Artist Spotlight: Floran Béchard

Meet Floran Béchard, a dedicated student who is now in his third year at DARA. Floran recently won an Honorable Mention for his work in DARA's Academic Portrait Painting class.

​This year, a new initiative began in our Trimester Programme to reward excellence in the portrait drawing and painting classes with Mischa Tranquilli. ​

Floran began at DARA with portrait drawing, where he studied for a year in graphite and charcoal.

​Throughout the duration of the two-year painting programme, students gradually progress from painting in a traditional limited palette to the use of a full color palette.

​In each module of the course, students also alternate between short "poster studies," focusing on experimentation in color mixing and composition, to executing refined paintings in multiple layers with poses of up to thirty-three hours.

​Floran Béchard was awarded with an Honorable Mention for his work in the short-pose portrait painting group during the 2025 Winter Trimester, in which he focused on painting a variety of small studies over one to two sessions, experimenting with different compositions and color schemes using a limited palette.

Get to know Floran:

Could you introduce yourself, and tell us a little about what sparked your interest in fine art?

​FLORAN: ​Hey there, I am Floran Béchard. Since a young age, I have always been interested in creating things and being creative, whether it was with clay, LEGO BIONICLE, wood or paint. One time when I was younger, I went to an exhibition about the life of Vincent van Gogh, which inspired me greatly to start painting with acrylics first. And then saw the work of James Gurney, which then gave me an interest in fine art and in the traditional way of learning how to draw and paint.
​

​What is it about portraiture specifically that most interests you?

FLORAN: Portraiture interests me a lot because I eventually want to be able to create more narrative art pieces, and in those pieces, the human is a very important part. So learning how anatomy works, and learning how to paint it, is a good step towards that goal.

A sample of Floran's color studies from Jordi, our first model of the trimester.
​

Which of the paintings you created this trimester was your favorite, and why?

FLORAN: My favorite painting was a painting I did of Jordi. It is, I think, where my brushwork was the best, and the loosest among all the other portrait poster studies.​

A sample of Floran's color studies from Maria, our second model of the trimester. Floran was recognized for his creativity and eye for composition.
​

Self-Portrait of the Artist, 2025

Outside of your studies DARA, what are you interested in expressing in your personal work and what motivates you as a painter?

FLORAN: So far, I have only been able to create a single work of my own. But being able to express the ideas and visions I have correctly onto canvas is what makes me want to keep drawing and painting. And improving along the way, so that the message I want to convey may be told better and more clearly.​
​

Thank you, Floran! Where can people follow your work?

FLORAN: You can find more of my work on my instagram pages. My instagram: @floranbechard and my art instagram: @floranbechardart

​Floran's recent self portrait and his student work will be featured at DARA's upcoming exhibition from 27 to 29 June!