IN THE FRAME
Innovative photography duo French Cowboy have a passion for storytelling that adds a playful edge to their dramatic work, which is available at Runway Gallery
Stylish, striking, poetic, arresting… those words best describe the photographic work of French Cowboy, a creative collaboration between Mia Macfarlane and Julien Crouigneau, which was established in 2012. ‘Every day is an opportunity to create and we live to shoot’, says Julien. They’re one of a number of celebrated artists featured on Runway Gallery, an online showcase of contemporary, fashionfocused artworks. The duo believe their work is ‘another step towards fashion photography receiving the recognition it deserves as an art form in the mainstream’. Here, Julien tells us more.
HOW DID FRENCH COWBOY COME ABOUT?
The idea was born on our first holiday together. We were in Mallorca and we came up with this strange character – a French cowboy who tries his best to be a real cowboy. We spent the entire vacation imagining awkward, funny situations for him. It was the first story we created together, so we decided to keep the name.
TALK US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS.
In the words of film director Henri-georges Clouzot, ‘To make a film you need: firstly, a good story; secondly, a good story; thirdly, a good story’. We always start with the story. By talking through ideas, we come up with a richer, more detailed version. Then we start researching all the elements; the location, ambience, colours, models and styling. We end up with very detailed mood boards.
HOW DOES FASHION INFLUENCE YOU?
Fashion is the artist’s colour palette that allows us to tell the story we want to tell. Fashion inspires us, but we’re not driven by trends. When we saw Guo Pei’s show in 2017, we could visualise the photos we wanted to take. Her Legend collection featured sculptural dresses in the shapes of a Fabergé egg, a papal statue, fairy-tale queens… but we saw a royal garden with insects and animals. A month later we had the shoot organised with insects and taxidermy birds to go with our vision.
WHAT ABOUT COLOURS?
We definitely prefer cooler hues. We set our white balance on both of our cameras to be just slightly blue. We’re attracted to the dramatic yet calming quality of it.
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO DISPLAY ARTWORK IN YOUR OWN HOME?
For smaller spaces, we take a bold approach by hanging oversized artwork – the contrast creates a striking, installation-like feel. We don’t feel the need to match art to a room scheme; juxtaposing colours and styles brings an element of surprise.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE BUYING ART?
Live by the mantra ‘buy what you love’.
Owning a piece of art is as easy as clicking a button with new online venture Runway Gallery. Showcasing contemporary, fashion-focused works, runway-gallery.com enables you to snap up original prints for your home.