Simone Monney — artist

Chinese Ink

Chinese ink holds a central place in my practice. It is the medium with which everything begins, the raw material of my painting gesture.

What fascinates me about this ink is its dual nature: its transparency, which hints at forms, and its fluidity, which eludes me as much as it guides me.

Every drip, every dilution, every area where black turns to grey becomes a trace of the moment of creation — a gesture I can neither correct nor repeat exactly.

Beyond its visual qualities, Chinese ink carries a powerful symbolic meaning. It connects me to Asia and its spirituality — to a painting tradition in which empty space matters as much as what fills it, and the right gesture takes precedence over accumulation. Painting with ink means allowing the surface to breathe and working with guided chance rather than controlling everything. In my work, this ink often forms the first layer, the foundation on which acrylic and collage then enter into dialogue.

Out of the blue 140x100cm

Rondes dynamiques 100x140cm

Step into Summer 100x140cm

Lumière d'ambre 60x90cm

In the Morning light 100x140cm

Bleu de klein 70x115cm

Poppy flowers 100x120cm

Mouvements d'or 50x70cm

Water flowers 100x140cm

Carnaval 70x115cm

Four elements 80x80cm

Rouge et noir 75x100cm

Cornflowers 100x140cm

Avant la tempête 60x80cm

Into my heart 100x100cm

Calligraphie 1 50x70cm

Blue dragonflies 100x70cm

Bleu de Klein 11

The day after 100x140cm

Le feu 70x110cm

Blue butterfly 80x80cm

Danseuse 60x90cm

Awakening 100x140cm

Colonnes 50x70cm

Flower power 80x100cm

Constellation 100x140cm

In the moonlight 100x100cm

Granit bleu 70x100cm

Pure happiness 100x140cm

Forêt marine 75x100cm

Flower power 80x100cm

Forêt bleue 80x100cm

In the moonlight 100x100cm

Symphonie bleue et or 70x115cm

Pure happiness 100x140cm

Soleil d'eau 80x80cm

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Some works are available or can inspire a personal commission.

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Butterflies

Between fragility and metamorphosis, colour celebrates the movement and lightness of life.

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“You cannot paint white on white, or black on black.
Each needs the other to reveal itself.”

— Traditional African proverb