Life & Work with Geraud Cledjo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Geraud Cledjo.

Hi Geraud, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a Canadian immigrant born in Benin. Apart from my circle of close friends who knew my drawing skills, no one could imagine that I had the ambition to one day become an artist painter. During my childhood, I already drawn an abstract painting, but this expression of myself had not yet crossed the Rubicon.

I started painting on 2020 and I realized that my love for painting and art came from my family. In fact, I come from a family in which the role model, my dad (retired police commissioner) and older brother who is an architect, love visual arts. I grew up in a house where the walls were filled with paintings and arts work. Looking back, I figured out that I had unconsciously put my love of beautiful works on the back burner.

By choosing my studies which would lead me to have a professional career, with a lot of changes, I finally choose a career in Marketing with a specialization in Business. Few years after working in the customer service industry, I decided to look for more challenges and growth opportunities. Over that period, I discovered my love for painting. During my quest for change and personal work on myself, I reenjoyed drawing and painting. I had to convince those around me that you had to do some work on yourself in order to bring the best out of you.

With that in mind, I quit my job and started a new position at a technology company in Moncton, New Brunswick area. But after one year, I decided to take the risk and quit my job to be a full-time artist painter. I concluded to bring to life the muse that was sleeping deep inside of me. Painting allows me to communicate my emotions, this is why I believe that we should express our emotions through art. Where my slogan came from: “Let’s express emotions on painting”.

With no background in visual arts, I made few research in order to learn some fine arts techniques and adapt them to my taste. In just a few weeks, I produced nearly forty paintings, and most of them found buyers almost immediately. From that time till today, I’ve made almost 200 paintings. I’m always inspired and I can do everything I want with my wonderful hands. I always say: ”Give me a museum, and I’ll make it full of paintings.” Being able to draw vibrant and harmonious shapes with appealing colours is what brings joy and meaning to my life. Painting represents everything for me. It’s a big part of me. My dream for the next years is to become one of the best artist painters in the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It wasn’t at all. Because when I decided to completely quit my job, I wasn’t really selling. Sometimes, I made months without selling anything. It was very difficult using your saving money in your art to produce a lot of paintings and trying to sell them. I decided to do door-to-door, to find customers, going everywhere and give my business cards to anyone I meet. But no one called me back. I was doubting about everything, but because I knew the value of my work, I kept finding people and I knew that I will got a yes one day. And guess what? I got some and start selling. Not constantly, but I make some sell. Till today, I’m still working to find the right people who can invest in my art.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work? It’s all about my emotions, my feelings, my connections with the visible and invisible world. It’s very spiritual. You can see it on my paintings. I have a lot of styles, wich I mixed with joyful colours. But all is about the abstract. I dream my paintings and I paint my dream. Sometimes I can start a painting without knowing what I’m going to do. But there’s a story behind every single painting or series I have. They all have names and I can explain what I’ve made.

People know me for my vibrant work and because I don’t give up. I’m still producing art every day because I know that one day my time will come. As I always said: It’s better to be prepared and to have an opportunity than have an opportunity and not be prepared for it. The most thing I’m proud of is the time I took the risk to become an artist painter while everyone was looking for good paid job. My style, my energy, my vibrant work, my hand movements and my special universe are those things who set me apart from others.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, the definition of success is do what you love to do and find someone to pay you for it… But I want to do more and more, I’m not satisfying with what I’ve done because I’m not at the level I wanted to be. But I know I will touch the sky soon.

Pricing:

• 2500
• 5000
• 10000
• 15000
• 25000

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cgiscarart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgiscar_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cgiscar.art/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cgiscarart

Image Credits
Credit to Luxorphe Photography (christ.photographie)