Jean Marc Huss Biography

France, 1958

Established Thailand-based French Artist Jean Marc Huss has been painting images of the Buddha for over two decades. Gently smiling and serene, often on a monumental scale, these peaceful, dignified faces are powerful representations of outward tranquillity and inner reflection.

Jean-Marc Huss?s quest of the spiritual world of Asia began 23 years ago when he left France to travel through India, Nepal and Bali, finally settling on the island of Koh Samui in southern Thailand. He was working in a coconut plantation when a Buddha statue given to him by a monk in a nearby monastery became his first model. It was a revelation that set him on a path of exploration of Buddhism and Buddhist images. He has never wanted to paint anything else since and has become totally devoted to evoking the aesthetic and symbolic powers of the Buddha in his paintings.

With an impeccable photo-realistic oil painting technique and a mastery of light and shade, Jean-Marc Huss depicts the particular quality of each Buddha image. Using oil paint, gold leaf and other secret ingredients, he depicts the ancient patina of stone statues, worn by thousands of years of monsoon rains; the warmth of gold leaf that flakes off in patches over time; the textures of verdigris on centuries-old bronze.

Jean-Marc Huss says, ?When I paint, I pray with my brush.? Modestly, he sees himself as merely a channel between the model and the viewer. When he has finished painting, his majestic images of the Buddha take on a life of their own, seemingly three-dimensional and creating an atmosphere of awe-inspiring calm and serenity.

His works have been shown on four continents and he has developed a loyal following throughout the world.