CESTANDREA ART BLOG- PARIS

CESTANDREA has a new home on Wordpress

2011-08-10T15:09:00.003+02:00

Hey Sleepyheads:)

If you haven't yet noticed, it's been more than a year that we have moved away, but not far :)

come on over into PARISDREAMTIME

SIGN UP FOR MY NEW BLOG

2009-11-26T22:59:00.005+01:00

Tomorrow there will be the announcement (finally) on PARISDREAMTIME, MY NEW BLOG of the winners of the Lottery for the little Paris souvenirs, and more pictures from the IRON LADY, also TODAY I have put a new "suscribe" option on Parisdreamtime blog, so that you can get news about Paris in your mailbox as soon as they are out:)

love
Andrea

PS: HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY AMERICAN FRIENDS, I'D LOVE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL

Come to the new blog and have a look at the goodies:)

2009-11-18T17:04:00.003+01:00

click on the image to be transported to my new house "Parisdreamtime" and look at the souvenirs you can win if you participate in my lottery.
(as I haven't yet installed a "follow" or subscribe button, I have to use this blog here to attract you:)

PARIS DREAMTIME

2009-11-17T17:10:00.002+01:00

HELLO DEAR FRIENDS

NEW BLOG IS READY, I INVITE YOU TO COME AND JOIN ME AT PARIS DREAMTIME WHERE WE (Miss Doodle and the Metroheads, other Parisians and you and me:) HAVE SET UP A NEW VIRTUAL HOME!

La Grande Mosquée de Paris (or: back to color)

2009-11-16T16:34:00.002+01:00

Time for another walk through Paris....

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 6 rue Georges Desplas

on a sunny Sunday morning in October

click on the image to enlarge it

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, "the great mosque of Paris" is located in the 5th arrondissment, not far from the Place Monge.

You can go by metro n° 7 and take the stop PLACE MONGE then take RUE LARREY until the rue Georges Desplas. I went in this part of the town a couple of weeks ago to meet with friends for the visit of the exhibition in the Museum of Natural History and on my way there took some pictures with my little camera. The Mosque has a beautiful minaret but I chose to paint the other side of the building, cause there were no cars on that part of the road:)

The Mosque is the largest mosque in France, it opened on July 15th, 1926.

I love the pure white walls, and the hispanic-mauresque window and door decoration, the greenblue roofs and the tiles on parts of the building, especially the minaret. The sun helped me to put some attractive shadows into the painting...

Hope you enjoyed this Mondaywalk, have a great week,

much love

Andrea

Today, Blind Nucleus, All lies, Oyster and Musik

2009-11-14T21:52:00.011+01:00

During the last couple of weeks the sky has been so full of rain, dark, wind blowing, certainly this leaves it's imprint in my drawings. Here are five of the drawings I did during this time, you can enlarge them by clicking on the pictures.

As I already pointed out in one of my previous posts, I'm not drawn to color right now, but love the simple things: a piece of paper and an inkpen. I use to draw with Staedtler ink pens on thick ARCHE paper 300g, mainly because I'm used to this paper, it's off-white color and grainy but still smooth surface, and I like that the drawings look a bit like etchings on this paper.

The process is always the same, I sit comfortably, and hold the ink pen loosely in one hand, either the right or the left hand, and draw while thinking of an idea, an experience, a feeling, a person, a situation. The emotions come from the heart, the unconscious, the body and then they travel through my conscious mind, into my eager hand:) while my eyes watch, harmonize and wait.

It's very exciting to observe what emerges on the paper....
"TODAY" - a day unwinds, meandering through my occupations, doing this and that, meeting other people, working, relaxing.
"BLIND NUCLEUS" - drawn with my eyes shut, I try to create a center, in which I can stay a while and meditate...
"ALL LIES" - Here I wanted to create some tension between different kind of marks, lines, dots, circles and slashes, composing a sort of map. The title popped up right after the last stroke:)
"OYSTER" - in need of protection (a side effect of misty, dark November?) and wanting to protect, but stay in contact with the surrounding world, a symbiosis too
"MUSIC" - I love this one, music floating through the air, like a gift from above, it's not really a substance, but you can feel it and almost touch it and play with strands of sounds...

I wish you a very pleasant weekend, we have mild temperatures here in Paris, sunshine and rain alternate, and France just scored a goal in the Eire/France match:)
love
Andrea

"Ausgeglichenheit" BALANCE

2009-11-05T14:19:00.003+01:00

©estandrea 2009

Click to enlarge the picture

Seeking balance, this is what we should do, if we want a good world. When I look around me, I see that we struggle so hard, and don't easily achieve balance. Nature, if we leave it alone, does it all by herself. We interfere and create the opposite of balance for our earth, only to try to re-gain it afterwards. That's why I think it's so important to pay attention to the signals we get from the earth, to be aware of the things we can do to contribute to heal the earth and to avoid imbalance. Everyone can contribute on his/her own level, there's plenty of information out there to help us.

Walk when we can, share things, use public transport, avoid pre-processed food, use less plastic bags, the list is endless.

Ooups, when I began to write this post, I didn't know where it was going to. Now I'm getting aware of the fact that I am constantly reminded of how bad we treat our earth, so, out comes this longing for balance....in drawings and words.

Have a nice day,
Andrea

Portrait of a dear friend

2009-11-03T14:07:00.006+01:00

©estandrea 2009

click on the picture to enlarge it

This drawing is called "Portrait of a dear friend". I sat down on a comfortable chair in the morning, everything still quiet, and set my mind on drawing lines thinking of my dear friend.

I looked at the drawing but with an introspective look, cause I didn't want my brain to interfere through my eyes, no judgement while drawing.

When finished, I sat and wondered. It's an interesting experience to draw while thinking of something and keeping your drawing just lines, marks and graphs. Still no color, I just mixed a sort of purple black with watercolor and tinted the drawing with this.

Try it, it's so interesting to watch how feelings mingle with ideas and you let that translate into lines...

Have a wonderful day, we are celebrating my dad's 81st birthday here today, yummy cakes and "Torten" (layered cakes with fruits and cream and almonds etc):)

Travel between there and here

2009-11-02T12:22:00.006+01:00

©estandrea 2009

Click on the picture to enlarge

I'm in Germany, it's a quiet November day, a little misty. The trees are half-bold, and yesterday evening I heard the cries of cranes flying over the house on their way South. For now, I seem to regularly travel between Paris, the big sparkling nervous and bright city, and this quiet country here.

Is it the fall? I don't know but right now I am not feeling drawn to color. I do not want to put color on paper, canvas, textile. I wonder, if you have the same experience sometimes, not wanting to play with color, just graphs, ink, pencil, black and white and their nuances.

Also, I find that I need to work with the word, too. Graphs /marks may be abstract, but there is always a word or even a sentence, dropping out of my mind and onto my drawing while drawing it or at the end of the process. The word can be abstract too, though.

We, you, I, need to say something, isn't that why we paint, draw, sculpt? I really like to think of these drawings as illustrations.

Have a great week,
Andrea, sends you love from a quiet place

FALL

2009-10-28T16:56:00.003+01:00

click on the image to enlarge

I draw in the evening, before going to bed, cause there are so many non-art related things (or perhaps they are related!:) going on right now, that I have no time to do anything else than these late-evening drawings. This is a selfportrait, drawn with my left, non dominant hand, I'm glad cause right now this apparent frustration and feeling of a "crammed head" is transforming into renewed energy.

Paris is getting a bit stressed, as always in the Fall season, many people in the metro, everybody is busy doing this and that, a lot of running around and doing, you know?

While I just invite you to sit down, and watch a cloud in the sky passing by, or an ant walking towards a blade of grass, or (if you are in the city), a pigeon find a nice big grain...:)

love
Andrea

The Parisians - LES PARISIENS

2009-10-15T16:44:00.003+02:00

©estandrea 2009 click to enlarge the picture

This is how it goes here, people everywhere, always something to see.

And I have been kissed by a probably homeless man today. When I was on my way from the Metrostation to my afternoon job, I had just bought a sandwich for lunch) a homeless man, shuffling along, he seemed to be slightly disabled, and asked me if I had some coins. I gave him some money, and before I could hurry away, he hugged me and planted a kiss on each cheek. I wasn't so keen on that, but I was so flabbergasted, that I just let him and then I said OkOKOKOK (about a hundred time) awkwardly and then hurried away. After a while I turned and saw him standing there, still smiling at me, and I waved. He waved back.

While I am writing this, I have a "déjà-vu" , the impression that this has happened before, I mean me being kissed by a homeless man, and that I have written on it on my blog, but I'm not sure....

Have a great Thursday,

love

andrea

Good Day from Paris and the Iron Lady

2009-10-14T16:50:00.003+02:00

©estandrea 2009

Hello hello, I'm preparing the "100 views of the Eiffeltower"....
no, that's a joke, but wait, why not?:)

But I thought the Iron Lady would be the perfect thing to start my new project. You know....new blog, new website....

I'm working on both, and have fun to imagine what could interest you in Paris. I better not start a survey cause I wouldn't be up to the task. So you will have to do with what I'll give you, tee hee. And it starts here with LA TOUR EIFFEL. I will transfer everything to a Wordpress blog in due time, but for now, we'll stay here, cozy and warm, don't worry too soon:):)

By the way, today is Guitar-Day, I LOVE IT
Have a wonderful Day, !

Andrea

Le Musée Jacquemart-André: Who was Nélie Jacquemart André?

2009-10-10T17:53:00.014+02:00

©estandrea 2009 - click to enlarge
Watercolor on Arche Paper, 26x36cm - 140 lb / 10 x 14 in

In my previous post I told you about my discovery of a painting of Anton Van Dyck in the Musée Jacquemart André here in Paris; Today I'd like to talk a little more about this beautiful place and the people who lived in it and later made a museum of it.

Nélie Jacquemart André was a painter, and one of the first women of her time studying at the prestigious "Ecole des Beaux Arts" in Paris. She became a "high society" portraitist.

She met her future husband, Edouard André, a very very rich banker, because he comissioned his portrait from her. At first, they met in the presence of a "chaperon". When she married him, she was 40 years old, he 8 years older than her. So being a woman at that time meant that even at 40, you needed a chaperon to stay alone with a man in a room!

As she was a painter, she was allowed to use her maiden name as well as her husband's.

They both were passionate about art, travelled a lot and together they decided to create a museum in their beautiful home on 158 Boulevard Haussmann. After her husband died in 1894, Nélie travelled to the Middle East and later to Japan and India. When she died in 1912, their entire estate was donated to the "Institut de France" and the museum opened in 1913.

This is a view of one of the elegant interior staircases. I quickly drew this sketch on barkpaper with inkpen and Gouache and a bit of oilpastels. The sketch gives you a good impression of the
"ambiance" of this place, it is awsome!

Also, I wanted to talk about some changes that I am working on, I am planning a new blog and a new website, both things that take time to set up. During this time I'll switch to my new subjects here on CESTANDREA.

IT'S ALL ABOUT IMAGINING, LIVING AND PAINTING PARIS. ILLUSTRATING PARIS !

Places I imagine you'd like to see and hear about, a bit of fashion too perhaps, stories about places and people here in the city of lights. METROHEADS too, of course. MISS DOODLE TOO, of course:)

Parisian Places full of inspiration, which will make it easy for me to communicate my passion for this city for you. The style of the paintings will be mainly like those presented in this post. Little sceneries of "real" places, spiced with what my imagination comes up with.

I would love to know what you think about this new project, perhaps you can let me know when you have a moment?
have a wonderful weekend
love
andrea

HAS TIME CUT THE WINGS OF YOUR LOVE...?

2009-10-02T16:01:00.012+02:00

Postcard www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com -Click on the image to enlarge it!

"Le temps coupe les ailes de l'Amour"
Anton VAN DYCK (1599-1641)
Musée Jacquemart-André - Paris

Did you ever stumble into an exhibition and got completely absorbed by one painting or object?
You see all the other paintings and/or object too but this one painting gets to you? First the title, then the subject then both. It's cruel, brutal and I can't accept the message. Or can I?

An old man with a muscular body, naked but a cloth over his loins, he holds a chubby little angelbaby on his lap. The baby is fighting to get off the old man's lap, mouth open, crying, contorting itself. The old man cuts into the babyangels right wing with nasty looking pliers, he is cutting off the upper third of the angel's wing. On the bottom, beside the old vital man's left foot lies a scull. Blackened and already half eaten by time. Death. There is also the scythe.

Oh, this old man has wings too! Bright, beautiful, feathery strong wings. So, TIME never gets it's wings cut, but LOVE does, as early as that? There is also a vessel carrying some arrows lying on the ground, probably the arrows LOVE has been hunting with. I can see big withered flowers, which must have been so beautiful once, and everything except the old man and the angel, has the "color of night", there is only one glimmer of light in the upper left background, but I don't know if it means sunset or dawn....

Before seeing the temporary exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart André here in Paris: Flamish masters (Bruegel, Memling, Van Eyck and more) of the 15th and 16th Century,
I went through some of the rooms of this "hôtel particulier" (wikip.def.:In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort.), incredibly decorated, and stumbled upon this huge painting. I wrote the text in my notebook while standing in the dark, under this painting which measures at least 80 x 60 in. and it's a pleasure to share with you what I saw and felt!

"Tweedledum", hit the magic button....

2009-09-18T16:00:00.005+02:00

click to see it big

©estandrea 2009

Just as I hit the "insert a picture" button, the button hit me back!!!!!!!

WOW...

I mean, I hit this button, then a picture I painted appears on a screen by I don't know what means, and then, right there, YOU can see it!!!! Something I will always marvel at, but often I forget how magical this is and that I'm lucky to be able to communicate with you out there. And you with me. Aren't we lucky?

Tweedledum could be the dance we dance with modern life:)

Have a wonderful weekend,
love
Andrea

Like a watergod out of water- Frick Collection New York City

2009-09-17T16:45:00.003+02:00

Found this page in my notebook, a souvenir of a visit in a NYC museum. There was this little statue, (as an interpretation of a greek legend, but I forgot which:), a water-god with his lover), and this golden grandfather clock, with rich ornaments. I cut the sketches out of another notebook and scotch-taped them into the moleskin.

I'm feeling a bit like this water-god there, sitting on my chair as if I'd left my element which would be the water, where I would be much more nimble and elegant than here, on the land, where I shlep like a walrus today.....

Well, tomorrow I will draw myself an eagle:)

"Unexpected" Watercolor and fuzzy Tuesday, so to speak

2009-09-15T16:58:00.002+02:00

©estandrea 2009

I worked late yesterday evening, (after watching a weird movie, a mix of Comedy and Horror, lots of body-substances flying around yuck) with the result that this morning I had a "fuzzy Tuesday morning" experience... Everything felt fuzzy, especially Oscar the cat:), and also, this morning the sky was so grey that I had to skip my exercise-outdoor' practise.....sorry for that, dear body.

I'm definitely NOT an iron lady. Hmmm. Tomorrow perhaps?
love
Andrea

"Greendream" and "Tulips" in the Flowershop

2009-09-14T22:49:00.005+02:00

©estandrea 2009

On Friday I brought two of my flower-designs to the flowershop around the corner. The owner is a very nice lady who always takes artists' works.

I thankfully used the two nails the previous artist had put there for her pictures, how convenient!
On Friday evening around 10 I discovered a message on my cellphone which was off for the afternoon cause no juice. It was the lady of the flowershop, asking me to call her back cause when opening the shop in the morning, she had found one of the paintings had fallen down, the glass broken and the frame damaged...

The night I didn't sleep so well, thought perhaps the fallen frame and glass had damaged some of her vases and flowers! But the picture fell down just behind a sideboard, between the wall and the sideboard and nothing else was damaged, thank you universe:)

Next day I had appointments and couldn't go there right away, so my dear husband did and picked up the damaged frame, put the painting into another frame and later we returned together to put in more solid nails for both paintings.

So, this story is just to tell you that I discovered that every action causes other actions. Nothing ever stays as simple as it can, no? :)

Good night sleep tight and don't let the nightmares bite
love
Andrea

BLURRED MORNING!

2009-09-11T15:36:00.002+02:00

©estandrea 2009

Today, Friday, 9/11, who does not cringe when writing or saying or hearing this date?

Things this morning may have been a bit blurred, but I always try to keep the connection to above and beneath:)

Let's be nice to each other. I love you:) yes YOU!!!!!

Andrea

"Urban landscape"

2009-09-09T14:29:00.003+02:00

©estandrea 2009

"Urban Landscape" Acrylic on canvas 23.5 x 15.5 cm / 9.3 x 6.1 in
painted in Germany a couple of weeks ago....

Something flew directly from one of those visual-memory-boxes onto the little canvas...Remembering New York, it's incredible density and rush, it's colorful way....

Today, Tuesday, a warm September day here in Paris, a bit overcast.
I pick the following, somehow provocative quote :

The strongest and most effective force in guaranteeing the long-term maintenance of power is not violence in all the forms deployed by the dominant to control the dominated, but consent in all the forms in which the dominated acquiesce in their own domination. Robert Frost

Have a great day,
love
Andrea

Suddenly: Landscapes...

2009-09-08T16:03:00.007+02:00

©estandrea 2009

Yes, suddenly....: LANDSCAPES. It's because my dad asked me to paint this little lake, of which he had taken a photograph not long ago. He loves this lake, which is situated only a few km from their home.

So I painted it for him, which felt just great. Before that I was never quite attracted to landscape, but all of a sudden, two came out of my brush. The one I showed in my previous post and this one here.

Ahhhh, nature, country. I'm sitting here in busy, noisy, wonderful Paris, thinking of

yellow fields,

green grass, wet cow-muzzles,

soft horse-muzzles picking up little apples (and then slobbering all over my hand:),

juicy plums and the delicious damson jam my mom makes,

elegant red and white and yellow and pink roses,

naughty screeching magpies my dad shoos out of HIS garden cause he says they are bandits,

big heaps of Italian icecream,

the sun shining through leaves, giving the green a wonderful glow.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I reckon I'll be back to landscape painting soon:)

I wish you all a wonderful week,

love

Andrea

Landscape

2009-08-21T19:33:00.006+02:00

Acrylic on canvas 10 x 15 cm / 3.9 x 5.9 inches

This landscape is how I feel here.

Getting up at 7:30, walking in the fields, looking at my e-mails, practising the arpeggios on my guitare for half an hour until my neck gets sore, then to town (on bycicle) shop for groceries and eat icecream, pedaling back up the hill breathlessly, preparing lunch with my mom trying to accommodate very different tastes of 4 persons (which drives me a bit crazy:) , siesta with a good book, visiting friends in the afternoon or stay in the garden on a lawn chair looking up into the chestnut tree leaves, painting mini canvases while talking to my parents (and sometimes listening more or less amused to their typical old-married-couple-bickering) listening to husband, brother, sister in law (when they are visiting), watching Oscar the cat lying on the green grass or in the shade under the bushes or roses, listening to birdsong, visiting my dear old aunt at the hospital in the nearby town, watching geese and dear in the fields and many things more.

TIMEOUT:)

"Fusion" and fear

2009-08-08T11:51:00.008+02:00

Copyright ©estandrea 2009

Click on the image to enlarge it

"Fusion" - Watercolor on 300g/m2 / 140 lbs Hahnemühle paper40 x 40 cm / 15,7 x 15, 7 in

I find that Jackson Pollocks quote (see full quote in the side bar) "the painting has a life of it's own.." is so very true. Especially when I work with watercolor I try to let the painting come through, to let the water and the pigments do the work and just be there to give the first impulses and then during the process, only when needed.

This painting will enter a group ad of Daily Painters Abstract Gallery which will appear in the October issue of AAC American Art Collector, and I'm very excited about that. I'm aware of the fact that I have to let go of the fear of not having enough time to paint if I work on my art-marketing, because if I don't communicate people will not have to occasion to see what I'm doing here.

Sure, it's difficult to stay concentrated, focused, to regularly get out a blogpost and talk to the people you like, when life is so demanding and you want to do EVERYTHING today. Wanting to do everything today is a good basis to go nuts.

For example, today I'm packing for holidays. My husband, the cat and I are going to Germany for a month. Oscar the cat went into retreat under the bed as soon as he saw us open our suitcases...he doesn't like travelling that much, but he sure does like my parent's garden:)

Pure holiday. We will visit my parents, help them a bit in the house and the garden, read and walk and ride our bycicles.

Great. But I will have to work too. Prepare an exhibition of a collection of Metroheadsprints which will take place in September in the Paris Bistro-Restaurant TITON. This shouldn't be a problem cause computer work is involved and I'll take my laptop with me and my camera, so I can stay in touch with YOU too.

But, and that's a big BUT, I'd also like to continue my bark paper paintings and big watercolor paintings and NO WAY because can't take the equipment. I only have space for little things ARRRRG. You see? I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about...It's the fear of never being able to do everything which has to be done.

So you have to reason yourself: lean back, take a calm look on what you really need: a notebook, a pad of bigger watercolor paper, a pen and a little watercolor box. That's it. Be simple. Cause at the end you will enjoy to NOT do anything "important", just let things be and doodle along. Which is good for the soul and the creative mind. Then, towards the end of the holidays, you'll begin to make plans again and lots of new ideas AND energy will come flying in your direction:)

OKOKOK. That decided, I'll go and have lunch now, (Oscar the cat already had his lunch, each Saturday and Sunday he is offered a special treat: half a little can of thuna:)

Have a great creative weekend and enjoy every minute of it:)
love
Andrea

Dive in: "Sphere I."

2009-08-06T16:53:00.000+02:00

Sphere I.

Watercolor on 300g/m2 / 140 lbs Hahnemühle paper40 x 40 cm / 15,7 x 15, 7 in

Metrohead, another beautiful woman

2009-08-05T10:33:00.002+02:00

Click on the image to see it enlarged

My scanner is experiencing some trouble adjusting to the new paper I use in my selfmade notebook. Well, everything needs time, everything. I'm in need of getting away from Paris now for a while. Have to escape, to not see a lot of people for some time, to be in a garden and just look at the leaves and the sky and the birds, you know....:)

Miss Doodle (remember Miss Doodle? :) too is having a hard time with my new notebook. She simply refused for a while to show up but finally she yielded to reason and is back now. You can see her observing tourists in Paris and ranting about this and that...). Here she goes:

Miss Doodle, the jumping snails and the Tourists

Pointed face and headdress

2009-08-03T14:38:00.003+02:00

FACES

Faces pour out of me when I give them the chance to do so.
The headdresses I paint because of the need to embellish
the faces with intricate ornaments, to let them be Queens and Kings.

All the people I meet in my life are in these portraits, plus a portion of me.
These faces want out. When I think about it, I have always drawn faces:)
It can be your lips, his eyes, my nosebridge, her eyebrows, his skin.

"Face with headdress"

Graphite Crayon, Watercolor and Gouache, 29.7 x 42 cm / 11.7 x 16.5 in

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

"Controlled Post-midlife crisis"

2009-08-01T14:52:00.005+02:00

Click on the image to see the details

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

"Chimera IV. - Controlled Chaos" - Oilpastel on bark paper, size 60 x 51 cm / 20,1 x 23,6 in

This is the painting, I talked about in my previous post. The one I began with the thought "Now I'll paint something completely FREE"...

It did not happen. I set out to do something very "graphical", with just lots of wild, colored marks, something astonishingly chaotic and impalpable. Instead, I settled into swaying but stable motion. Something ornamental, patterned, uncluttered.

I reckon that every now and again, the "textile pattern drawer" (which means maximum control, btw) in my brain opens automatically and the content spills over the page, just as I have something opposite (which means messy, splashy, unruly, spotty, you get it?) in front of my inner eye.

It's ok. Finally I did not discard it and didn't put it under the bed where it would wait for better times. I worked on it for a week, turning it round and round, working in another technique, scratching away lots of paint and now I really like because it's so different.

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE.

"Just got it out of my system"

2009-07-26T19:42:00.006+02:00

Pictures at Cestandreanyc :) I have put up a special NYC-Picture blog there...

Copyright ©estandrea 2009

Just put this painting in the artblog blog I'm participating in: Daily painters abstract gallery
under the title "Sunday Afternoon in July Mask". Here, in the intimacy of my artblog (LOL) I call it "Just got it out of my system. It began yesterday morning. Something's bugging me. Just can't put the finger on it. (don't know if that is the right expression but it feels like that) So, I began a painting yesterday, which fell completely off the patch of grass I'm working on these days. Do I make sense? I mean, I wanted to just free myself while painting and in fact did the contrary. Did a painting which is overcontrolled.

So, today I gave myself a break, did some great walking early in the morning in gorgeous cool summermorning weather, this afternoon ate icecream and watched the 2nd Harry Potter adventure on DVD, and THEN, quickly painted this kind of selfportrait here:)...

I notice that I'm not very successful at giving myself a break am I. Should make that my tomorrow's "Leitmotiv": Hey, Give yourself a break, girl.

Hey friends, give yourself a break too:) Love, Andrea

I dream of a walk along the beach

2009-07-24T17:16:00.006+02:00

Gouache Studies on watercolor paper, 7.1 x 8.1 in / 18 x 20.5 cm

I am craving these colours, and feeling which arouse when looking at them. Water, summer, sand, rain, clouds, more sand and water, blue, grey, apricot, beige etc etc....Have a nice weekend,

love, Andrea

A new Metrohead notebook

2009-07-21T16:35:00.011+02:00

click on the pictures so that you can see the two beautiful glass-beads handmade by TAMMY ,their colors just being perfect for this project:)

(sorry I wrote this in Picasa, and it didn't want to let me put the text into a less upsetting visual version:)

I decided to change something in my Metrohead Routine, to make/keep
things interesting. A piece of painted cloth (acrylics and textile paints on silk) has patiently slept under my bed for more than a year, until the perfect use for it ocurred this weekend:

A NOTEBOOK.

I have thought about how I'd like to be able to frame each metrohead and let it
be a painting on it's own, and that it would be nice to draw and paint
them onto "classy" paper. I mean, I love the Moleskin paper but
I wanted to try something else, easier to put in a frame afterwards.

I cut very rigid carton into the appropriate size, then glued the painted silkcloth on it and left it to dry under heavy books. I had bought a bloc of ARCHE satin watercolour paper, folded 10 sheets in half and attached them (two by two) with blue thread, which I fixed with two handmade glassbeads (my friend Tammy Vitale makes wonderful glassbeads and beadwork, you should check it out !).

It's a bit of a rough finishing, you don't want perfect edges etc, but it suits me well cause I can pull the finished paintings out and put new paper in.. The size is ok (27 x 18.5 cm / 10.6 x 7.3) for "metroing", and a little bigger than the Moleskin books.

The ARCHE paper is something you have to get used to, it reacts very differently from the Moleskine paper. It is rougher and "drinks" the water greedily, then it makes the pigments form "dots" sometimes. But I like it.

OK, so here we are again with our Metroheads, sharing the summer ride in the (hot) belly of Paris...

click to enlarge the pictures

With a little help from our friends....Picasso and Manet

2009-07-15T14:49:00.009+02:00

This post could have the title: With a little help from our friends we can have a great day.

Or: How to have fun using paper and basic school-gouache box, diving into the color

....and into the Master paintings:)

Around 1960 Picasso painted numerous oil-paintings after the famous Edouard-Manet-Painting "le déjeuner sur l'herbe".

Edouard Manet's painting: (very intriguing indeed, I mean, you just want to undress the Gentlemen, don't you?)

Now one of Picasso's paintings. I love the composition and the colors. He did many more, which I'll take as inspiration from time to time, but this one here called out to me with the mauve-purple and greens, blues and light-weight ocres.

And this is my gouache color study, painted in my A3 Moleskin Notebook. It's a great way to connect with color, water, and composition while trying to simplify objects into just shapes...try it with your favourite painter... and have a wonderful Wednesday!

click on the picture to see details

Details of new bark paper painting "WATER"

2009-07-14T18:36:00.013+02:00

Today is the National Holiday here in France, (1789 the storming of the Bastille (a fortress-prison in Paris)

---------

Details of a painting on Barkpaper.
You can see the completed painting on my website:
http://www.andreadepalacio.com
in the "oil-pastels" section

Oilpastel and Gouache on brown bark paper,
size of the painting 60 x 51 cm / 20,1 x 23,6 in

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Kandisky my love:)

2009-07-06T08:35:00.007+02:00

Huuuuuuuge Inspiration: Have been to the Kandisky Exhibition in the Centre Pompidou on Friday.
Here is the link to the Centre Pompidou, you just click on agenda and go to the Kandinsky exhibition, there is a video which takes you through the exhibition, so that you can get a nice glimps at the paintings and the evolution of the painter throughout the years.
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/

"When blue sinks almost to black, it echoes a grief that is hardly human. When it rises to white...it's appeal to men grows weaker and more distant."

W. Kandinsky in "über das Geistige in der Kunst" (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) 1911

Journaling, "Kandinsky"-simulations and mimics

PS: MISS DOODLE his back on blog, giving her secretary some space to show you her first impressions of NYC, don't miss it!

PPS: being something of a butterfly, I have to go on with my instant journaling and every-day-inspiration posting, therefore I'll probably put up an "ephemeral" blog where I'll post more NYC pictures for you. I just feel that those don't have their right place here. I'll set this up during the next day, CIAO CIAO CHEEEERIO HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!

Fragment 8 - Poppies

2009-07-01T14:46:00.006+02:00

"Fragment 8 - Poppies" Series
Oilpastel on paper; 25.4 x 25.4 cm / 10 x 10"

copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Isn't the world a (fragmented:) miracle? Today I'd like to share another poppy fragment with you, and also the thought and the feeling that today it's even hotter than yesterday!

I spent the morning in front of the computer screen updating my website and preparing pictures for a miniportfolio which fits into my (big) handbag. I am trying to get my art out into two popular places:

-my recent textile work and paintings on canvas of the "Ancestor" Series - into an African tea salon where I went a week ago listening to several storytellers, among them a dear friend of mine. (In case you haven't seen any of those yet, I invite you to visit my (see PS hereunder) website http://www.andreadepalacio.com

- my new Series "Fragments" into a Parisian "Bistro" where the same friend will introduce me to the owner who regularly organizes exhibitions of paintings.

So, I'm preparing the miniportfolio, which is mini format but maximum work, arrg, you know what I mean? You think: Oh I'll have that done in no time.....HOURS LATER you are still at it, head fuming, sore back. Oh well, that's life.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,

love, Andrea

PS: inspired by Tammy Vitale's post about Artist Statements yesterday, I wrote my new BIO for my website today, trying to make it worth the read. (The artist statement will have to wait a bit)

Fragments 6 and 7 - Poppies

2009-06-30T15:48:00.004+02:00

Sitting here with my friend, the electric fan....it's sizzling hot in Paris, girls in their summer dresses, boys in shorts, this morning I tried a new technique with oilpastels on brown bark paper. The opaque pastels cover the paper completely, but I left a border so that there the beautiful structure of the bark paper can be seen. I'll show you a picture of that as soon as it's finished. It's 50 x 60 cm, and needs TIME. Have a wonderful day, wherever you may be, whatever weather you may be in....

So for now, here are two more pieces of the "Fragments - Poppies" Series:

"Fragments 4 and 5 - POPPIES"

2009-06-29T08:44:00.006+02:00

Oil pastels on paper
25,4 x 25,4 cm / 10 x 10 in

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

It's hot here in Paris, I have been out at a quarter to seven this morning, walking in the still reasonably fresh air. Now I'm going to make some fresh orange juice, look at my beautiful Hydrangea on the balcony and Oscar, who will be watching the sparrows, and then I'll be working on the next "Fragment". At noon I'll leave for safetyjob, I'll be swallowed again by Paris Underground.... it's ok cause right now it seems to be less crowded down there, as people already left for summer vaccations.

Hope you are all fine this Monday, and I wish you a wonderful week. Love, Andrea

Precipitation and The Empire State Building

2009-06-27T16:05:00.006+02:00

Hey hey, it has been a long time...I know, but the fasting retreat has lasted longer than orginally planned. Now I'm back here renewed, refreshed, (having hopefully increased my grey-cellstock:). So, today I'm showing you pictures taken from high above, and give you a few words about what you shouldn't do, while walking on a busy street in New York City...

PRECIPITATION AND THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

..."For heaven's sake, don't run like that, there's no hurry." I say to my husband, who has set his mind on reaching the Empire State Building in record time. He is hurrying down 7th avenue like a real New Yorker.

I complain loudly "I want to LOOK at things, hey, just look at this beautiful...HMMMPFFF"

Next thing I'm on my hands and knees, didn't see the deep step in the sidewalk, didn't see that we had to cross a street here, cause my eyes were elsewhere. Husband is now 20 m ahead (for your information = 65,616feet) and doesn't immediately realize that he has lost me. Two women come to my aid and ask if I'm allright, then my husband is there to help me up, while I grumble, shocked: "I can't hurry like that, not early in the morning...(well, uhh, it must be around 10:30...) " We sit down on chairs in the little square I had spotted right before I fell so that I can catch my breath.

We leave after 5 minutes, everything is ok, my ankle hurts a little bit but nothing serious. When we arrive at the Empire State Building, we are amazed to find that we don't even have to wait in a line. Instead, staff is ushering us through security and a souvenir shop and into the elevator and up to the open sightseeing platform, which is on the 86th floor, or so. You have to pay an extra of 15 dollars to go to the top of the building, and an extra elevator is taking you there. I guess this is only because there's not so much space on top.

The platform is wonderful, we walk around, it's sunny and a soft wind is blowing, the visibility is very high. I take many pictures. The architecture seen from high up above forms a wonderful pattern. This breathtaking view will find it's way into my art somehow, I'm quite certain.

After having taken in the 360° view of the city, it's the elevator up to the 102nd floor, to the closed platform. I take pictures here too, through the thick glass windows, and am a little dizzy, looking down at the buildings. I just love those watertanks on some of the buildings, they look like something out of a Wild West film decoration, and so out of place on the modern buildings.

Before returning to the elevators, I ask the security guard if there is a way to go to the very top of the building. The tip of the top, so to speak. Or roof. He points to a door which leads up and outside, but only the maintenance staff is allowed to go there. I just asked because of King Kong.....

On our way down we are channelled through another souvenir shop, but we already bought something in the first shop (which, later this week, we spot for half the price in a souvenir shop somewhere near Times Square:). But we do take the picture they took of us, when we came in, and which they have ready for us now (everything is so very well organized:): My husband and I in front of the illuminated Empire State Building at night. - 20 bucks, but hey, let's go whole hog...

Copyright ©estandrea
All rights reserved

Kim - NYC 3rd Day

2009-06-06T18:35:00.019+02:00

This is about how my husband and I met with Kim in New York City on day 3. Kim and I have decided to not put pictures of each other on our blogs, as internet is not really a safe place...hope you understand.

"Hi Sweetie, I'm waiting in the lobby of your hotel, near the guest-phones and I'm wearing red sandals..."

We have been waiting for this call while resting a bit in our room after a beautiful morning and early afternoon (which I will talk about in another post). Now we are looking forward to meet my blogfriend Kim. We take the elevator down to the lobby and spot her immediately (husband does - I never wear my glasses:). She's standing near the old fashioned telephones with which you can call the guests' rooms.

She's wearing a skirt and red sandals and greets us with a big smile. I immediately like her, I mean I already liked her virtually but this is the real thing! Kim has dark hair and beautiful eyes of a very intriguing shade of green....

We are laughing and so happy to have this opportunity to meet, in such a wonderful city and we decide to go out for a walk down 7th avenue. We land in a pub on 40th stree called "Jack's Bar and Restaurant" which is not crowded at all. We have drinks, talk about our trip and this and that, there seems to be an endless choice of things we could talk about. (My husband amazes me cause he always says that he doesn't speak English but in fact he does quite nicely). We could go on talking like that for hours but Kim has to go back to her hotel to welcome her daughter, who will arrive shortly at their hotel. Tomorrow the three of us (husband has other plans) will attend the launch party at the literary agency on 7th avenue tomorrow, which begins around 5p.m. We decide to get in touch by phone the next day at 3pm so that we can fix a meeting point.

We leave the cozy bar, walk for a while together on 6th avenue, and then say goodbye to Kim.

My husband wants to see the place where the literary agency is located so we go back onto 7th avenue, but can't find it cause I can't remember the right number...instead we discover Macy's, (I like this gigantic billboard) where I buy a pair of jeans, husband helpfully carrying my jacket and handbag while I try them on...very brave...We don't stay long (I'll have more opportunities to discover New York Fashion during the next days) cause we are hungry and tired and decide to have dinner in the Edison Café at our hotel.

So we return to Broadway, it's getting dark now. Again, I cannot resist Times Square's photogenic charms... you can click on the pictures to see them big, I think it's worth the click.
Let's call this a post and see you in the next one....
love
Andrea

Retreat Spa

2009-06-04T14:38:00.003+02:00

My dear blogfriends,

you must be wondering where I am and why I'm not blogging. So I feel I owe you an explanation:) . I'm on (or do you say in) a sort of physical and mental retreat, I'm fasting for ten days minimum (no food only water and juice), that's why I can't stay at the computer very long.

But I do prepare the next NYork City posts, so please be patient, I'll be back soon!
Love
Andrea
Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Getting acquainted with Manhattan - NYC Day 2

2009-05-29T16:31:00.033+02:00

"Is it true that NIKE is almost bankrupt???"...

....I ask the young salesman in the NIKE shop on 5th avenue in an attempt to make conversation with a "real" New Yorker. He just came back from wherever they store their shoes, with an armful of runningshoe-boxes. He looks very embarrassed and one of my inner voices yells at me:"Are you nuts????? How can you ask him that? This guy works here, is very happy to have a job, and what do you know about this anyway???"......I blush and awkwardly try to explain that this is just a vage rumour I heard a couple of days ago in Germany. What I don't tell him is that I heard it from my mother who is certainly NOT the greatest international economy-observer, and that I forgot to ask where she got this information from in the first place. So much about Andrea and smalltalk.

We do not dwell on the subject. Among several pair of shoes I chose one of the less expensive and flashy pairs, leave them on my feet, meet my husband at the cash register, he too has new shoes. We pay. We came in worn-out tennis shoes (which we leave in the fancy Nike shop, no regrets). Now we are ready for the streets of New York.

Later we catch the bus on 5th avenue, not far from Central Park, at a bus stop at Bergdorf/Goodman. I should have taken a picture of their windows full of wonder (=designer clothes...). No price tags visible, so not to put fear into the potential customer (not me:).

I did take a picture of a TIFFANY window, attracted by a collection of keys. They say:
"Tiffany Keys. A magical collection of key pendants brimming with intrigue and allure..."
Some are brimming with what looks like diamonds, but I'm more interested in the effect "key-abundance" mixed with the reflections in the window.

The bus n° M5 takes us down 5th avenue, and we get off somewhere near Washington Square. I'd like to see the Arc de Triomphe which I often glimpsed in movies set in NYC. It looks just like the "little" Arc de Triomphes in Paris! Makes me feel at home:).

...Below now you find a condensed description of our day. Yes I know, these posts are "huge sandwiches", (quote Klaproos). But I feel that I have to write it all down and give it some time and space before it can be reshaped by my visual mind into something else than words...

I don't know, this is probably too much. I mean too many pictures.

Perhaps you are not as interested in seeing:

me tired and excited at once, buttering toast on Monday morning in the Edison Café, or fire escape ladders, sheriffs' cars, hot-dog-stand-operators putting the American flag up in the morning.

Colorful fruit-trucks standing under this typically American red light in front of this incredibly curved skyscraper reflecting buildings in a completely different architechtural style...

The windowcleaners high up there cleaning window n° 105, the Tiffany-Window with yellow keys and cabs, our new shoes against asphalt, the corner of 5th Ave and 32 street, the Arc de Triomphe on Washington Square.

The empty bar in Greenwich Village where they serve wonderful Espresso, the cozy shops, streets and house-entrances there, more fire-escape ladders (I admit, this must be an obsession of mine as are the yellow American school buses which I just looooooooooooooooooooove!) and....

Times Square, again, there's always something on Times Square catching your eye or your camera-lens...
(coming soon: The story about how I met Kim)

Oh and one last thing: I got bored putting my watermark in the right bottom corner of each picture, so I just melted it in, my way of digesting New York City, hope you don't mind:)

Click to enlarge (with some it works, with others not, will try to be more professional about it next time:)

New York City - First Impressions: Arrival

2009-05-28T14:50:00.036+02:00

I'm back. With an overload of impressions. Lots of things I want to show and share with you and talk about, but I'd like to do this nicely. I'm not a writer, but I'll try hard to make this readable.

"Were you guys not happy with my service or anything?"...

the very friendly, small, thin, eldery waitress inquires (she has a face that reminds me of a certain little cute animal, but I cannot remember which one) . We must have got something wrong with the tip!

Earlier today, after a more than 8 hour flight from Francford/Germany to NYC we wait in a queue for an hour and a half at the overheated Newark airport. Then they take our picture and fingerprints and we are free to go. We take a shuttle to our hotel, I'm too tired and hot to take pictures during the trip, but very excited when the NYC skyline comes into view.

Half an hour later the driver leaves us at the back entrance of the Edison Hotel on 48th Street. We check in, get our key and head off to the 16th floor. Surprise surprise!....this is not what I/we had expected. What have I expected? I don't know, something newer, more modern, something brighter, whiter? But I do like this room. And the faux Renoir above the headboard. This has some kind of "last century" charm to it. Art deco. American Art Deco I suppose, mixed with 1940 Elegance. The mattress is excellent, the faucets are a bit difficult to handle, the shower has a funny way of spraying water in a wide bow upon you and everything else in the bathroom if you don't pull the curtain carefully enough, and it makes spitting and hissing noises.

We conquer the room, put clothes on hangers, take showers to wash off the fatigue. We dress in fresh clothes and out we are. On our way through the lobby I think: this is impressive, the ceiling so high, everything looks so huge, the desk, the sitting area with enormous armchairs and lamps, or did we shrink during the flight??

The revolving frontdoor spits us out onto 47th Street, just a few steps from Broadway and Times Square. WOW !!! I have an overwhelming light-color-crowd experience. We walk down Broadway, together with lots and lots and lots of other people, many families. Now I remember, today is Mother's day. It's early evening, around 6 or so, but in our heads and bodies it's already Midnight. We are thrilled, excited to be here.

After a while, it's time to find a quiet place where we can have a nice dinner. Places there are many, they are all but quiet. Somewhere between 45th and 42nd Street we turn and find a nostalgic looking Deli, it looks crowded with families, but we are motioned to a free table immediately. We order drinks and Hamburger and potatoe pancakes with apple puree, hmmm, reminds my my moms potatoe pancakes = childhood.

The waitress asks us where we are from and when she hears that we're from Paris she says that we must be very tired because of the time difference. She knows cause she lived in Mykonos, Greece, for 10 years, she tells us. Went there with her husband. I don't ask why she came back.

I love my pancakes, my husband loves the coleslaw which came with the meat, finding the meat too dry. Then we ask "our" waitress for the bill, she brings it and we think that the amount added between the subtotal and the total (which is indeed the tax!) must be the tip. That it is included somehow. We pay, she comes and takes the money away and is back two minutes later, asking us if her service wasn't good enough! We sheepishly confess that we don't understand what she has written on the bill.

She is very patient with us tourists and says:"Just double the tax, that's what I always tell my son, just double the tax" (Did she leave her son in Mykonos, then?) We give her a good tip, she's happy, I feel a bit silly for not having figured out this tip thing before.

Next thing we're back on Broadway, Times Square, 47th street, in the lobby and in our room. We try to stay awake cause we don't want to be up at 4 tomorrow morning. But at around 8 I doze off.....

Transformation

2009-05-07T15:12:00.006+02:00

Thank you for your kind comments which I put in my suitcase and take with me to NYC:)
The bag is packed, Oscar is watching us, he is mistrusting us. We'll be off to Germany tomorrow morning and leave Oscar the cat there with my parents. He'll have his own vaccation there in the wonderful garden. He specially enjoys lying under big fern leaves, wher nobody sees him but he can watch everything!

Before going, I'm still with my fingers in paint. Above another one of those little poppy-painting-cut-into-pieces cards I showed you in a previous post, which I put into a paper frame to get another perspective.
On top you see the "translation" into oilpastel on paper. I'm planning on doing 42 of those.
Each one reminding the others but never the same. I slightly change the shapes and colors, so that noone (including me) gets bored...

Check out Miss Doodle in her closet...

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Update, Metroheads, New York City, Holidays!

2009-05-06T12:15:00.015+02:00

"Man with Turban", ink and watercolor

Some time ago, I think it was in December last year, Kim talked about call for submissions of a literary magazin on her Blog, the magazin called 'The Truth about The Fact". They accepted submissions of novels and artwork.

I submitted several of my "Metroheads" illustrations in black/white, and in February got a letter from the editor, informing me that "Man with Turban" had been chosen and would be published in April. Which made me very happy, of course. With it came an invitation for a launch party either in Los Angeles (in April) or in New York City (in May).

I always dreamed of visiting New York and my husband (who has visited NYC twice already, but a long time ago) said: why not taking a week of vaccation in New York in May, so that you can go to the launch party at the same time? Two days later he bought flight tickets (flight is next Sunday) and a tourist guide:).... And the visit is topped with cream: a meeting with Kim, who has had a photograph published in the same edition and who will be at the launch party too!

In the meantime, a lot of things have happened, but I don't realize this very well yet. In order to stop beating myself up about undone things, (not being able to blog as much as I did before is one of these) I should list the things which HAVE been done:

My Miss Doodle painting which I did in a creative frenzy and which I had in an exhibition in Fulda/Germany, sold very well and hangs now in the Tourist Office of the town.

-The "Miss Doodle ltd. Edition T-shirts campaign" took me a lot of time and organization skills (which I don't have:) and I'm very happy that Miss Doodle's shirts went out into the world to many of my dear blogfriends.

-Drafts of the children's book I'm working on together with a friend are being sent out to publishers to get a first opinion.

-One last thing had to be done before leaving, a book-draft with 37 images of "my" Metroheads, plus text which is copied from my blog and had to be edited to fit in the pages. So this is ready now too.

Here are three sample pages:

Flesh-Colored People

2009-04-29T11:52:00.005+02:00

What is this: the color called "flesh"?

"Flesh-colored", in German it would be "fleischfarben" in French "couleur chair". To my ears this sounds extremely ugly.

And the color we see in tubes which is called "flesh" often looks like a light beige but flesh is not light beige. So, do they mean: "skin" colored?

I thought about this. Neither skin nor flesh looks like that. Skin and flesh can be ocre mixed with vermillion, alizarin crimson, sap-green, prussian blue and lemon yellow, or burnt umber with bright red and ultramine and magenta, or light yellow with ocre and vermillion.... Endless possibilities, mixtures.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,
love
Andrea

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Translation of Poppy-Feeling and Award

2009-04-27T12:05:00.006+02:00

Experimenting again with my cropped-up painting (Soulbrush and Lynn , can't unfortunately trade the cards as I still need them...)

I made a square "cache", in order to change perspectives, and then painted the new image on 25 x 25 paper with oil-pastels. Proceeded the same way with two other images and would like to continue like this, in order to create a new body of work for an exhibition. I feel that this is a kind of visual translation of what I feel when I look at poppies....

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Thank you Soulbrush and thank you Lynn, for this beautiful award, came just when I needed upliftin:) - I give it to all my blogfriends, we all need this kind of award...

LET'S BE FREE...

Cropped, chopped and mixed up

2009-04-24T10:47:00.010+02:00

PARISMAMUSE- on my way home
Miss Doodle - "ten little..."

This is a watercolour painting, an experiment, wet in wet on 56 x 76 cm (20.5 x 28.3 in) paper.
I draw the poppies with a fine ink pen on the paper, put the paper under water, waited a few minutes and put the colour on, just let the color flow.

This picture is taken in weak light, so the colors here are not as bright as on the original.

I think that the fine graphics, i.e. the fine ink lines are disturbing me most in this big painting. They make no sense. Next time, if I want graphics like that, I'll experiment with black ink and a brush, that will make sense.

Let's call this a happy accident.

So. I decide to chop this up.
In little pieces, ATC-sized. Hereunder you can see all the pieces (40 little cards).
In the very first set you can see the three cards I used to make the "magnified" paintings of my previous post, where I decided to enhance the black lines, so that they pleasently agree and support the whole composition...
Of course, the watercolour reacts differently and imposes it's own rules, patterns, rythm, so that the outcome of the magnified peace is, again, something entirely else. Something new.

Poppy-Microcosmos

2009-04-21T12:24:00.005+02:00

I will have to talk to you about how these three paintings came to life. I painted a poppy painting big size, with watercolor, didn't like it, cut it in many little ATC cards, took three of those little "cropped" details and painted them "big" again. It is rather abstract, but I still see the poppies, in a way... I'll show you the little cropped cards later...

Size: 40 x 50 cm (15.7 x 19.7 in)

Joyous Sunday Bugs.....

2009-04-19T19:37:00.002+02:00

Watercolour 30 x 40 cm (9x13in)

Relationship between Cobalt Blue and:
Alizarin Crimson
Lemon Yellow
Vermillion
Viridian Green

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Journey on the BUS

2009-04-18T12:36:00.003+02:00

If you'd like to join me on a little bus trip please go to PARIS M'AMUSE my photoblog,
have a wonderful weekend,
love
Andrea

Metroheads - Selfportraits

2009-04-17T15:57:00.001+02:00

Ink, pencil and tip-Ex in my Moleskin sketchbook.

These are the others, and me. Or not.
It's the end of the week and we are
tired.

HEAT !!!

2009-04-15T07:38:00.004+02:00

Makes me think of a line in the song "Flyswatter"by one of my favourite singer/songwriter, EELS:

"...Heat is rolling in like Hell's red rug
Stinking like the breath of Beelzebub
And if you think you won't walk on coals you will..."

Have a lovely Wednesday, you all, not too hot:)

"HEAT /1" - Watercolor 40 x 40 cm. - 15.7 x 15.7 in

"Heat 2" - Watercolor 35.5 x 51 cm - 14 x 20 in

He makes me think of a famous cartoon character

2009-04-10T15:53:00.008+02:00

More balding and bald men in the metro give me the opportunity to study headshapes. Mr. Homer Simpson here sat for me, quietly, giving me time to draw what remains of his hair. On top of the round bald head there is a bit of fuzz.

Here I concentrated on their profiles, exaggerating their traits in the line drawing, looking mainly at the faces and very seldom on the paper.

She was oblivious of everything surrounding her and gave me much time..THANK YOU!

Metroheads - Thoughts do what they want

2009-04-09T16:50:00.001+02:00

Thoughts do what they want...
watching people's back,
drowsyness,
profile.

Metroheads - Someone must have puked in here...

2009-04-07T14:41:00.001+02:00

Two pages of my Moleskine notebook,
Metroheads for Dianne:)

The Evil Smell...
I make it just in time to jump onto the Metrocar,
the doors automatically close behind me.
I quickly look for a seat in the crowed car, yessss, there are 4 empty seats! While lots of
people are standing. That's great.
I'm about to sit down when I see (and smell) why
these seats are empty.....I quickly try to get as far away as I can, and hear someone saying:"Someone must have puked in here"!

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

1ST COLLECTION OF MISS DOODLE'S LTD EDITION TSHIRTS

2009-04-01T11:23:00.003+02:00

MISS DOODLE'S LTD.EDITION T-SHIRTS ARRIVED!!!!
They are here (on Miss Doodle's Blog) and available!
First Collection of
Miss Doodle's ltd. Edition (39!)T-shirts, Design n°1 and n°2
designed by CESTANDREA, Paris, France
(handsigned and numbered ) .
ILS SONT ARRIVES!
1ère Collection
MISS DOODLE'S LTD. EDITION (39!) T-SHIRTS,
DESIGN CESTANDREA PARIS
(signé et numéroté à la main)

Big peace of work, I love the outcome and hope you too,

have a great Wednesday

love

Andrea

WATERCOLOR and WORKING ON SOMETHING NICE

2009-03-31T11:52:00.008+02:00

This weekends work with Watercolor (pictures a bit darker than they really are) and Miss Doodle's Surprise soon to come for YOU, You and YOU!:)

Watercolor on Paper, 35 x 50 cm (13.8 x 19.7 in)

http://missdoodlesday.blogspot.com/SURPRISE SURPRISE MISS DOODLE: The secretary has been very very bery busy, preparing something for YOU!

Für Anna (I.)

2009-03-29T14:14:00.004+02:00

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Für Anna (I.), Ölpastell auf Papier - 24,4 x 24,4 cm (10 x 10 in)
For Anna (I.), Oil pastel on paper - 24,4 x 24,4 cm (10 x 10 in)
Pour Anna (I.), Pastels à l'huile - 24,4 x 24,4 cm (10 x 10 in)

PS: Thank you for your wise comments on my previous post, which made the day after my birthday a real success:), I know what to do next time now:)

ODDS and relationship between Vermillion, Rouge Saturn, Vert Emeraude, Rouge Corail

2009-03-26T09:30:00.010+01:00

click to enlarge

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Yesterday I was at odds, with the world, but....what's the odd?

I somehow wanted yesterday to be a special day, although my husband, my stepdaughter and I had already celebrated my birthday on Friday last week, which was wonderful, with a flower bouquet and a special menu (made by my husband!), including champagne, smoked salmon on blinis, scallops in a creamy sauce on rice, a birthday chocolate cake to die for;) and lovely presents! I was so grateful to spend such a lovely evening and to be spoiled by my loved ones.

I really don't want to sound ungrateful...but..... yesterday was the REAL birthday, so I wanted it to be special (like: if you want something too much, it will/can not happen). The thing is, I wanted it to be special, but did nothing to give it a chance. I don't know, I should have taken a day off from safety-job and stay at home or go out and do something special in Paris and just appreciate to BE there.

INSTEAD, from morning to evening, odds and ends were getting in my way, making me feel irritated and itchy, (including Oscar the cat wanting and trying constantly to eat the flowers of the lovely bouquet) I spare you the other details!

So, the moral of the story is, I should not want this day to be too special, because then the odds will be against it...anyway, thanks for listening (wonder if this happens to other people too on their birthday?)

Have a great normal day
love
Andrea

PS: More colour at Miss Doodle's Paris Fashionshow

Relationship with YOU: RECONNECTING

2009-03-23T11:54:00.003+01:00

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Instead of words, I reconnect with you through indian yellow, mineral blue, emerald green , permanent magenta and vermillion red:)

Hey, it's Monday, the sun is hiding, I'm listening to Andrew Bird, dreamy voice and dreamy music, just what we need on a Monday. I'm sending you much love and a little bit of color,
Take a break, a deep breath, and off we fly into the blue, behind the white clouds...

Andrea
PS Miss Doodle is in spring mood, will be back soon with a new collection...

Pictures of FULDA - Germany or Miss Doodle's journey to Fulda

2009-03-11T14:05:00.016+01:00

I have been called "elusive" lately, so here I am, with pictures from Fulda, Germany, where I went last weekend to visit friends and to participate in an exhibition in a Museum with a Miss Doodle painting.

Here some impressions of Fulda,

rich decorations in the baroque Residence and the former private rooms of the Prince-Abbots,

The Chapel of St. Mary's Benedictine Abbey

and visitors discussing Miss Doodle's Travel Journal (I would have loved to hear what they had to say:)
To see and appreciate the details in this painting, please go to Miss Doodle's Blog

Have a great week, see you at Miss Doodle's place and I'll be back soon with more pictures of this tranquil and beautiful place,

And they bowed to their king

2009-03-02T08:59:00.006+01:00

While I continue to experiment and learn with my watercolors, I relax in between and play with pastels.
Oil pastels mixed with pencil, I like them best on paper, smooth paper. The pencil is not good on canvas.
Birds, with their roundish body but rather "graphical" legs, feet and beaks (and feathers), are a nice subject for this matter. Things are a little dark here, that's because I used the camera and not the scanner because of the smudgyness...

And oups, Blogger has pixies in it's polices right now....?

"The black pearl"
Oil pastel on Hahnemühle paper, 25 x 25 cm
"Well groomed"
Oil pastel on Hahnemühlepaper, 25 x 25 cm

"They bowed to their king"

Oilpastel, on Hahnemühle Paper, 25 x 25 cm

Dreamvillage

2009-02-27T11:36:00.003+01:00

Paris is a great town and it's a kind of privilege to live here and I love it.

But sometimes, at certain moments, I wish I would be in a quiet place. This morning was such a moment, which made me paint this little landscape which strangely resembles the landscape where my mom grew up, my grandparents lived and where we all spent our holidays, when I was a kid. Sweet nostalgia catches me sometimes.

Oil pastels on canvas - 11.7 x 17.7 cm / 4.6 x 7 in

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Morning Dragons and Evening Birds

2009-02-26T09:47:00.003+01:00

Have been busy finishing a Miss Doodle painting which will hopefully enter a show in a Museum beginning of next month. The painting was finished on Tuesday evening, at the last possible minute, and I forgot to take a picture! I hope to get one from the friendly curator who is a good friend of mine. Miss Doodle will have to appear in front of a jury on Friday and I hope she will show herself from her best side:)

I also finished two new drafts for the children's book, on which I am working, (have been working for quite a long time now), digging deeper into a new technique involving acrylic paintings plus oil pastels.

Two friends gave me an award, which is very sweet, and I'll be hopefully be "answering" to it soon....

Now here's a Morning Dragon (it's not a dog:) who's name is Spikey and it's made of watercolor, pencil and oilpastels. Just wanted to see the effect of oilpastels on watercolor.

This here popped up yesterday evening, before going to bed, I like the contrast between the opaque, thick oilpastel-surface and the light graphics made with the pencil... This is probably something, I'll try to work with on canvas soon...

IT HAS HATCHED !!!!

2009-02-19T10:18:00.001+01:00

Boy or Girl, what do you think? :)

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Something's hatching !

2009-02-18T10:45:00.006+01:00

This morning, while wandering alongside the mountain stream of my overflowing imagination, I met her:

I approached her with caution, she didn't seem hostile. Then I saw that she looked a bit flustered.

I came nearer and saw the two eggs she guarded. One of them very big, twice the size of an ostrich egg, with muted colors. I wonder weather there are dragon species who, like cuckoos, put their eggs in other peoples' nests. Perhaps that's why she looked so upset!

The other one, smaller, somehow looked a lot more like HER egg, I thought. And it was hatching!

I slowly backed away after a while, not wanting to disturb her. I'll go back tomorrow to see if the offspring is out:)

COME AND VISIT MISS DOODLE'S BIRD DRESSES

Morning Dragons!

2009-02-17T11:37:00.005+01:00

Rainbowdragon, Squirreldragon,

after a week away from my beloved studio and watercolors, the dragons come to my rescue....

and miss doodle meets the Metrobogey !!!!

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Pictures of an exhibition: Inspiration: Jackson Pollock et le Chamanisme

2009-02-14T19:21:00.011+01:00

Before visiting this exhibition, when I heard the name "Pollock", I always had in mind the "drippings" (and Ed Harris interpreting Jackson Pollock:).

San Francisco Tribal Arts and Textile Magazine,
Quote:
The Pinacothèque de Paris is hosting a reexamination of the work of American painter Jackson Pollock, focusing on Pollock's long-held fascination with Native American art and shamanism. Having been introduced to the subject by author Stephen Polcari, Pollock saw in shamanism a possible means of "spiritual transformation" in the postwar climate of the United States. Forty of his works are presented in the installation, along with a group of objects from several Northwest Coast and Arctic cultures, including rattles, masks, amulets, and totem poles. Two films exploring Kwakiutl history and several works by André Masson embellish the exhibition.
Unquote.

I loved those films, (one from 1914 from Edward Curtis), they showed shamanes dancing in animal masks and dresses!

Masque de chamane devant une peinture de Pollock "Composition with oval forms"

This is how I saw this shamane dancing

Pollock Painting "Birth"

Inspirational drawings and notes in my notebook:

Storm

2009-02-06T12:12:00.004+01:00

I'm working incessantly with my watercolor. I'm obsessed with it. When I'm at safetyjob, I think of it, when I'm sleeping I think of it, when I get up I think of it, when I eat I think of it.
Guess I'm in love with watercolor:)
Have a wonderful watercolor euh Friday.

"STORM"

Watercolour painting - size 30 x 32 cm / 11.8 x 12.6 in

PS. WATCH MISS DOODLE, SHE IS OBSESSED WITH FASHION

Morning Dragons - Mes Dragons du Matin

2009-02-05T11:34:00.004+01:00

COME AND CELEBRATE MISS DOODLE'S BIRTHDAY:)

TOADSTOOLS - CROWDED

2009-02-04T10:04:00.005+01:00

These days I do not have the nerves to draw people in the Métro Parisien.
So I draw what comes to my mind. Sometimes the inspiration can be a word.

Yesterday, while doodling a toad in my moleskine, my mind came up with a word,"Toadstool". .
I guess I really learned this word not so long ago on Elizabeth's Blog. Elizabeth is a very talented painter but she also makes whimsical things of felt which makes me feel like a child when I look at them:).

Have a wonderful day ...

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For Yvette!

2009-02-03T18:51:00.003+01:00

This is for Yvette, wishing that all may go well with her now. Martine thanks for the candle.

Notebook: My Morning Dragons

2009-02-03T10:35:00.010+01:00

On my desk there's always a glass of clear water. It's because of Oscar, the cat. He likes to drink there, on my working-desk, which is very high. I have now to put a chair in front of the desk so that he can jump in two times, he's too old (well...fat) to jump right onto the desk.

So. This glass of water always filled and the watercolor and paper I always keep on this desk make it easy for me in the morning, fresh out of bed, to stumble to my desk and do something. Just for the pleasure of handling the brush, the colors and the water, watching pigments fuse. One each day and I fill a "Morning dragon notebook" with these early morning paintings... (there are more to come)

These are friendly dragons, although they may look a bit upset cause they feel like I squeezed them into tight space, where they can't move around and spit fire etc, and they don't like to stand still....

Oh, you ask where did they come from? Maybe it's because I'm re-reading the Harry Potter Books at the moment (love them very much:)

Watercolor painting and The devils in my palette

2009-02-02T12:05:00.009+01:00

This is done on 30 X 30 cm / 11,8 x 14,5 in

During the weekend I worked with watercolor, using bigger sizes of paper.
My intention was to invent shapes with black ink once I had done the colors, but in the end I was reluctant to touch the harmony of the color, done by the water itself.

I use bits of watercolor paper as pallettes and at the end of the day, the work done, I discovered these two devils in my pallette.... the first one has this mischievous look....the other one seems friendly:)

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Metroheads - Reading Women

2009-01-30T10:16:00.004+01:00

Women reading - One reads a book, the other one does a crossword, or is it a Soduko, er... Sudoka? Sadoku, Sukoda? Whatever, they are all packed into warm clothes, scarfs, gloves, berets, balaclavas, hats and boots. Boots are very fashionable right now. Turtleneck sweaters keep the necks warm. Mine too! - It's very cold in Paris.

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Don't miss: Miss Doodle's simple pleasures

"DANCERS"

2009-01-28T11:05:00.004+01:00

"DANCERS"
Watercolor on paper - 14 x 20 cm / 5.9 x 7.9 in

click on the image to enlarge

MISS DOODLE VISITING A BENEDICTINE ABBEY IN GERMANY

Watercolor - GHOSTS AND ANIMALS

2009-01-27T09:39:00.004+01:00

Click here to visit Miss Doodle:TODAY MISS DOODLE IS ALREADY THINKING ABOUT NEXT SUMMER

Watercolor - "Volcano"

2009-01-26T12:11:00.002+01:00

Red Fruit Interior

2009-01-25T11:15:00.003+01:00

"Red Fruit Interior"
Oil pastels on paper 30 x 40 cm (11,8 x 15,7 in)

Red Fruit - Gouache on paper

2009-01-24T12:23:00.004+01:00

Today is Miss Doodle's Day

2009-01-22T11:55:00.001+01:00

Come and see Miss Doodle's shopping results

ANEMONES

2009-01-21T10:33:00.003+01:00

Dark Mess and new Photoblog "Paris Ma Muse"

2009-01-19T09:47:00.003+01:00

I trust you with my dark mess!

This painting was not supposed to look like it looks now at all. I messed it up by not respecting the "cycle" of the water. Once it had become something else than what I wanted, I went at it with black ink, punishing myself, thinking "oh well, now that you messed it up, you can as well mess it up completely".

I call it "Dark Mess".

Oh and: I have created a new blog called "Paris Ma Muse" with pictures of Paris, for inspiration, cause I have so many pictures but think they don't really fit in here. I'll post a picture a day, it's like a calendar. Without comments.

Have a wonderful Monday
Andrea

click to enlarge the image

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exhibition notebook : Kids playing

2009-01-15T10:50:00.005+01:00

Kids playing in my exhibition notebook, inspired by the Emil Nolde exhibition I visited last Wednesday. Two exhibitions I visited lately : "Picasso et Manet" in the Musée d'Orsay, and "Emil Nolde" in the Grand Palais. So much to tell and show you but I need a bit more time to prepare these posts.

Have a wonderful day, make some marks or lines or brush strokes or stitches, write a sentence or two, whatever keeps your mind inspired....and have fun doing it:)
love
andrea

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Today Miss Doodle's Day

2009-01-14T14:16:00.001+01:00

WEDNESDAY: Miss Doodle's Day !

Woman and Beasts

2009-01-13T11:13:00.002+01:00

Handsome Devil

2009-01-12T08:57:00.006+01:00

Oscar, our cat, says that his life was a tranquil river BEFORE handsome devil Salem came along for a visit. Salem is challenging Oscar to no end, Oscar just want to be left alone but plays the game, anyway....

OH BOY........JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DONE

For Pete's Sake, where is my Zen Attitude?

2009-01-09T16:05:00.003+01:00

This and That

Not much time to spend on blogging, my sweet stepdaughter is in the hospital, she is not well and has to undergo some not so comfortable tests. She'll be all right, the doctors said, but for now she can't eat or drink anything, hasn't been able to do so for some days now. Looks so ill and upset cause she has been dealing with that sort of intestinal problem for some time now, and her doctor didn't seem to find out, what it was.

I hope she'll be able to eat something soon, for now they are giving here nothing. We have her young cat at home now, Salem, who's bugging old Oscar (well not sooo old but 9 anyway) a lot.

OK guys, talk to you soon, when I've found my Zen Again....

love

Andrea

Brainstorming - New Projects

2009-01-06T13:43:00.005+01:00

It's freezing cold here in Paris, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It is calmer on the streets than normally, because people all try to hurry to warm places:) and don't like to stay out longer than necessary to get there.

Thank you for your sweet comments, which accompany me through the day. I feel unsatisfied if I do not post everyday, isn't that weird? Addiction? No, it's because I'm in need of communication, and even if I don't get around to answer your comments, I always try to go to your blogs to see what you're up to, to make it a creative exchange....

At the moment studio time is shortened as I'm doing some organizing of databases etc, which is something that has to be done. I miss my studio time but I always have my "metrotime" to do brainstorming for new and exciting projects....like these thoughts on two pieces which I will do for an entry into an exhibit in a Museum in Germany, the pieces have to be ready end of February. Very exciting. I'll keep you updated.

Click on the image to see more
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New Year - Fun and Minor issues

2009-01-05T12:10:00.006+01:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BLOGFRIENDS AND PEACE ON EARTH.

While Miss Doodle's Secretary is dealing with some minor issues, Miss Doodle visits the CLOTHARIUM.

(click to see the effects of MP on the secretary)

Ok, other than joyfully hopping back and forth between a tropical island and a floe every 30 minutes, (it snows in Paris ! and it's very cold) I have also been busy updating my Portfolio on http://cestandrea.book.fr and invite you all to visit and browse through the images....

I have still to write my artist statement for this site, and then there is a long list of other things to get done......illustrations and two big artworks for an upcoming show in a Museum in Germany in March, and also getting into a really positive creative mood:). I guess I'll just go and visit you all right now, that will be my creative punch today:)

Have a wonderful day!

December 31, 2008 - The Seven Fauns

2008-12-31T12:00:00.004+01:00

On December 31 each year, I have an appointment with creatures from the In-Between-World. These magical encounters help me to get easily from one year into another and not to lose my inspiration.

This morning I woke up at 5 and, surprise, found myself being stared at by The Seven Fauns. I prepared breakfast for them while they played with Oscar. They promised to be my muses for the new year 2009.

[Faun \Faun\, n. [L. Faunus, fr. favere to be favorable. See Favor.] (Rom. Myth.)
A god of fields and shipherds, diddering little from the satyr. The fauns are usually represented as half goat and half man. Satyr or Faun, or Sylvan. --Milton.]

click on the image to see the details

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Thoughts on Christmas

2008-12-29T11:54:00.004+01:00

Thoughts on Christmas:

This drawing is Chaos. On the other hand, Chaos may be order and order chaos?

Go and always follow the star, you will find the stable. Warmth and love and caring.

The time before Christmas is always difficult, not only are the days short, we seem to run out of time too. This situation is sharpening throughout December and culminates in the two or three days around Dec.24th.... Then we already begin to think of something else, the new year is approaching...

I'm not yet finished with Christmas.

Neither is Miss Doodle!

click on the image to see details

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Christmasdoodle

2008-12-23T22:52:00.002+01:00

Dear Friends, this is a Christmas Doodle for you! May you all have a good, quiet, festive time right now.
Love
Andrea
PS: Miss Doodle and Khalil Gibran

click to enlarge the image
Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Painting Tango

2008-12-18T10:20:00.005+01:00

This is a painting I painted in Germany a month ago, I call it Tango, Winter Tango.

Acrylic paint on canvas, 15x25cm - 6 x 8 "

click on the image to enlarge

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Metroheads: Full House

2008-12-15T14:54:00.006+01:00

Métro Parisien: Vendredi 13, 2008

Here they are: Tired from the week. Most of them do not work on Saturday and Sunday (at least I wish them that) so the weekend begins right now. People try not to look into each others' eyes, they are in need of privacy. They want to go home, perhaps already decorate the Christmas tree with the festoons and Christmas balls, be with their family, relax.

click on the image to enlarge

Metroheads: The Special Guest and The Musician

2008-12-12T12:02:00.006+01:00

Métro Parisien - 11 décembre 2008

The ginger cat - When I get into the metro-car, I immediately spot the ginger cat sleeping on one of the seats on the left side of the metro-car. Vis-à-vis sits the cat's "human", a man who's face I cannot see cause he has put the hood of his jacket (protectively) over his head and looks out of the window.
I sit down on his side, so that I can draw the cat. I pull the inkpen, my glasses and the moleskine notebook out of my bag and then I smell the cat. A short look at the clothes of the man tell me that this is probably a homeless man, in his 40ies, I'd say.

I draw the kitty and have just finished it's leash when the fellow takes out a candy bar, unwrappes the paper and suddenly, while the metro comes to a stop at the station, violently flings the whole thing on the ground (candy bar exploses) grabs the cat, puts it under his arm, while furiously grumbling. Off he goes, barely making it out of the car before the door closes.

click on the images to enlarge

When I recover from the unexpectedness of this encounter, I look for another model. Another haul.

Here he is, a beautiful young man - with black curly hair, a greyblue knit cap and a musical instrument (a guitare?) in it's case. He sees me, looks over from time to time, doesn't seem to be intrigued, just a bit curious, and wondering...

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

MISS DOODLE: "Who gives credit to the poor?"

Metroheads - Drawing is an Act of Love

2008-12-10T11:04:00.007+01:00

Drawing is an act of love.

You and I ask: aren't people getting annoyed with me drawing them?

Drawing is an act of love. I'm certainly not the first one to think and feel that, you must feel it too. Because, when you draw someone, you are not neutral. You may look neutral but you aren't. If you have to draw your ennemy, or somone you think you really do not like, I'm sure your feelings for this person will be changed afterwards. There is compassion too in the act of drawing.

This hooded young man, I don't really feel threatened by his somehow dark look, it's only that people always should take care about other people's privacy and feelings. The hodded guy, when I have finished painting him, I love him. I mean, I like his dark eyes, shadowed by the hood, I like his expression which is a bit defensive, I like the way he protects himself with his clothes. I like the way he wrapped the scarf around his neck and the way he is fiddling with his cell phone all the time. I like his big comfy jacket and his ample trousers.

I like to think that all these feelings do not stay inside me but float out into the air. I'm quite sure of that. There is a relationship betweet the model and the painter. Even if the model doesn't know he/she is being painted.

Often I think that "my" metroheads just pretend that they do not notice me drawing them, like I pretend to read the schedule over the door when I draw them. There is generosity in the model and in me, we have an exchange here.

I like to think that the model lets herself/himself willingly be explored by me, and even if I cannot show him/her the drawing, - the "translation" of our relationship onto paper - I tend to think that we part with each other with sympathie and warmth wrapped around us:)

Vert anglais clair, vert emeraude, jaune transparente

Bleu cobalte, magenta rose, rouge lacque de garance, jaune transparent, bleu outremer

Vert emeraude

Metroheads: Hooded Young Man and Young Woman's nose

2008-12-09T14:15:00.009+01:00

Métro Parisien, 5 Décembre 2008

SNOW IS FALLING IN PARIS! Well it was, this morning. Now it's gone. There is only water left.

The young man in the hooded jacket, he is seeking protection, from cold or from other people's aura. Hooded youths here in Paris often are associated with agression. That's why I avoid looking into the eyes of this young men, but maybe he is just a calm kid needing warmth.

Anyway, better not irritate people.

But I want to draw him and now I pretend to look at the station schedule (every other second, very unsuspiciously) which is mounted above each metrocar door. I don't know if he buys it cause I can't see his eyes :)

He has a nice scarf with fringes and a trouser which looks a few sizes too big.
Perhaps he is a Jedi? Or the nephew of Darth Vader looking for revenge?

The young lady with the orange coat : not many details here, just got the general attitude and her nice little nose...

Highly Artifical Christmas Paradise

2008-12-07T20:25:00.015+01:00

Galerie Lafayette in her Christmas Dress.

Yesterday we went to the big department stores on Boulevard Haussmann, and I couldn't go into the Galerie Lafayette without taking a picture of the beautiful art deco dome in the main store. I forgot to bring my camera but my husband reminded me that I can take pictures with my cell phone, which I tend to forget:)

The sidewalks outside the store where full of people but inside the stores were not crowded at all. The overall impression is: thousands of primarily ephemerial luxurious products (which most people cannot afford to buy anymore) in a very artificial design paradise. The sheep are fun though:)

Metroheads - Bits and Pieces of People

2008-12-05T15:39:00.015+01:00

Métro Parisien, 4 décembre 2008

It's cold and rainy, people have their umbrellas, or hooded clothes. Protection. I sit and hang my head, sketching. My back probably doesn't like at all this position, I'm hunchbacked, a sort of Metro Hunchback (Métro-Quasimodo:).

But much more than a Hunchback I am a fisherman. Fishing for people's portrait.
Yesterday I came back with my net full!

Click on the image to enlarge

The man with the knit cap, surrounded by research words for a new painting. He has a wonderful skin, dark and smooth.

Two blonde kids, big eyed, nervous and not staying still for a second:), eyeing me suspiciously;)

The beautiful young girl with her long hair spread over the collar of her mercifully fake fur coat, holding her umbrella in one hand, no time to draw the hand cause someone "interferes" and stands between us!

So, I begin to draw a man with a beret, I just draw two lines when he jumps off and leaves. Ok, off to a woman further afar, she too leaves too soon. Another one with a big blue knit cap, showing me her profile.

The man with the kid right in front of me sits down after the two girls have left, a father with his son in his arms. The kid turns and tosses, a challenge to draw. I dont mind, I just like his little sweet round asiatic head and profile. I manage to draw the father's protecting arm when they too leave...

Then people seem to leave all at once at "Havre Comartin" Metro station and I have time to draw this lady reading, and her heavy glasses (I'm sure they leave deep marks on her nose once she takes them off).

OK, now it's enough, I'm happy, I made a good haul, thank you very much, dear travellers.

Miss Doodle: The Birds of Sorrow and of Grief

Metroheads - Composition

2008-12-04T11:40:00.005+01:00

Métro Parisien, 3 décembre 2008

Observing, pondering, diving into memories...oblivious to me watching them.

click on image to enlarge

A page for you from my notebook with thoughts on metroheads and metroing...