Website : www.irishelinac.fr
Etsy shop : https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/IrisHelinac
Instagram account : https://www.instagram.com/irishelinac/ and https://www.instagram.com/_alchemystic_/
Email : jahiade@gmail.com
Iris Hélinac is an artist and a writer who has been creating oracles since 2019. She lives in Nice in the PACA region [France]. In life, her passions are the study of mythology, history, spirituality and art in general.
OJL : Hello Miss Hélinac .
Iris Hélinac : Hello.
OJL : Four quick questions before getting to the heart of the matter.
As you live in Nice, can you tell us what your favorite café is there? And what do you like to drink there?
Iris Hélinac : It’s the café at the port of Nice called “Le Pass’port”. And I like to have an espresso there.
OJL : And what is your favorite park or place?
Iris Hélinac : The beach of Villefranche-sur-mer and the Cimiez park .
OJL : Next, what was the last book you read? And the last song you listened to?
Iris Hélinac :_About the book : “The Daughter of the Elf King” by Lord Dunsany .
_About the song : “ Lyfjaberg (Healing- mountain)” by Wardruna .
OJL : Finally, do you have a quote and/or proverb that you like?
Iris Hélinac : “Beauty will save the world” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
OJL : Let’s talk a little about you now. How could you introduce yourself?
Iris Hélinac : So I have been a creator of oracles for several years but I have had other jobs in the past, always linked to creation, in different sectors, notably in styling and graphic design.
OJL : Who are the artists who shaped you? Who struck you down?
Iris Hélinac : The artists linked to Art Nouveau like Alfons Mucha, to the Symbolist movement like Gustave Mossa (artist from Nice), and to Visionary Art like Alex Grey. Then writers like Baudelaire and Apollinaire etc… And in music : Erik Satie.
OJL : Let’s talk a little about your work now. What are you creating?
Iris Hélinac : I create oracles oriented around certain themes or certain personalities. For example : the tales and legends of France, Baba Yaga , Mary Magdalene etc… It is important for me that my oracles have “a soul”, that they are inhabited in some way, not just some pretty obedient pictures.
My oracles are designed and printed in France in small series. I do not aim the not mass market. It is rather a form of craftsmanship.
OJL : How can you define your style?
Iris Hélinac : I have two distinct styles: one in watercolor and one in photomontage.
_In watercolor : it will be more soft, pastel tones and fairly simple illustrations (a symbol, an object or a plant, for example).
_In photomontage : I try to create cinematic atmospheres, like images from fantastic films. The atmosphere is very important in the creative process, even for watercolor, it is what will give the visual identity to an oracle.
OJL : What techniques do you use? What equipment do you use?
Iris Hélinac :_ For the photomontage : I work in Photoshop, it’s ideal for this type of medium. I take royalty-free images and I create the montages with them. A single image of a card can have more than ten layers and elements, each one is carefully reworked to have a balanced, coherent whole and give the desired impression.
_ Then for the watercolor : I use classic watercolor techniques. And my equipment is as follows: Montval paper from Canson, Escoda brushes from the Versatil line Kolinsky (in synthetic fibers, which are vegan) and Daniel Smith, Schmincke or QOR watercolors. But I particularly like my French artisanal watercolors from Akwarelist. Moreover, I used it to illustrate the oracle book of tales and legends of France.
OJL : What is the difference between an oracle and a tarot?
Iris Hélinac : The Marseille tarot has well-defined arcana : the major arcana (the Bateleur, the Empress, etc.) and minor arcana (the sequences of wands, cups, etc…). An oracle gives more freedom in his creating process. You can choose the blades, the theme and the messages of each of the cards. That’s why I create oracles instead tarot. For this total freedom. Maybe one day I’ll do a tarot… But that’s not planned yet.
OJL : What is the role of an oracle? And how do we use it?
Iris Hélinac : An oracle allows you to communicate with the spiritual world. It is like an alphabet which offers a language to dialogue, exchange and receive guidance or glimpse from the future. It also and above all allows us to shed light on certain situations by providing elements that we would not have seen for ourselves. It’s a wonderful and exciting tool, it’s magic at work while being accessible to everyone. By this I mean that it is not necessary to be a medium to obtain messages. And it also allows you to develop your intuition.
OJL : How are the themes of your oracles chosen?
Iris Hélinac : I would say that it is more the oracles who choose to exist than my own doing (laughs). For example for Mary Magdalene, I saw her in a dream near the river where I go to swim in the summer. It was a very powerful dream, and I knew instantly it was her . Seven days later after this dream, a storm hit the valley (storm Alex, October 2, 2020). So I created this oracle as a tribute to Mary Magdalene. And this oracle helped me to overcome the grief, because this little corner of the river disappeared like the rest after this terrible storm… Everything was washed away… But the presence of this oracle really supported me and according to the feedback I received, this oracle brings a lot of comfort in difficult times. For me it carries the bucket of a heavenly investment. Each game manifests itself to me by one way or another, I am really guided to make them, both in the conceptualization and in the writing, it is a channeling. I am grateful.
OJL : Can we subscribe to your newsletter?
Iris Hélinac : I don’t have a newsletter service yet.
OJL : Do you have a story about creating one of your products? Or about one of your sales?
Iris Hélinac : Yes, obviously (laughs). Since I created the oracle of Baba Yaga , I have received a lot of feedback. She appears in clients’ dreams and then gives them messages to help them. Two days ago, a client told me that Baba Yaga supported her in a moment of doubt.It’s always very moving to read the feedback, especially when it concerns the field of magic which brings good to everyone. This is my reason for creating these oracles.
OJL : Last question. You definitely have friends who are doing amazing things! If you want to promote them a little, now is the time!
Iris Hélinac : I would like to promote three of them :
_Lauriane: she makes candles and magic vials: https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/BonesandRosesBazaar
_ Sofya : she creates elven and fairy jewelry: https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/RomanticElvenJewelry
_Valentin: he makes artisanal watercolors (which I mentioned above): https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/akwarelist
OJL : Bravo for what you do. May Our Lady protects you.
Iris Hélinac : Thank you! May Marie-Madeleine and Baba Yaga walk with you.
Marion du Faouët
