Port-Cros National Park Sabine Chautard, designer L’Atelier de Sabine – Porquerolles

Porquerolles is the story of her life! Originally from the Cévennes, Sabine studied in Marseille, but from birth until the age of 30, she spent all her vacations with her grandmother, who has lived on the island since the 1950s. With her national diploma in Arts and Techniques in hand, Sabine worked for six months for an architect in Toulon.

But working behind a computer was not for her. Sabine became pregnant, took the opportunity to paint and draw, and held her first successful exhibition. At the time, she came to the island every weekend.

Then I was lucky enough to have someone trust me: I painted landscapes of the island on the tables of a bar, and that was a great calling card. All the shopkeepers followed suit. I started doing street signs, storefronts, lots of letter painting..

In 1994, Sabine moved to Porquerolles with her fisherman husband and their first son. She continues to draw, exhibiting every year and getting involved in the island's school... " I knew the legends of the island I knew the island's legends, and I thought I should keep a record of them, so I decided to draw their stories for the children of Porquerolles ". She has published six ^books1 that have become benchmarks, as well as her "Carnets de mouillage", beautiful educational and ecological booklets that are invaluable tools for yachtsmen.

I've always been deeply sensitive to nature and the sea, and we've sailed a lot with my husband, who also does underwater work. We spent a year sailing around the Mediterranean, and then every year we took the kids out of school to go away for several months..

It was on one of these voyages that she came across some old nautical charts at the bottom of a grounded cargo ship... Charts that she would later use as backdrops for her paintings, and which would become her graphic signature..

Her books and illustrated nautical charts, as well as the games and postcards she went on to create, now benefit from the Esprit parc national brand , the culmination of a long-standing partnership with the park:

I created an exhibition to explain biodiversity to children through wooden games; another on the history of the island, leaflets on ecological anchorages, a game for the Pelagos sanctuary... I've always been deeply committed to the National Park. And even if I don't agree with everything, even if I've been angry at times, I've always come back and defended its actions with tourists and locals alike. I was also president of the National Park's Economic, Social and Cultural Council. But for me, the brand was just another label. And then, when the project manager arrived, he took the time to come and see me, to explain the criteria. I understood that a network was being created, that there was going to be communication, visibility, and that it would be accessible to all those who played the game, so I signed up too. I received the logo, which is very beautiful, and I put it up right away. I already felt like a National Park Spirit because I ticked all the boxes: I work in an environmentally-friendly way, my raw materials are local and natural, I create 100% local products, and I contribute to the life of the region and raise public awareness through my work! Today, I'm delighted to be part of this network, and a little proud too, because it's recognition after all. And I'd be tempted to say that if you live on the island, and you're not just here for business, we should all be eligible !

1. https://atelierdesabine.wixsite.com/atelierdesabine/la-boutique