It was at a very young age that I truly began to take an interest in drawing.
I used to wander through the narrow streets of my village with a sketchbook, drawing the little houses, the lanes, the church, and everything that surrounded me.

Some of my parents’ friends even asked me to paint their houses… wow, my very first commissions!

Strangely enough, I loved drawing — but not painting.
To me, painting seemed more like a pastime for retired people looking for a hobby (laughs).
Still, the idea of trying it never really left me.

One day, I finally took the plunge.
In a shopping gallery, I stopped in front of an art supplies aisle… and there it was.
Knowing absolutely nothing about painting, I bought the bare minimum: a canvas — not too small, not too large (65 × 54 cm) — a few brushes, five tubes of paint (primary colors, of course), and an easel so I could paint properly.
(By the way, that same easel still serves me today for small and medium formats!)

Back home, I unpacked everything impatiently… and then froze in front of that enormous white canvas.
I didn’t want to spoil it by choosing the wrong subject.

Days, weeks, even months went by — the blank canvas remained untouched.

Then one day, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, I was leafing through a magazine… and suddenly, a full-page article about Vincent van Gogh!
There was a large photograph of the famous Portrait of Doctor Gachet.
Reading the description, I saw “Size: 65 × 54 cm” — exactly the same as my canvas!
Without hesitation, I discreetly tore out the page (shhh… don’t tell anyone!) and rushed home after my appointment.

(And no, I wasn’t suffering from anything serious, I promise!)

As soon as I got home, I started sketching Doctor Gachet.
Without realizing it, as I mixed colors over and over again, I began learning how to create the shades I wanted.
“How do you get Prussian blue from basic primary colors?” — that was the challenge!
That’s what I call home learning. Pure improvisation.

After many hours and days of work, I finally completed my very first painting!
And honestly… I was quite proud of it — not only for the colors I managed to mix, but also for the texture, the relief, the feel of it.

Soon after, I went straight to a bookstore and bought books about Van Gogh and other great painters (laughs).
I could already picture myself on top of the art world! (double laugh!)

Time went by, and before I knew it, I had made around fifteen copies of master paintings — all self-taught, without any classes or art school.

Then one day, while checking my mailbox, I found a local advertisement magazine.
And there it was — fate, perhaps:
“Selling copies of master paintings – contact number below.”

Curious, I called the number right away.

“Hello, I’m calling for some information…
By any chance, would you have Van Gogh’s Doctor Gachet? Renoir’s Young Girls at the Piano? Maybe others?”

After about twenty minutes, the man asked, “Are you a client, an artist, or just curious?”
I replied, “I’m not really a client, not exactly an artist either… but I’ve just started painting, and I’ve made a few fresh copies.”

He answered, “Well then, you couldn’t have called a better place — I run a gallery specialized in copies of master paintings and antique furniture. Come by and I’ll give you my opinion on your work.”

The following Saturday, I packed my paintings in two big IKEA bags and headed to Cannes to visit the famous gallery of copies.

I was impressed by the huge colorful window filled with paintings from another era.
I dropped my canvases off and said,

“I’ll let you take a look — I’ll step outside for a smoke.”

Three puffs later, the door opened behind me.
The gallerist came out and said, “You’re kidding me, right? Come and see my Doctor Gachet next to yours!”

I felt paralyzed, trembling — full of anxiety.
He was going to judge me!

But as we compared the two paintings, I could tell he liked mine — the one he already owned wasn’t very convincing.

He asked, “So, what do you think?”
And I said, “Well… honestly, I prefer mine.”
He laughed and replied, “So do I.”

Phew! I could finally breathe again — I had been holding my breath since he’d called me back inside!

We worked together for quite some time, and in 1999, I officially became a professional copyist painter.

I created my very first website — IdemCyberArt.com — using FrontPage 98.
It took me almost six months to finish it!
(Yes, back then it was all endless lines of JavaScript code — nothing like today!)

My second big pride came when the site finally went live.
And then, when typing keywords like “painting reproductions” or “copies of master paintings”,
there was only one search results page — and just seven copyist painters worldwide!

What pride, to be one of the seven pioneers offering painting reproductions online!

Time went on, and after reproducing Van Gogh’s Sunflowers about fifteen times — not to mention all the other great masters — I began to feel the urge to create my own works, and finally sign them with my own name.

Having become quite the computer expert (laughs), I naturally turned toward online sales — avoiding the large commissions galleries used to take.
And, of course, selling online means:

“A gallery open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — whatever the time zone.”

Since 2005, in addition to selling my work online, I’ve also had a studio open to the public, where I paint every day… or almost every day. 🎨