hueviews: Welcome to hue what where? The show where curiosity leads the way. I’m hueviews, and I’ve always been intrigued by people, their stories, their thoughts and the little things that make them who they are. Some questions may stay surface level, while others might dig a little deeper. Let’s see where we go with today’s guest – Lapin Mignon is an artist whose wide eyed characters pull you gently into delicate, handmade worlds. Her work feels like a quiet dream that’s soft, detailed and filled with emotion. Whether digital or physical, her pieces invite you to pause and look closer. Over three years ago, we collaborated on a physical watercolor that crossed an ocean to be finished, and was then sent back to the collector. That’s the kind of magic her work holds. It travels, connects and leaves a mark long after you’ve seen it. Hi. Thanks for joining me today. Are you ready for a few questions?

Lapin Mignon: I am. I’m so glad to be with you. I’m so excited, since you sent me this little message that we will do something together. I mean, this time it won’t be watercolor based, but whatever, you know. Let’s do it. I’m ready for it. And, I have to say, yeah, it will, it will be fun. And I’m not aware at all of your questions, so let’s do it!

hueviews: They won’t be too hard. I’ll try to keep them soft, like your artwork. It’ll be fine. But yeah, I don’t feel like I need to say it, but I will say your artwork is so stinking beautiful. Like just the flowiness of everything is so great. But we can get into that in a minute. All right. Can I ask you what draws you to certain colors?

Lapin Mignon: I knew it would be complicated. It’s time for me to leave this conversation.

hueviews: You’re like, and goodbye. 

Lapin Mignon: Oh my god.

hueviews: That was the perfect response.

Lapin Mignon: You know what? I think it’s something about great spirits. Because I was thinking about it this morning. I was having a look at my artworks behind me and I was questioning the same questions. Why am I using the same colors? And you know what? I think I found probably a little answer. I love nature, so it has to be related with nature because I think nature is part of my childhood. And as you know, a lot of my artwork, basically is done with a lot of nostalgia, you know, about my childhood and not nostalgia, but this kind of sweet nostalgia that you can feel.

hueviews: Oh, yes.

Lapin Mignon: And this is how I feel with my childhood, which was beautiful. And it’s all related with being connected to the nature, you know. I come from Normandy in France. And Normandy, you’ve got this kind of light that is very soft, because it’s very mild and you always have a cloudy, soft, cloudy sky. You have a huge countryside, very green. You know, the green, this shade of green that you’ve got in my home regions, basically going from the very deep green to something that could be in the yellowish green. And I’m realizing that my palette is made a lot of it, but as well, the sea is something that is a lot there. And the sea in my region is going from colors that could go from, you know, gray, because it’s again, we’ve got we got this kind of weather, you know, where it could be raining, you know, five minutes before and then we have a really nice and soft sun five minutes after. And the sea will go from different color from gray to a deep blue, going sometime, you know, in this kind of teal, this kind of teal color. When I look to my palette, I think there is something very linked to nature, something very, very, very natural. And, it has to, I’m always trying to find some harmony as well between them. So, yeah, and they are blending.

hueviews: They look like they live in a family and that’s so good to me. Like they just, yeah, your colors, you don’t have necessarily like a palette palette, but there’s definitely colors that you stick with and I love that. I mean, I think we all kind of do in a way. We’re all drawn to stuff, but I think nature was like the perfect answer for you, besides I’m leaving this conversation, saying nature, because it is,  you very much seem outdoorsy and all that stuff. So it’s very calming along with nature, so that’s amazing. You and your family travel a little bit, it seems like, at least what I’ve seen. Do you have a favorite place to visit? Where would that be? 

Lapin Mignon: We just got back from Prague. Twenty years ago we moved to Prague, with my now husband. We lived there for two years. And actually, this is where I met, you know, Fanny Lakoubay?

hueviews: Yeah.

Lapin Mignon: This is where we met actually, in Prague. So we were the two French ladies starting our career adventure. And we both were in Prague, in Czech Republic. And, you know, it’s very rare that you can have, I had a stroke the first time I went in Prague because it’s such a beautiful city. But as well, as soon as you leave it, something stays with you. It’s like keeping, you know, it’ll be in your brain, in your soul. And I knew the moment I visited for the first time, the country, I knew that I wanted to be back. And this is how I went back and I lived there for two years and it was a beautiful experience. And actually, it’s very far from the sea because it’s very in the center of Europe, so I was missing the sea so much. There’s a lot of art, you know, art deco everywhere. And I went back a month ago, actually, with my children because they really wanted to. We were always talking about Prague with my husband and they wanted to visit it. And Arthur, you know, he’s nine now.

hueviews: Yeah. Wow.

Lapin Mignon: He’s fond of languages and probably because he’s growing up with French and English languages and he discovered a few months ago Duolingo. And already he’s learning, I think 14 languages at one go.

hueviews: Oh my god.

Lapin Mignon: I don’t think it’s really efficient, but he loves it basically. So you can come one day in his bedroom and it would be in Chinese. Another day it would be, I mean, he’s got a little friend, a Ukrainian little friend, so it will be Ukrainian.

hueviews: Wow.

Lapin Mignon: And now it’s Czech and German. So basically say, okay, let’s go there so you would be able to practice a little with your German because we went through Germany and then your Czech. So it was really fun. We had a really great time. And you know what is fantastic about this city and I feel it’s really, there is something linked with my soul. When I went back even after over 17 years. I haven’t forgotten anything. So I’m able basically to move in this city by foot everywhere without getting lost.

hueviews: Oh wow.

Lapin Mignon: And, even the language, you know, I speak a little bit of Czech, and I couldn’t speak it, if you ask, if you try to speak to me in Czech now, I would be like, no. As soon as I basically was there, I was able, my Czech was coming back in and it was like a beautiful experience. I feel like I’ve got a deep, deep, deep connection with Czech Republic. And if I were a little bit romantic, I’m pretty sure that I may have past lives, you know, because there’s something very special with Prague.

hueviews: That’s so cool. And that was the first time you took the boys? That was the first time you took your kids? 

Lapin Mignon: Yeah.

hueviews: Oh that’s so cool.

Lapin Mignon: They love it. They love it. I think they say it’s their favorite city now, so it’s something that really, really matters as well for me. So, yeah it’s cool.

hueviews: That’s so cool that you guys have, like, a family place that you all like to go to. Oh, I love that. I love that for you guys. That’s so good. Especially with him taking up all those languages. Like, even if a few more stick like, that’s incredibly insane. That’s so good for him. Wow, that’s impressive.

Lapin Mignon: You will love I think, it was not even five or six years old, he found some, I think because I was doing some Czech when I was in university. And Czech is a Slavic language. Okay. I’m not sure this is the direction you want to go, but Czech is a Slavic language, and it’s a very old Slavic language. And basically, once you start talking a little bit of a Slavic language, you can start to understand more or less the other, like Polish, like Ukrainian. 

hueviews: Okay.

Lapin Mignon: Even Russian. And I realize at one point I say, oh, okay, so probably I should learn a little bit of Cyrillic. So at least if I can basically try to, I’m able basically to understand a little bit of other languages.

hueviews: Yeah.

Lapin Mignon: And when he was five or six years old, he found this Cyrillic alphabet translation, with our Latin alphabet and al Cyrillic.He got passionate about it. And he came to his classroom and he started to translate all his friends and professors’ names into Cyrillic. And one day we’ve been called by the school saying, what is happening? What have you done? I say okay, I think for him it’s like a code.

hueviews: Yeah. Oh my gosh. No, that’s so funny that the school was like, what is happening to your child? What is he doing? That’s so fun, though. Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to hear how many languages he’s going to end up actually speaking. That is so cool to me. Wow. Sorry. I’m stunned by that. That’s amazing. Okay, so you mentioned nature already, but when you create with nature, is there stuff that you notice that would otherwise get missed? Because, I mean, your work is so detailed.

Lapin Mignon: You mean I would miss nature?

hueviews: Yeah. Like random things, like, you know, I would imagine like branches or leaves, right? Like looking at the veins of the leaves, you don’t really look at that stuff when you’re just passing. But when you pull that stuff, when I see your pictures, I notice that kind of stuff. When you pull stuff and you utilize that in your artwork, it just looks like there’s so much more detail and you kind of pull from that, I guess. Maybe not. I don’t know.

Lapin Mignon: Yeah. I’m really working with what’s around me. So, at the moment it’s a lot from my garden. I’ve got a very, very, very tiny garden. But because we kept it, on purpose, very wide because it enables us to get a lot of animals. Yesterday I rescued a bird because we got a bird nest. So it’s a very, very small, like pretty British, should be a patio, we left and the nature basically took over. There was a little bird which was basically just one day old and he fell from the nest. I managed to put it back without touching it. And apparently, it’s still in the nest with the other ones and still being fed, so all good for him.

hueviews: Oh, wow. Wow. Look at you leaning into your name. You’re like, I am one with nature. I am an animal. I am one. Wow, that’s so cool, though.

Lapin Mignon: But yeah, we’ve got so many, there is a lot of life. And yeah, there is a lot of life and we are really careful about life. And again, it’s a small garden, but every animal deserves to have their space there. We’ve got a little mouse, which lives in the wall, for the last three years. We didn’t realize at the very beginning, we’re pretty sure, you know, it couldn’t be the same, but actually, it’s in the same one. It’s becoming very, very old. And it’s on its own but we basically, and actually yesterday night, that’s when my husband rescued the bee. And we’ve got this little bee feeder, so basically, to make sure, anyway.

hueviews: Oh my gosh. Your logo is a bee essentially. You’ve got a mice looking for your little cheese moon design. Like it’s a whole, you’re just for the animals. That’s what it is. That’s so cool.

Lapin Mignon: A lot of minions. 

hueviews: Yeah right. A lot of little things everywhere. Oh, that’s so cute. Oh, of course that’s what your family is doing. That doesn’t surprise me at all.

Lapin Mignon: So everything is coming from my garden. We’ve got a lot of, so it’s typically British vegetation. So there is a lot of ferns, a lot of, I don’t even know the name because we haven’t even planted them. A lot of leaves basically. I’ve got a herb garden as well. With a lot of basil, and I’m using all of this in my salad, but as well as my painting. 

hueviews: That’s so good. You have a multi use garden. That’s amazing.

Lapin Mignon: Exactly. Every time I’m moving somewhere else, you know, I think three years ago, I was on the Mediterranean island, beautiful island. And we had to cross the sea to go there. And the vegetation was very different. And I pick up some vegetation from here. They were like eucalyptus. We get this really nice, purple flower. I’m not a scientist, you know. I’m not into botany field, so basically, it’s pretty, this is this color, but I’m not even able to tell you the name. But I’m using this and when it was drying, you know, when the painting was drying on my way back to the land, I basically hold the painting on the boat, at the end of the boat, sit was sprayed by the sea water. And actually it left a little bit of marks on it. And the other thing as well I’m using in nature is, I think it was last year, a couple of years ago, leaving some from time to time, my painting outside to be able to dry. And, one day it was pouring rain and I was like, okay, it was like proper British summer, pouring rain. It was like a stormy rain. And you know what? I took my painting and I still put it outside, so it was pouring rain on it. And at one point there was a little slug basically going on the painting and crossing it. And basically became the inspiration I don’t feel. I don’t think you can see if you don’t know, you know, what happened to the painting and what are the marks of nature on it. But I love you know, that you can tell the story about it. You know, keep the record of it. This is why I create a lot of memoir. 

hueviews: Yeah. Yeah.

Lapin Mignon: So yeah, nature is very, very, very present. And I think it’s because we are grateful of it and we, as much as we can, respecting it.

hueviews: Oh, your little family. I love you guys. That’s so good. Okay, so you mentioned water, via rain. Did you lean into watercolor for any particular reason?

Lapin Mignon: So, my dad used to do it, he’s always doing a lot. I mean, he’s not doing so much anymore, but he used to do a lot of watercolor. I think it’s because he loves the seaside. He loves basically, staying on the seaside. And, you know, the watercolor is pretty small. You can carry it everywhere with you, so that’s quite cool. For me, it was quite a late one. I love crafting. I love doing things that I probably, I’ve got drawers full of, you know, rusted metals, big pieces of wood, a piece of glasses and even before my kids were born, I’ve got a degree, in, how you call it? You know, smiths?

hueviews: Oh, what’s it? Blacksmith? Oh, wow.

Lapin Mignon: Yeah. But as soon as, you know, you start to become parents, you don’t have time to do so. You don’t have space to do so. And you realize as well that all these things can be dangerous, and especially when they’re young, you really have to be available. You know, they need some things, so you cannot start something and then finish it. So the watercolor is a realization. At the beginning when I became a mom, you know, saying, okay, probably the watercolor could be nice, and I wanted as well to become better in watercolor. It’s easy to take out. It’s easy as well to take away, you know, once the kids are awake or whatever. So I think it was very, very handy. So this is how it started. And then I think I chose the watercolor because there is something as well, which is, you can blend the color and I don’t know, when you were a kid, I think the first thing you do when you start doing your your painting and I can see it with my child, with my children, is basically the biggest fun in it is to mix the color in your pot of water to how they look. And I think watercolor is a little bit of this, you know, it’s very watery, you can mix color, it’s quite fun to do. And if you do mistakes, it’s quite unapologetic because you cannot erase it. You know, there’s no way to. When it blends, it blends. It bleeds very easily on the paper. And that’s okay. I think this is what I’m looking for. It’s all the imperfection. And I think with watercolor, there’s so much imperfection I’m like, let’s go for it. Let’s embrace it. And, yeah, it’s a little bit of story of my life, to be fair. But the more mistakes and the more it looks ugly. And at one point I was like, let’s carry on, let’s carry on until I’m like, wow. Oh, wow.  I’m glad I haven’t thrown the paper away. And I think the watercolor, there is something about it like, let’s embrace it. It will never be perfect. It would never be sharp, straight. It will never be. You have to play with the color. You have to play with the water, with the paper absorption. The paper will at one point becoming a little bit wavy, it’s okay. Let’s roll with it.

hueviews: It’s texture.

Lapin Mignon: It’s texture, yeah. 

hueviews: That’s good. That’s a really, I didn’t realize. 

Lapin Mignon: What do you like about watercolor? Because I’m talking a lot about myself.

hueviews: This is about you. No, I actually, because when I wrote my questions, I was like, it’s the flowiness of it and the unpredictability of it, for me, was what I was thinking about. And I think you had both of those. It’s just the way everything kind of, you can’t really control it, right, without putting the actual like, what is it, the paper, not the paper, the glue stuff where you have to peel it up later. I can’t even think of what that’s called right now. So without actually letting the water just take over it. Yeah, I think that was like my favorite part of when I do.

Lapin Mignon: Yeah. You never know what you will get, right?

hueviews: Yeah, yeah. And bananakin just got me a gift of some watercolor pencils, which I didn’t even know existed. So I’m very excited to try those out. He’s like you add water later. I was like okay, let’s try these. 

Lapin Mignon: Ah, this is so cool.

hueviews: And obviously, I thought of you and I got them. Of course.

Lapin Mignon: It’s very different to work with it. I got this thing my parents gave to me, like this huge box of watercolor pencils when I think I was 14 years old. And this is when I realized that they were supporting, you know, me being a creative person. It means a lot.

hueviews: Yeah. That’s amazing. So that’s what they gave you, those pencils?

Lapin Mignon: Yes. It’s a huge box. I still have it. I’m still using it, like a proper really nice box with all the pencils and yeah, it’s really, really cool. Enjoy it.

hueviews: Oh, that’s so sweet. That’s so cute. I love that. Oh. But that’s got to feel very special.To be able to keep that and have that box, but then to know your parents gave you that and that was a supportive thing. Oh that’s so cool. I like that.

Lapin Mignon: That is.

hueviews: Okay. It’s the last question and it might be, it might be the biggest thinker. And I apologize in advance. How has a piece of life advice changed the way that you think? And what’s something, and maybe it’s that, that you would pass on to somebody. It doesn’t have to be about art. It could be life. It could be literally anything. You know, don’t cross the road without looking both ways. I don’t know.

Lapin Mignon: Actually this is definitely one piece of advice I would give to any French and British people, you know, crossing the sea because on both sides we are not driving on the same side of the road. So it’s very, very tricky. You used to have a look on both sides, you know, before crossing because I think there is a lot of accidents between us.  

hueviews: It bet. I didn’t even think about that. So it’s like a flip flop of driving when you get back?

Lapin Mignon: Yeah.

hueviews: Oh, wow.

Lapin Mignon: When you cross, we usually cross the tunnel by car and you have to change sides on the road, so you have to remember. You take the tunnel on one side and then at the other end of the sea, once you hit France or UK, you have to change sides. It’s okay on motorways because you don’t have choice, but as soon as you start to have a roundabout, whatever, you know, it’s a gymnastic for your brain definitely.

hueviews: Wow. Wow. Yeah. I didn’t even think about that whole thing. Wow. Okay, good to know. Not that I’ve ever been over there, but I’ll remember that.

Lapin Mignon: The biggest advice, I mean, there is two and I will tell you, I will give you probably one that has been good advice and one which I recently realized it has been such bad advice and probably more in a professional space. But the first one is coming from my mum. She always say, it’s a Napoleon saying that’s basically, let me put it in good English. 

hueviews: I was gonna say, translate it for us.

Lapin Mignon: But it’s basically. Okay I’m trying to put it in French first. If you want, you can and if you can, you should. It has this power to say if you really wish for something then you can do it. So every time I was saying to my mom, I can’t. I’m not that clever. I’m not that gifted. And she was like no, no, no, don’t tell me that. If you want, if you really want something, you can. And when she was saying that, you know, when I was a kid I was like, come on. The willpower, really? I know I can, but now you know, it’s probably the thing that I’m repeating to my kids. And the second half basically if you can, you should. And it’s something that she was stopping at the can. Basically if you really want something, you can. But the second half that she didn’t know about the saying was, that if you can, you should. And I think it’s quite an important one as well. Especially, you know, in all the climate at the moment, it’s quite important as well that if you have a superpower or you should have a power or even just a will to do something, it’s really important that you do because there is an emergency, you know, for, like in the climate, the environment, you know, for instance. To be able to do things and to feel that you have the mandate and the authority to do if you really feel like something, you feel that something needs to be done. So that’s something that really resonates with me because I’ve been through a life path where, you know, sometimes you know, things where not, you know, the path, were not done and I think about us, you know, in crypto art. You know, in crypto art, in the blockchain space, if you stop by the entrance and say, oh my god, you know,  it’s really complicated. Okay, not for me. You basically leave everything. And you stay in your comfort zone. But actually at one point, you have to say, okay, you should give it a go. And if you really want to give it a go, you know, I’m pretty sure you would be able to succeed. So yeah, something really important. And the second one, which is the bad advice. And I hate this. It’s basically 15 years ago and, you know, I’m working. I’ve got office work and someone told me that it’s very important basically to prove yourself, you know, as much as possible. I don’t remember the word, but there is a very, very strong word. And now, you see, because I’m talking to you I forgot this word.

hueviews: You’re all good.

Lapin Mignon: Bless. It’s all about to stay in your position, to look as confident, to make sure that you basically, probably you want something and you go, go, go for it. And at one point I was like yeah, it’s good advice. I should be more this kind of confident woman, you know, in life and I tried to be, but to be fair, it’s not about confidence. I think it has to be something about who you are.

hueviews: Yeah.

Lapin Mignon: And I am a soft person. I am a nice and kind person. You know what I mean? And I have to embrace it and it’s okay. And if the corporate world doesn’t like it, it’s okay. It’s a big miss for them. I won’t change anymore for corporations, or for any work. So I think that is, just wanted to give as well on this second one because there are good advice in life, but there as well really, really bad advice. And it took years.

hueviews: Yeah. No, it’s very true. On the second one, yeah, you’re like I’m just going to be me, like just don’t be a jerk to me, that’s fine. And then when you mentioned the first one, you mentioned blockchain and not wanting to get started, you know, to be scared or whatever. And honestly, that was me until bananakin showed me, honestly, your artwork. And he was like, look there’s women out here that are doing this that are putting the art out that they want, because it was all digital, what I was seeing. So I’m like, I’m a physical maker too, like that’s not going on the blockchain. He’s like, yes, we can make it happen like that. So you were definitely a big inspiration for me to even, like you and Kristy and there was only a few handful that I was like oh, wow, there’s women out there that are doing this and they’re making beautiful artwork and it’s not digital. So I want to say thank you for that because that, whether you know it or not, you pushed me to do that, and I’m very thankful for you being out there and putting yourself out there and constantly sharing it and making new stuff and all of that. It’s very impressive and I’m very grateful and thankful for your friendship. And then for you as a human like you are a kind and soft and gentle human and I love that about you. You are so kind to me and everybody, so I just want to thank you for that too.

Lapin Mignon: Oh, thank you. Yeah, and I remember, you know, now you’re talking about it. Our first exchange on Twitter and I remember you saying that. And I’m so glad because we’ve managed to do art together. We managed to grow together as well.

hueviews: I just got chills. I did. I was like, oh.

Lapin Mignon: It’s really cool, you know. I don’t want it to feel like, you know, I’m here and I hope you know, I’m not here to inspire people, but I’m here to basically to be with people and to welcome people. And it’s so cool. And so I think we’ve done so much together and I’ve been inspired as well, you know, by what you are doing because you’re always trying, you know, new media and it’s always try to relate it as well to blockchain. And your broderie. Should we say stitching?

hueviews: Embroidery is fine. Whatever is easier to say.

Lapin Mignon: Your broderie is beautiful, magnifique.

hueviews: Oh, busting out the French for me. Thank you.

Lapin Mignon: It’s just one example of what you are doing, but it’s always out of the books and your joyous life, sense of living as well is contagious.

hueviews: Oh, you stop it. This is about you, not me. No, I appreciate it. I definitely do. And yeah, I could say thank you forever and ever, but you sent me little gifts, they’re hanging up in my office. I’m looking at it now. I’m just thankful for you and all of your, all of the stuff that you’ve done in the past so many years, in the space, and then just being you while doing work and living your life and having kids. So yeah. 

Lapin Mignon: Having fun.

hueviews: Exactly. At least you get to have fun and go travel and all of that stuff. So yeah, it seems like you have a very supportive family, so that is amazing to hear. So I’m going to end it, but I just want to say thank you one more time and it’s always a pleasure.

Lapin Mignon: Thanks.