.

With his focus on finding joy and freedom in nature, you might think that the past year’s global restrictions would have had a negative effect on Quentin, but he puts a good spin on his experience. "Lockdown just increased my thirst for adventures and the outdoors. I’ve found a creative process in transforming that frustration and lack of freedom into something positive in my work”.

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