5 Local Artists to Watch and Support

Corinne Jouin: Letting the Little Papers Speak

Corinne Jouin used to work in advertising—logos, mockups, stress. She left it all behind to answer the call of the mountains. While out on a random hike, she discovered the art of paper cutting, a Swiss tradition rooted in the folklore of Gruyère and Saanen. It was Sophie Crawford, a prodigious paper-cutter exhibiting at the Hôtel Albert 1er, who taught her the techniques and millimeter-precise skill needed to master the paper and wield the scalpel. It’s a humble and patient art form where every silhouette tells a story and every hole in the paper is a breath—or even a moment of meditation.

Email address: codj.jouin@gmail.com

Francis Berille & Daughter: Cabinet of Curiosities

With “Les Curiosités de Francis,” Laetitia Berille gives her father’s animal illustrations a new playground. Deer, chamois, and marmots serve as muses on a line of linen home textiles, decorative items brimming with mountain poetry, and a small collection of stylish clothing. We’re particularly fond of the Francis Saint-Bernard mug—it’s got real character.

Claude d’Ham: A Childlike Spirit

After a career as a textile designer for major fashion houses—Cardin, Dior, Lanvin—Claude d’Ham returns to his first loves: the Valley and the world of childhood. From her little chalet in Les Pèlerins, with Mont Blanc as a backdrop, Claude first illustrated children’s books before bringing to life her small, round, tender, and colorful characters that would become her signature. Her paintings depict children from all over the world and mountaineers of yesteryear with adorable strokes. They’re brimming with patterns and tiny details. It’s the kind of art that gently captures your heart.

Sonia Saguez-Bozon: Everything That Glitters

A self-taught perfectionist, Sonia Saguez-Bozon traveled to learn the traditional techniques of her craft from the mosaic artists of Ravenna and the Spilimbergo School in Italy. In her studio, she assembles slates collected during a hike, shards of crystal found along a trail, and tiny pieces of the mountains that still vibrate with the cold of the high altitudes. She creates raw, mineral-like, and sensitive compositions that tell the story of the Valley as well as any high-mountain guide.

Clémentine Viallon: The Graphic Art of the Fall

Chamonix is her hometown and her life-size mood board. Clémentine Viallon has transformed her designer’s eye into a visual language that’s sensitive, funny, and daring. Our favorite is her series “Les débutants”: color-block posters that capture the slightly clumsy but oh-so-joyful magic of those first, somewhat haphazard runs on the slopes.