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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
I met Corey at a French cafe...
Photo by Corey Amaro I was Googling at 4 AM and out of 1,300,000 French cafes I found this cafe picture. I went to look closer, left a comment and returned to bed. A few minutes later I heard a ding. She responded. Back and forth emails flew. In Provence it was 10 AM - a more reasonable hour. Then and there she dared me to start the blog idea I'd been tossing around in my head. She sent me pictures of her cup collection to tempt me to come visit...
About a week ago I looked at those cup pictures and thought, maybe I should paint them? 
We met in Paris last trip and after some arm twisting, she brought along this rose teacup - a great eye for cups.
Sometimes I help Corey with spelling. And she helps me with life choices. That's what friends are for :)
She found me this little demi-tasse at the Paris Flea... You can meet some nifty people hanging out in a French cafe...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Any artist worth their saltearns their 'bones" filling a gazillion sketchbooks with doodles...
I made these when I was in my bookmaking phase...
Delacroix's Le Voyage au Maroc sketchbooks are one of the best sourceswhen you're considering starting a sketchbook.
It's both a diary + sketchbook, drawn and written daily records of his Moroccan travels.
I've always treasured this picture of JMW Turner's leather bound sketchbook.Many of his sketches can be seen in the Tate's Turnercollection in London,
where Turner donated much of his artwork.
Closer at hand is the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT.
You can actually touch a Turner sketchbook!
Make an appointment first :)
A Turneresque page from my sketchbook...
Multi-doodles done in Poppi, Tuscany..
I love to put down blobs of color and then create a little scene on top...
Sketchbooks provide the chance to make quick summaries of what you seeLike a quick camera snapshot.
Spontaneous notation is what it's all about.
Often sketches are more personal, more interesting than the final finished painting.
More color blobs + grape picker doodles...
Chateau doodles.The thing about sketchbooks is they are private.
You can be as casual and messy and experimental as you like.
No ones going to see what you do...
Well almost no one :)
Some of the sketchbook paraphrenalia you can"collect" in the name of sketching!
There are endless art supplies out there waiting to tempt you,
and every bit as luscious as any patisserie shop offering.
SOME MORE SKETCHBOOK POSTS:
More Candy Stores
Daffodil Sketchbook
My Venice Moleskine
Wine Tools...
Carnets de Couleur
Moleskine à Table
Moleskine de Voyage #3
Carnets de Voyage #2
Carnets de Voyage
My Bologna
Friday, August 17, 2007
I really only got to pick grapes one time...
At the October harvest in Riquewihr, Alsace, one of the most beautiful harvests anywhere. And that was only because Ed Lauber of Lauber Imports put in a good word with one of his vineyards.My 'payment' for standing around holding grape shears in my blistering hands, was sitting at the long vineyard table and sharing a huge luscious lunch. Alsacian grape picking is a family affair. Everyone knows everyone else and every member of the family shows up to help with les vendanges.
At Regaleali Vineyard in Sicily I just watched, as the pickerssing, chat and pick the grapes in a most leisurely fashion. You can take cooking lessons there with the Countess Anna Tasca-Lanza.
I only imagined these Tuscan grape pickers. I was never there at harvest time. Tuscan vineyards are some of the most beautiful and idlyic.
In Napa Valley, California, the grape pickers don't walk.They run or race to get the job done.
More imagined grape pickers, this time in Burgundy where they used to carry big straw baskets/paniers on their shoulders.
You can sometimes still find these at French ebay...
You can sometimes still find these at French ebay...
I used to spend hours looking for so-called still life objects. I've got a kitchen closet full of taste-vins to prove it!
Imagined 19th century Bordeaux pickers...
More imaginary grapepicker doodles.The figures are more fun to draw than the grapes...
I'm way better at wielding a paintbrush than a pair of grape shears/secateurs if I may say so. Some passerby on La Route du vin in the Medoc insisted on taking this quaint picture.Lordie...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
One thing I've never done is be a street artist...
But it sure looks like a lot of fun!Here's an easel set up at the Piazza del Duomo in Florence.
This artist has his bike handyso he can take off for lunch or at a moment's notice..
And he's painting on site while waiting for sales!He's got a sweet little economical painting set up.
*Note the water bottles under the tray for watercolors and drinking.
Isn't every tourist tempted at sometime or other by these artists?I bought this tiny watercolor of the archades at the Santa Maria Novella church.
This painting is just 2 3/4" x 2 3/4"
I went back to find him again on another trip but forgetaboutit!
A Parisien print dealer along the Seine...Boy would I just LOVE to set up my portfolio like this
and try to sell some watercolors in Paris :)
Here's another kind of street artist I can't resist!Especially the crepes with citron...
Being a beach artist isn't so badeven if you don't make any sales.
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