Slowly, but surely, Celine Masson is getting used to being called a painter or an artist.

“Calling me an artist? Please, not yet – maybe soon! No, no, I’m kidding. I’m getting used to it now. Painting is what I want to do for the rest of my life. But it still sounds very strange to me,” she admits with a laugh.

As she shows us around her studio, Celine explains that there are to many paintings there at the moment. As more than half of her works have just been shipped to France in preparation for her first exhibition in her homeland, which she left three decades ago to settle down in Asia.

In 1994, Celine followed her husband, Claude, from Switzerland to Phuket after he received a job offer in the early days of Thai hospitality. It was a daring undertaking for a young French woman, but Celine bravely embarked on the life-changing voyage.

Having arrived in Phuket well before the era of mass tourism, Celine had to quickly learn Thai in order to find her place on the island and that’s exactly what she did. She immersed herself in the language, culture and community of the new home.

In 2006, Celine opened Siam Indigo Exotique, a restaurant and boutique art gallery in a beautiful old house located in Phuket Town. The building is now home to Tu Kab Khao, a renowned Michelin-listed restaurant. But few people know about the role this French woman played in the story of the venue.

“I had a Thai friend who was a designer, and he was involved from the start. On the second floor of the building, we set up a boutique space where several designers, all from Bangkok, were selling an extensive range of designer, clothing and homeware. All those design things. So in a way, I think I was already into art before I even know it,” Celine remarks.

It took Celine several years to start creating her own art. During the pandemic, she began painting just for herself and at some point, her husband asked what she was going to do with all paintings filling her studio. Celine said she had no idea, but decided to make a portfolio, and then reached out to Eric Smulders, the founder of Soul of Asia Gallery.

“I don’t expect anything – I just want his advice because he is a recognized art dealer who has been working in Asia for many years!” Celine explains.

Though he didn’t know Celine personally, the Phuket-based art collector agreed to come and “have a look and share his thoughts about her art.”

“This, this and these ones – for my house. This and this – for my gallery. How much are they?” was Eric Smulders’s response.

Shocked by this reaction, Celine had to admit that she hadn’t even thought about anything like that. But the wheels started turning from that point onwards. Within two months, the artist received her first offer to hold an exhibition. As it was in 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the event intended to target mostly local residents.

“I agreed and that was how I had my first exhibition at the beautiful Pullman Phuket Naithon Beach. There I met some French people who really fell in love with my art. They proposed to help me arrange an art exhibition in Paris. This event will be held in June this year,” Celine says.

Between 2021 and now, Celine has participated in a few exhibitions in Thailand and one abroad namely in Italy. But the event in France will be different for the French woman who is still coming to terms with being an artist.

“An artist? It still sounds very strange to me, because I have such high respect for art and for people who study art. I feel like I’m not from their world. I haven’t studied art. I feel like an outsider to be honest. And frankly, I’m very nervous about this exhibition because in France there are so many good artists and french people value art education. They want to know which school you attended, and so on. And then there’s me coming from Phuket Island, and I have only been painting for three years?” Celine says.

“Perhaps after the exhibition, if I pass this test, then maybe I will gain confidence,” she adds.

Celine may lack formal art education (what schools did Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh attend?), but she has her own style, stemming from her genuine appreciation for the natural beauty of Asias people and their culture.

The exhibition in France will feature portraits of Asian women, depicting their strength and beauty in a unique artistic manner with strong, bold colors that bring each image to life.

“Who are these women? It depends, actually. I just select a face, and then I create the story behind it,” Celine explains.

“First, I select a face. Sometimes I create my own face by changing the features. And then, after I have envisioned her, I select the background and I decide who she’s going to be. Until she’s 100% finished, I can’t tell who she is. It’s when she’s totally finished that I truly understand her character. I’m like – now I see who you are,” the artist continues.

The background for the portraits is equally unique, as each canvas is covered before painting with original vintage Japanese manga cartoons from Celine’s own collection. The artist owns an impressive library of manga books bought from a vintage bookshop.

Celine may call herself a self-taught artist who has only been painting for three years, but her style is already being copied by other painters. What we wish would also be copied, is Celine’s dedication to Phuket and her desire to give back to the community.

Having spent 30 years on the island, Celine knows a lot about real life in Phuket and supports various Phuket charities, be it Phuket Sunshine Village, Phuket Has Been Good To Us, Phuket Hotel Association or Pimali, a Swiss hospitality school for underprivileged teenagers located in Esan.

“I want to support all those people who are trying to make a difference for the community and I’m proud if I can contribute. I’m very proud. I’m very, very proud,” she says confidently.

“Celine’s paintings present a lighthearted perspective of how Asian women could be portrayed. The paintings depict first and foremost the strength and beauty of women,” says Celine’s website.

And very enough, with so many portraits of inspiring women around, we somehow forgot to ask if she has ever painted a self-portrait.

For more information, please email celine@celine-masson.com or visit celine-masson.com.