Nathalie DORCHAT

Short Biography

Nathalie Dorchat was born on 3rd March 1976, severely disabled.
From a very early age, Nathalie enjoyed drawing. At the Institut National de Réadaptation in St. Maurice, Nathalie got the idea of painting by mouth or foot when she saw other children drawing. She spent 13 years at the Institut National de Réadaptation in St. Maurice. There, she got to know Lénaïc Léger-Lyles, who has the same disability and paints by foot. Her meeting with Denise Legrix was a decisive turning-point in her life, as she made it possible for Nathalie to become a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Since then, Nathalie has taken part in several painting seminars organised and led by Serge Maudet. At these seminars, characterised by a good atmosphere and zest for life, the young artists can discover new techniques and find their way, as well as getting the chance to have contact with other painters. In this way, Nathalie improved her technique and decided to focus on oil painting. Her favourite motifs are faces and gazes, as the eyes are extremely expressive. She also likes working on pictures with fantastic imagery. Today, Nathalie lives in Brest. Thanks to Motus, a specially-trained dog, she leads a relatively independent life. He carries out everyday actions which she cannot manage, in her place. He helps her to pick up brushes when they fall on the floor, he switches on the light, opens the door and barks when she falls. He really is an extremely valuable, loving companion.