Sweet and Haunting Digital Paintings by Lostfish

Self-taught French artist Lostfish has a sweet, yet haunting style that captures classical essence through doll-like figures. Her surreal paintings are an intentional mix of youth and adult sophistication, borrowing methods from Flemish painting and 19th century art. Her half-child, half-adult porcelain subjects have been described as disturbing, cute, and melancholy at the same time. Despite the digital nature of Lostfish’s work, her process begins with raw emotion or memory from childhood. For Lostfish, childhood is a sensitive time and nostalgia can recall a mixture of complicated feelings. Her recent work is inspired by fairytales which she recreates with a dark attitude to highlight their harsher lessons on life. Lostfish’s illustrated version of Alice in Wonderland has been translated into several languages and explores the hidden text of Lewis Carroll’s original story. Part of her storytelling is her de-saturated color palette of grays, pinks, and beige. It’s not so much about what she depicts but the tone set in the interesting collage of elements that inspires and haunts at once.