RIDE & CREATE | Jade Robertson
In early June we stopped by the studio of Jade Robertson, an abstract artist and lifelong cyclist who this year created an artwork for a campaign with Café du Cycliste. Originally from the UK, Jade is now based in the Bastille area of Paris. Her art is, in her words, ‘about energy’ and if you take a look through her catalogue of paintings you can see how Jade’s work is certainly dynamic, but also heavily influenced by nature and the environment in which she often travels by bike. Cycling for most of her life, and coming from a family of cyclists, Jade went on mountain bike holidays as a child, honing her technical skills and a love for the exhilaration of cycling.
‘I got a pink drop-handlebar bike for my 10th birthday and thought I was the coolest. I learnt a big lesson when I put the pedal down and turned into a curb and came right off. It hurt, and [laughing] I’ve never done it since.’
After graduating she moved to New York City to pursue a textile-design career working for large brands for almost 20 years. Jade grew despondent with the homogenous world of commercial fashion and was desperate to find a new outlet for her creativity. But it was cycling, rather than art, that pushed her in a new and far more fulfilling direction.
‘I wasn’t feeling inspired in my professional life, and that’s when I started cycling more in New York City.’
Having commuted on a CX bike, she met a group of cyclists in New York and upgraded to a slicker road bike. Soon she was riding twice a week with this all-male group, pushing herself to new limits every Wednesday and Saturday on chain-gangs from the Big Apple into New jersey state.
‘One of the beautiful things about cycling is you meet amazing people. It creates a camaraderie… Since I met Christophe, he’s been a great advocate and contact for my work.’
Having worked on a project with Christophe previously, he contacted Jade for about a campaign to launch the new Café du Cycliste footwear category.
‘The beauty of the project was I’m a cyclist and I know what it feels like to ride on the road and off the road, I know the feeling – you know like riding through Paris at 6am in the morning with no one around, that thrill of the ride. and I wanted to emulate that in the painting.’
Influenced by many things alongside Japanese painting and French abstract expressionism, Jade’s work is undoubtedly full of the energy and dynamism found when travelling fast on a bicycle. But it’s also a window into her ecstatic take on the world around her. She loves to capture the duality of her experience, blending light and dark, calm and chaos.
‘Most of my painting is about energy, and a feeling. So this project with Café was not difficult for me to interpret. We did a few versions, but not many. I used a few different techniques like the spray bottle to create the splash effect. It was a really fun project to work on.’
Jade’s bouncy demeanour is even more apparent when you meet her, she beams with positivity and it’s infectious. But it’s perhaps the toil and discomfort (maybe even darkness) of hours in the saddle, especially when climbing and overcoming a hill or mountain that creates this dissonance, and ultimately clears the mind.
‘Cycling is like therapy for me. It makes me so happy. What you can learn from cycling is endless. It’s very metaphorical for life. Like when I rode Mt. Ventoux, these moments are very humbling. Overcoming, you know. It’s not just a work-out, you can really clear your mind, focus on the present, it’s really good for your mentality.’
Ride & Create | Laurianne Melierre
On her bright orange Brompton, Laurianne Melierre skilfully navigates the beautiful neighbourhoods of Paris with equal parts curiosity and power.
Ride & Create : Andrea Sarri
Italian Michelin Starred Chef Sarri annually records more than 25,000 km on the clock.Andrea should have become a professional cyclist, but life decided otherwise.
