Emotional landscapes
They puzzle me
Then the riddle gets solved
And you push me up to this- Björk Jóga

A few weeks ago I went to  Grasse to do a Perfume course at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. During my stay I passed Olivier Durbano’s beautiful shop at the Place aux Aires on one of my walks. Triggered by the new Labradorite perfume display in the window ( and the fact that it has tuberose as one of its ingredients! ).

I made an appointment with Olivier to chat and sample his beautiful perfumes and talk about his art. Olivier makes stunning necklaces with precious stones. His perfumes are inspired by these and I was immediately drawn by three of his creations: Heliotrope , Labradorite and the mysterious jade.

Olivier is very nice to talk to and passionate about what he does. “I’m not a nose, I am an artist. I create my fragrances by chosing a stone and then I sit down and make a list of materials, inspired by the precious stone.” The colors of his fragrances are very important too. Heliotrope’s stunning red immediately drew me to it.

It was difficult to pick one but I choose jade since I found this perfume on my skin a very intriguing one; a velvety tea, sweet jasmine and subtle silky seductiveness. A present yet meditative scent. Unusual also. Still fascinated by the wonderful Labradorite perfume, I was happy that Olivier gave me a sample to test.

Once I got back from Grasse I made the above collage of two of my earlier drawings, while wearing both Jade and Labradorite on each arm. The use of the blue elements in this collage clearly inspired by the color of Jade.

Emotional rescue/ Nature Boy , 2017 collage ink, pencil and gouache on paper, Chester Gibs. Copyright.For more information about Olivier Durbano’s creations check here.For more info on my perfume course click here.