Julien Gobled Finds New Ideas by Testing Images

Julien Gobled is a French artist and designer in Le Havre. His work brings unusual faces, strong colours and changed photographs together. He also changes letters so they become part of the picture. He first studied art and later worked as a designer. Now he works independently and spends time making and studying images.

Gobled looks for pictures in books, old collections and everyday life. He also finds ideas in images that people share online. He cuts pictures, changes them and combines them with other parts. Sometimes he starts without knowing exactly what he wants to make. As he works, an image may begin to create a feeling. He then chooses which direction he wants to follow next.

He keeps working between 9am and 6pm, even without paid projects. This regular time helps him keep trying ideas and studying images. In the past, he wanted to control every part of a project. Now he accepts that the result may be different from his plan. This change has helped him move away from familiar ways of working.

Working with other people also brings new directions to his images. His book Derrière le soleil took two years to make. Jean-Philippe Bretin designed how the work appeared across its pages. Gobled says this gave the images a new quality together. He wants to keep taking his work into different settings. For him, regular practice and unexpected results can support each other.