SIGN UP FOR MY NEW BLOG

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:)

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

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)

Time for another walk through Paris....

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 6 rue Georges Desplas

on a sunny Sunday morning in October

copyright ©estandrea 2009 / watercolor on Arche Paper 300 g - 23 x 28 cm / 9.1 x 11 inches

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

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

©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

©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

©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

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

©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

©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?

©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

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

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

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:)

BLURRED MORNING!

©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

Pointed face and headdress

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

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Retreat Spa

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

Update, Metroheads, New York City, Holidays!

"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:

Copryright ©estandrea - All rights reserved

Flesh-Colored People

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

Metroheads - Selfportraits

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.

Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved