Meeting with Amélie Wauthier and «Amélie Colère».»

Le Regard Libre N° 39 - Loris S. Musumeci

Children's literature, episode 2/2

Amélie Wauthier spoke to the children with tenderness as she told the story of’Amélie Colère. Her drawing is fine; her text, authentic and meticulous. The young artist studied at the Beaux-Arts in Brussels before returning to Switzerland. Today, she teaches DIY to teenagers and is working on new books. Much to the delight of the Regard Libre, Since May, Amélie Wauthier has even been drawing for our editions.

Loris S. Musumeci: What drew you to writing?

Amélie Wauthier: Even at school, I loved writing. I've always loved inventing stories and finding the words to tell them. After that, I stopped writing for a long time: I was under too much pressure to be perfect. One day, however, I found myself in a situation of great suffering. I tried to understand the frustration I was feeling, and it took me back to my childhood. I frantically started writing again. Everything came to me very quickly. In one evening, I had produced my story. Without waiting, I added a few drawings. This text and these draft drawings are those of’Amélie Colère.

So you did all the work in one evening?

No, but that was the gist of it. After that, I quietly took three months to arrange the drawings and lay out the whole thing.

What is your working method for drawing and writing, if you already have one?

I spend a lot of time working out the stories in my head. But always inspired by my own experience. Then I put these thoughts down on paper, in letters and drawings.

Why did you choose to address children with Amélie Colère ?

Firstly, I love children's literature. There are some incredibly talented artists in it. However, my style isn't necessarily suited to children. I draw in a very realistic style. As a result, I had to work very hard to make my images more naive: I really learned a lot from working with children.

Apart from the fruitful learning experience, why did you tell the children about your anger? Did you have an educational goal?

Not necessarily. Children are fascinating. On their own, they're able to learn freely from drawings and stories. However, I wanted to address them to give them something to think about and something to be aware of. It's profoundly human to have emotions, even anger; children need to hear this today. With Amélie Colère, I also wanted to tell them that something constructive can come out of a negative emotion.

What do you want to offer children by using language that is accessible to them, while remaining polished and even poetic?

I tried to put myself in a child's shoes. And I told myself that without a doubt, he knows how to appreciate beautiful writing, even subconsciously.

Your drawings have a childlike quality, particularly the use of colored pencil. Do you think children can relate to this drawing technique? 

I made a point of using colored pencils. In my opinion, the result is warmer than if I'd used digital. Clearly, colored pencils echo everyone's childhood. All the more so as I wanted to leave the pencil lines visible, in an artisanal style. So children can fully identify with them.

Amélie Wauthier for Le Regard Libre

Did you have to go back to your child's eye to create the drawings for’Amélie Colère ?

In fact, I've never lost it.

What are your plans for the future? Will you continue to focus on children's literature?

Above all, I want my books to bear witness to everyday life. Whether this will be achieved through children's literature is still a question for me. In any case, I have several ideas at the moment, and I'm looking forward to devoting myself to a new book in the near future.

Thank you for your answers and your book, which gently take us back to childhood.

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Loris S. Musumeci for Le Regard Libre