Patrice Stellest

Patrice Stellest, (a.k.a. “Stellest”; born May 23, 1953) is a Swiss, painter, sculptor and filmmaker.

Life and career

In 1970, with 16, Stellest leaves Switzerland and moves to the United States, in Katchina, Arizona, where he paints. At this time, he meets Native American Indians whose life philosophy and approach towards nature will inspire him for the rest of his career. After a few years spent in the desert, Patrice Stellest moves to California. Rapidly, he meets Charles Lemaire, costume designer for Marilyn Monroe. After seeing young Patrice’s early costume designs, Charles offers to teach him fashion and design. Already influenced by the work of Max Ernst, Stellest foresees another path and declines the offer. Some time later, he receives a grant from the State of California and joins the experimental animation program at the California Institute of the Arts, in Valencia. There, under the Supervision of Jules Engel, chief animator of Walt Disney’s Fantasia who becomes his mentor, he studies the techniques of experimental animation and photo-animation, working on such machines as the Oxberry Master Series. He is also offered the opportunity to produce his first animated work, “The lady bug that wanted to be a flower”, on Walt Disney’s first personal Oxberry.