Ceceile Augereau

"There's not enough time... I have so many ideas that I think I need a second, maybe a third life!" jokes Breton artist Cecile Augereau as she shows me into her studio at her home in Oakpark, Tralee.

I think, this lady certainly has an active brain! The tiny room is crammed with boxes - banana boxes, commercial office supplies boxes, roast chicken strip boxes -all being used to store art materials and dozens of craft magazines. There are 8 shelves ("I built them myself", says Cecile) stacked with books, folders and catalogues. "And I always want the one on the bottom. Murphy's Law!"

Apart from a year studying Art, Craft and Design in Co Laois, in which she received top marks, Cecile has no formal training but picked up her skills from different artists and painters in France.

Originally from Nantes, she and her partner, photographer Jean-Pierre Launay, abandoned the increasingly stressful lifestyle of France to come to Ireland in 1999. After six years in Laois, they settled in Tralee just over two years ago. Cecile had a space in the Dingle Craft Village, now closed, from July 05 to December 06.

As well as making handmade paper and colourful hand-knit woollen scarves, she makes framed paintings, folk art, quotations and cards. Some of the cards are humorous, like her sheep cards, ("the tourists love them") and some more artistic, like the series of flower cards. These she has developed with Jean-Pierre, combining his photographs of flowers with her handmade paper and providing details about each flower on the back of the card.

Cecile's most original product is the 3-D picture. These make wonderful presents for children and adults alike. Cecile asks the 'presenter' to give her as many details as possible about the 'presentee', e.g., appearance, interests, hobbies, then using her materials (and the Internet for inspiration) puts together a glass-fronted box, 10" x 8" approx, with glued-on objects arranged in mini-interior settings that gives her creative impression of the 'presentee' according to the description given.

"It is like a snapshot of that person at that time," she says.

The photos of all the different 3-D pictures in Cecile's album show remarkable ingenuity, hunour and detail. I reckon she'd make a great psychologist!

Cecile teaches at Tralee KDYS. She has worked with Transforum Alley drama initiative and facilitated workshops for adults who teach children. She regularly gives workshops for Samhlaiocht at the Easter Arts Festival and the June Flower Festival.

Catch up with Cecile at the Indoor Markets in Ardfert three Sundays in the month and in Kilflynn once a month (next day in Kilflynn 10th June). She will be at the market in Ballybunion at the Tintean Theatre on 3rd June and the Flower Festival in Tralee on the 15th and 16th June.

Her cards are on sale in Tralee at French Flair, Courthouse Lane and Ireland Design, Denny Street and in select outlets in Dingle.

Telephone Cecile at 086 3689401, e-mail azilis@eircom.net or visit www.azilis-creation.com