
Before becoming a full-time artist, painter Éric Le Pape served nearly 25 years as a petty officer in the French navy. Once retired, his abiding love for the sea became the main focus of his gorgeous, colorful palette knife paintings. Those who have seen his work up close say thanks to the thickness of his application of paint and his use of layering, his landscapes have an almost sculptural quality. I’m certain what we’re seeing online is a mere shadow of the glory of his work, but glorious they nevertheless are!
“After a maritime career punctuated by numerous travels and adventures on the open sea, I decided to return to my first passion: painting. I soaked in color from an early age with my feet in seaweed and a free hand to hold palette knives caked with cerulean blue and ultramarine. My early color palette quickly reflected the colors of the sea, so it’s no surprise that I spent most of my career at sea, on the ocean!”
You can see Éric Le Pape’s gorgeous work on his website and on Instagram.

May 20, 2024 at 6:33 am
Wow, those colors pop! Beautiful, vibrant work.
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May 23, 2024 at 11:27 am
I just love his use of color!
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May 20, 2024 at 6:44 am
I love how vibrant these paintings are. The artist’s use of bold warm colours really make those maritime blue hues pop while also adding a sense of glowing light. I especially like the paintings depicting harbours.
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May 23, 2024 at 11:28 am
The contrast between the cool and the warm struck me, too. So effective!
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May 20, 2024 at 7:45 am
Laura said my words. Very nice work
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May 23, 2024 at 11:28 am
And mine! She’s good like that.
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May 20, 2024 at 7:55 am
What a talent!! Most certainly OBT!!!
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May 23, 2024 at 11:28 am
I just love them!
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May 20, 2024 at 8:28 am
Stunning! I really love his work. Thanks for the intro
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May 23, 2024 at 11:28 am
So glad you liked them!
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