The Douannère finished

So they asked me to paint more realistically.  Which means slower, time consuming, plodding along.  But here is the result.  I think this painting rocks.

Il Douannière

120x80cm

oil on canvas

It looks hyper real but, like all my paintings, it decomposes as you get close.

The details show the brushstrokes and spatula knife but nothing can show the many sittings and different moods I wore as the thing developed.

I love back lighting.

I don't know when I started the actual painting of this, the brush to canvas when I sit down and look, not the preparations.  Those were almost a month ago.

This group came out well, no details, just planes of light.  Seeing the Slovenian Impressionists show at the Petit Palais was a good idea.  I was definitely impressed.

Now on to the next.

A medal from the Ville de Paris

Balzac à la Rotonde

60x60cm

oil on canvas

Balzac is that green thing on the right.  He stares south at the corner of Boulevard Raspail and Boulevard Montparnasse just accross from the taxi stand next to the café La Rotonde. I don't think many people notice him, but he's there.

Last night I was at the city hall of the 5th arrondissement in Paris at the prize ceremony for the artists of the 5th. To my surprise I was awarded a bronze medal for painting from the ville de Paris.  How thrilling.  Then about twenty of us went to dinner near Cardinal Lemoine at La Voie Lactée, a wonderful Libanese restaurant.

Here is a photo:

And here is what Paris looked like last night.  Margritte was here once, you can tell.

The Douaniere - working progress

Here is the third step: blocking in the third grounds.

Below is my palette.

The mix of colour is quite strange: Cadmium white, cadmium yellow lemon, ultramarine blue, ivory black and, golden ochre.  Years ago I never dreamt of mixing that together. 

The black and white look

Here is another painting that was loved. It doesn't look like this anymore, it's red now.

 I've never done a NYC street scene in black and white,  It's compelling to paint full colour but I may make a change for this one.  At least lower the chromatic contrast, not exactly monotone but close

I like the arm coming out of the left.

Grand MArché d'art Contemporain at Saint Sulpice

Saint Sulpice was a fantastic show for me.  I'm just recovering, fairs are a marathon of chatting.  So draining.  

The favorite painting in my stand was the Douanière 

120x80

oil on canvas

I'm not surprised though this is just the beginning.  Often people like the debut of my paintings.  Yesterday I covered it with a mix of cadmium red and burnt umber and ultramarine blue, but I plan to bring it back to these chromatic tones.

My stand was on the second on left.  There's the church. 

Back in the studio

I GOT INTERNET IN MY STUDIO!

What a wicked distraction.

Here I am starting a brainless drawing of a kid holding a cow for the maternelle school party.  I need some rest after the last few months and especially after the GMAC at Saint Sulpice.  

Saint Sulpice was an awesome success, I'll definitely be there next year, way better than the Bastille.  Great public. Special thanks to J-B of the L'officiel des spectacles who chose to publish the photo of my painting Cruising and to V and K of JGO who used my painting Cruising in an emailing to 64 thousand recipients.  Thanks to all you who came by.

Back to the nose grind with Corisca beaches in mind.