In Conversation with Agathe Singer: cats, colour and a hint of the surreal

Introducing Evermade x Agathe Singer: a series that celebrates expressive florals and characterful cats; crisp silhouettes set against vivid colour. From studio desk to seaside walks, Agathe’s world mixes warmth with a subtle strangeness that keeps you looking twice.

We caught up with Agathe to talk about how she wants her work to feel, the tools she relies on, life by the coast, and why cats remain such compelling muses.

How do you want people to feel when they see your work? (the emotions or moods you hope to spark)

I hope that people feel good when they see my paintings, that these images energise them or make them smile. Beyond the pop colours and rounded shapes, I think there is also something a little strange about my images: the flowers are twisted, and the cats and faces are sometimes a little crooked. I hope that this intrigues those who look at them and makes them want to come back for more.

What materials or tools are essential to your process right now? (any go-to paints, brushes, paper, or digital tools)

I have to do quite a bit of digital work for my current projects, and I am currently using a small Wacom One tablet screen, which is very handy. But my true love remains gouache painting, with my essentials: my Holbein Acryla Gouache colours, which have shades I am crazy about; my hot-pressed watercolour paper for a perfectly smooth finish; and my EPSON scanner, which I cannot do without to faithfully reproduce the colours of my paintings on my screen.

What do you see when you look out of your studio window (or around your workspace)?

I left Paris last year to move into a house by the sea. From the window of my studio I can see a corner of the garden, something I missed greatly during my years in Paris. The sea is at the end of the street, and even though I cannot see it, its presence is very important to me (I am from Normandy and grew up in Brittany, a true girl of the seaside). The walls of my studio are covered with prints of my illustrations, tests and sketches, a large colourful planner to organise my projects for the year, and my canvases, which I regularly move around so I can look at them and rethink them. And finally, if I look down at my lap, there is Léon, the young cat who moved in with us a few weeks ago. He is an adorable presence and an inspiration for all my new cat drawings.

Do you prefer working with music, silence, or background sounds while you paint? (Links to Spotify playlists welcome!)

I love working while listening to audiobooks. I discovered this after the birth of my first daughter, when I no longer had enough time or concentration for reading, which I love. I listen to a lot of classic French novels: Zola, Dumas, Balzac; and a few detective novels. Absolutely nothing to do with my work, which perhaps allows me to concentrate better on it.

Your latest collection with Evermade features a whole series of cats. What is it about cats that makes them such powerful subjects for you?

Cats are both so funny and so beautiful. Funny because of their attitudes, their games, and the amusing contrast between their agility and their clumsiness. And beautiful with their eyes, their varied coats, their whiskers; so many details that I love to play with when painting them. My cats’ whiskers often have a life of their own, and the patterns of their coats are an endless source of inspiration for me. I also find that they have a suppleness and sinuosity that lends itself wonderfully to the act of painting and the stroke of the brush.

Are your cats portraits of real animals or part of an imaginative world?

Cats represent a part of my childhood that I cherish dearly, when we lived in an old house with a large garden (a real park) where many cats, some familiar and some less so, used to hang out. We had many companions, whom my brother, sister and I named, each with their own personality and funny story. We must have had a dozen or so, but to a child it was a whole community. It is this funny feline family that I like to evoke in my cat portraits, adding a new imaginary character with each drawing.

Looking ahead, what would you love to explore more deeply in your practice? What’s next for you? (new directions, themes, or projects on the horizon)

I would like to take a step back from my subjects, to zoom out so to speak, and work on space, perspective and scenery. It is a new direction that requires a lot of work because I do not have any training in drawing space and perspective and I am not comfortable with it at the moment. I explore and I fail, which can be frustrating at times, but also very rewarding when I see the ideas in my head taking shape on paper.

Explore Agathe’s Evermade designs below, or follow her on Instagram @agathesinger.