5 Local Artists to Watch and to Treat Yourself To

Before, Corinne Jouin worked in advertising -  Logos, mock-ups, stress. She left it all behind to answer the call of the mountains. By chance, during a hike, she discovered the art of paper cutting, a Swiss tradition rooted in the folklore of Gruyère and Saanen. Her mentor was Sophie Crawford, a prodigious paper cutter whose work is exhibited at the Hotel Albert 1er, who passed on to Corrine her meticulous techniques and precision for taming both paper and scalpel. It is a humble and patient craft, where each silhouette tells a story, and every cut in the paper becomes a breath, even a meditation.

Email address: codj.jouin@gmail.com

With "Francis's Curiosities," Laetitia Berille offers a fresh and playful setting to her father's whimsical animal illustrations. Deer, chamois, and marmots become muses on a washing line, alongside decorative objects full of mountain poetry, and a small collection of stylish clothing. A particular favourite is the Francis Saint-Bernard mug, utterly charming.

156, Avenue de l’Aiguille du Midi - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

After a career as a textile designer with major fashion houses—Cardin, Dior, Lanvin—Claude d’Ham returns to his first love: the Valley and the world of childhood. From his little chalet in Les Pèlerins, with Mont Blanc as his backdrop, Claude first illustrated children's books before creating his signature round, tender, and colourful characters. His canvases tell the stories of children from all over the world and mountaineers of yesteryear, capturing their adorable features. They overflow with patterns and tiny details. The kind of art that gently captures your heart.

A self-taught perfectionist, Sonia Saguez-Bozon learned the ancestral techniques of her craft from mosaic artists in Ravenna and at the Spilimbergo school in Italy. In her studio, she assembles slates collected on hikes, shards of crystal found on trails, and small pieces of mountain still vibrating with the cold of the high altitude. She creates raw, mineral, and sensitive paintings that tell stories of the Valley, much like a high-mountain guide would.

Chamonix is both her hometown and her life-sized mood board. Clémentine Viallon has transformed her designer's eye into a sensitive, funny, and bold visual language. Our favourite is her "Beginners" series: colour-block posters that capture the slightly clumsy yet irresistibly joyful magic of those very first turns - a little messy, perhaps, but full of heart.