Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Haribo Reglisse

oil on canvas

20x20cm

Carambar

Carambar caramel

oil on canvas

10x10cm

80$

Free shipping, sent on un-stretched canvas

The last painting for 2012

Uptown Traffic

60x120cm

oil on canvas

This is the last painting I'll complete for 2012.  The paint went on easily as this is on one of those fantastic canvases stretched on one of those super lightweight bars that I order from Zecchi in Florence.  Pieraccini is who makes them but won't sell direct.

Nonetheless the price is better than buying local art supplies and the quality, no comparison.

 To think that the canvas stretchers here in Paris are dinosaurs.  Can't beat the Italian design.

Anything I post after this for the rest of the year was painted before.

chocolate eclair

Chocolate Eclair

10x10cm

oil on canvas

80 us$

The words say:

 c'est claire c'est net c'est chocolat. 

This painting is on canvas with no stretcher bars, it can be matted and framed.

Haribo L'Ourson d'Or today 121212

L'Ourson d'Or

oil on canvas

15x15 cm

So today was supposed to be the end of the word or is that supposed to happen on the 21st.

Gotham Street

Gotham Street

101x80cm

oil on linen

Of course this is a joke.  Do you read Batman?

Here is the next one, it's bigger...

I like the way it started, love the drips.   Will ever loosen up and let these "mistakes" show.  

Will I finish this one before the end of the world?  Isn't that supposed to be 21-12-2012

What a mess my palette...

155 macaron framboise

Macaron Framboise

oil on canvas 15x15cm

This macaron  is filled with Chantilly cream and surrounded by raspberries.

Cheese

Cheese

12x12cm oil on canvas

on the table cloth is written cheese in several languages.  This is a Brebis and though I bought it for the Thanksgiving dinner we attended I ended up eating most of it and had to buy more.  It was absolutely delicious, smelled heavenly and reminded me of Tuscany.

And this is the next big painting of NY that I am working on...

I like the graffiti or street art, as they call it here, on the walls of the buildings on the left.  Street Art is big in Paris, so are graphic novels.  The taggers climb high on the rooftops to spray their dropies, I wonder if they do it upside down.  It's kind of like foxes shitting in the woods, they choose the highest rocks so that their scent will be more olfactible.

You made my day

From a blog reader and collectioner i got this email the other day.  It was so nice to receive these photos in this somber month of November.  

Hi Angie,

I just wanted to send you a few photos of your paintings in place. I might move them around a bit, but so far this is where we have them. If you you have a better hanging arrangement or idea please share!

What a gorgeous kitchen I think they look great, exactly how they are hung.  I remember meeting the lovely people that bought these from my 100%100 gourmandises expo back in 2010.  What a fun lunch we had.

Thanks for making my day!

The Bastille GMAC

The GMAC at the Bastille is an exhausting event; five days of chatting with thousands of people. 

We had a black out and celebrated our sales every evening with champagne.

 Five galleries approached me, one for the third time. I met several other artists, several who have studios at the Fabrique des Artistes in Ivry, where I work.  

Any artist that wants to show in France has to do this salon.  I don't think I'll do it again, at least not for a couple of years, I'm totally burned out.

Check out GAB .  He's amazing. 

I also met, Giovanni Manzo from Naples.  I love his oils, I saw them a few years ago and was happy to talk with him.

Here is  MIROGI's awesome Sumo bronze that I fell in love with so took home.

The Grande Marche d'Art Contemporain Bastille

Here is stand n 54 that I am sharing with MIROGI the sculptor. 

The fair is on from 11am to 8pm from today until Monday 5 nov

Just a note to say that my heart goes out to all that have been touched by hurricane Sandy.  There are lots of paintings that are being auctioned off on Daily Paint Works.  One hundred percent of proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross.

After the GMAC ends, next week I'll have a painting on auction for the 

HURRICANE SANDY FUNDRAISER

See You Soon

See You Soon

oil on linen canvas 100x81cm

This is the last painting I'll be able to finish before the GMAC -Grande Marché d'Art Contemporain- at the Bastille that opens next Thursday, November 1st. I've been working non-stop since August 4th and am ready to put my feet up...

Here is what the walls of the stand 54 will look like.  I'm sharing MIROGI's habitual stand, thanks Michelle.  Check out her sexy nudes.  Considering I painted on two highly detailed New York scenes that took over a month to finish each, they're big, I am finally pleased with this last painting.  It's always like that, after about two months of work the paintings paint themselves.  See You Soon went on like butter on bread.

So see you soon at the GMAC, if you need a pass to enter, call or email. 

Tu Es Où?

Tu Es Où?

oil on linen canvas, 60x60cm

Tu est où?  Isnt' that the first thing we ask when we answer the telephone these days -- where are you?  Doesn't matter which language.  This painting is part of the Parisian Blue Hour paintings a series I've been working on since 2008.  

Finally, after more than four years I am understanding what it is that thrills me about painting the city.  These last three paintings along with Hotel du Louvre and Place Colette summarize the execution of the inspiration.  First it was people, then the color black, then it was night scenes and people, the long lasting blue sky, then it was neon signs. But these are the settings for the theme.

 It is the abstraction that night lights create first in my camera's lense; the big chunky spots of light that my spatula knife can spread onto a canvas like butter on bread. Yummy!

This will be for sale at stand 54  in the tent (chapiteau) at the Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain from 1-5 November

Contrescapre Soirée

Contrescarpe Soirée

oil on linen canvas 60x60 cm

This is from the Mouffetard series, part of the Parisian Heure Bleue series.  I'm happy with this painting, only if it were a larger canvas.  This will be on display and for sale at stand 54 of the GMAC Bastille, Paris 1-5 November. 

Russ on Muffetard

Russ on Mouffetard

oil on linen canvas

60x60 cm

This is all about  l'heure bleu, that is the blue, hour when the citylights and the sky are both light before night. Here in Paris, during the summer, it lasts for hours.  That day Russ was there.

And here is a photo of the kids paintings from the open studio day.

Great light I have, love this place, the kids did too.

You Made My Day

This is a photo sent from a client to show me where they hung the painting they bought.  What a nice surprise.  It looks great!

Thanks for making my day.

The open studio day was a smash! There were about 20 four year olds painting and having a ball. Last night the bed felt so nice and early too.  I'll post photos tomorrow.

Portes Ouvertes

Sunday I'm participating in the open studios day in Ivry-sur-Seine.  My atelier will be open in the afternoon, here is the info Plein Feux  .  There are hundreds of artists studios in Ivry, in the Fabrique des Artistes there are 77 individual artist studio's.
Hope to see you there.

Crossing 7th

Crossing 7th

Oil and spray paint on canvas

100x150cm

I could probably work on this painting for another two weeks but for now it is finished.  I have to move on to something fresh.  

Since August 5th I've finished two large paintings.  

In my mind this one works as a whole but the individual pieces are ugly.  Not rough like the first draft of a manuscript but plain ugly.  Its a characteristic of my painting, there is a rawness to it.  So they say.

I do like the guy in the red shirt on the left. He's the focal point.  Can you guess why?

ça pète

7th Ave - unfinished

100x150cm

oil and spray paint on canvas

When someone asks me how I know a painting is finished, usually I say I don't know why, but I do know.  It is when something in the painting moves, flickers.  People think I'm kidding when I say this but then write it off because artists are all nuts.  We have the freedom to talk and walk with anyone unilaterally because we are unclassifiable. I love it.

When I was building portraits with clay -modeling not sculpting that's technically carving, I knew when I had captured the person because the eyes on the sculpture would blink. Usually after an hour or so.

Last week, during the rentré -when kids go back to school in France, I almost cut the above painting in half but instead I plodded on.  It's a pain in the arse.  Just do it, sit in that chair and paint, or stand there and paint.  I imagine it is like a writer trotting through the first draft of a long work of fiction.  Just sit down and do it, keep your butt in the chair. 

The result, in this case, is that this painting hops, not just a flicker but skipps.

Ça pète.

Here are some details

I love the abstraction of the blocking-in part.

This shows the mixture of spray paint coupled with alla prima oil technique.

Ça pète!

Another big one

Here is another 100x150cm canvas.  I like the abstraction in the underpainting

I love my atelier

Midtown Angels

Midtown Angels

100x150cm

oil and spray paint on canvas

Today the painting told me that it was finished.  Don't ask me how this happens.  Any creative person that listens to their creations knows what I'm talking about.  I don't know how to explain it.

Thanks to Cheryl for the title.  

Have a great weekend!

Painting in the heat

Here is a photo from yesterday.  It gives you a good idea of how large the painting is and of how bright my new space it.
I know I'll finish this painting in August, was hoping for tomorrow.  The painting hasn't yet told me that it is finished.  

Progress report and studio shots

Here is where I left the painting yesterday.  I was hoping to finish it today but that won't happen.  I'll be able to block in most of the unpainted parts like in the taxi below.

Lots of detail work to follow, it's a good thing I don't have internet in the atelier.  Nothing to distract me from my brushes

I bought some new colors, Ochre Gold is one of them.  It's been on my palette before but was shunned when I stopped painting Tuscany.  Too kitsch.  I guess paintings of NY are kitsch too.

Here's a detail of a sprayed part for the next painting that I started blocking in, you'll see that next time. I used gold spray paint.   Glass buildings reflect the sun.

I have lots of colors to play with.

Today will be another great day.  The key is in my hand.

Experimenting with spray paints

This is one of the largest paintings I've done recently; 100x150cm.   I decided to post my progress.  It may become the invitation to my next show:  The Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain at the Bastille (Paris) from 1 to 5 November.  We'll see when it's finished.

An exciting thing that I recently wished for is to utilize spray paints in my paintings.  To my delight, when I moved into my new space I discovered boxes of spray paints that my friend left for me.    

It's great to be experimenting again. 

Here is a detail.  I think that it blends well with my urban landscapes.  I love that the colors dry so quickly and leave an absorbent matt surface.  It makes for great contrast with the oils.

Here is a detail of the top left corner, looks like an iced cake, that's the spatula knife.  

my new atelier

Here is my new space.  I just moved in the day after returning from a five week adventure in Tuscany, Provence and Corsica.  

The space is in La Fabrique in Ivry-sur-Seine, where I worked from 2007- 2009.  It's not the same atelier, this one was where the artist Farah Atassi was working.  I feel lucky to follow her into this space, maybe some of her awesome success will rub off my way.

The exciting thing for me is that here I can use spray paints; use graffiti technique, pochoir, tagging, etc. in my canvases.

Here is a detail of the floor under the wall where Farah worked.  I decided to not cover it up, it's just too cool... 

drawn but not done

Times Square scene,

100x150cm

oil on canvas

So this is how I start.  I project one of my photos and draw in what I think looks good to me then block in some colors.  This is a large painting that I'll finish when I get back from 5 weeks at the beach in the Mediterranean.  Eat your heart out!  

See you in August.

Easels in Frederick, winners up

Today is the last day for artists to complete their plein air paintings for Easels in Frederick, in Frederick Maryland.  12000 in cash  prizes will be given out to the winners of the selection of artists who are competing. I wish I was there.  I'd pat my mom on the back.  She's presided the volunteer organizing committee.  

rue Vavin

Rue Vavin

oil on canvas 50x100cm

Some paintings paint themselves, this one did.  It feels good to paint Paris again especially this time of year when the light in the sky is blue until after 10pm, the Blue hour.

Here is a photo of the painting a few days ago, note that I start with the brightest colors.

Key On Broadway

Key On Broadway

Oil on Linen

80x101cm

Some paintings take forever, this one was one of them.  I was actually surprised today to find it finished.  There is a key hidden in the painting, thus the title.  Recently I went to Place des Vosges to see the exhibition of Ronald Dupont at the Galerie Artima.  

Dupont's technique is unusual for figurative painting and it is very recognizable.  These paintings had lots of black, I think too much.  Another artist was exhibiting, Fernando Kindélan.  I love his work.  I guess I am a diehard for more of a classical painting technique.  The other artists in the gallery are awesome.

Le Dome

Le Dome

60x60cm oil on linen

The Dome is one of those gorgeous historical cafe's on Boulevard Montparnasse, a great place for a continental breakfast and people watching.  This is another from the series of the Parisien Blue hour.

It feels good to finish a painting.  After all the parties the last few months I was seriously wondering if  I needed to hire some new elves, you know, the ones that paint while I socialize.  Isn't that what artists do? Yes, we hire elves to paint for us. 

Painting on Auction Tomorrow

Tomorrow evening is the AAWE auction - American Wives of Europeans.  I have donated a large painting.
The Select.
Here is the website of the Auction where you can download the catalog and bid even if you are not there.
AAWE auction
The auction will be held at the Hotel de Vanssay 75004 Paris
see the page link above for the photo of the painting

Canal Street and the big news

Canal Street

70x100 cm oil on canvas

Here is the painting that I'm working.  Only details are left, gotta put some depth into space around the figures on the left but the idea is there.  It's been hard to concentrate after the last months preparations for what you see below...

Life is fantastic!  What  a party!