Monday, May 07, 2007

Les Blancs de Paris...

WARM AND COOL STUDY
Playing with warm (Burnt Sienna) + cool (Fr Blue, Cerulean, Cobalt) colors. The value study every student grapples with in art school. It never hurts to go back to basics.
CROCKERY DISPLAY A wacky window decoration - a wedding cake of crockery to hang jewelry off of?
PARISIEN DOGGIES I'm a sucker for Parisien doggies. This doggie purse, pencil case and notebook was in the stationary shop around the corner on rue Saint-Andre-Des-Arts - why didn't I get one of them?

WINE CORKS Not exactly a true WHITE, but think of all the fun provided by these now faded winebottle corks...
In a wine shop window on the Ile Saint-Louis...
BALLERINAS I bought my first pair of Ballerina shoes in Paris in a shop that no longer exists in the 6th. Paris and ballerinas are synonomous for me and they say Audrey Hepburn too...
Look, these shoes in Vivaldi's window in the Marais are like real point shoes!
MOZART No art shop worth it's salt is without plaster casts, usually of Beethoven and Mozart.
Again the chance to do those value studies in warm and cool colors or just shades of grey. I refused to do caste drawing while at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. I still rue the day I didn't learn how to figure out the values of a picture from the getgo. I've had to make up for it many times over. I cannot do a watercolor successfully without first doing a little pencil sketch of the grey values. It's like going into the deep end without your waterwings.
WHIP CREAM Well, finally some yummy WHITES...
I'm not a big fan of whip cream but these were too lush to pass up at Gerard Mulot's. I will take the carmelized bits though :) Click on this to get the full effect.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, that last picture! *thanks*
    The Viennese call that elongated form, filled with whipped cream, a "Liebesknochen". Love bone.
    Arent they so romantic? *chuckle*
    That whacky cake gives new meaning to "Cake with a cup of coffee".
    (I am in desperate need of coffe, right now, and none around!)

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  2. So the French "eclaire" is a "Liebesknochen" in Vienna.
    And what we call "Danish pastries" the French call "Viennoiseries",and in Danmark "wienerbrod".
    And in Vienna what are Danish/Viennoiserie called...?
    YIKES!

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  3. More Wiki-info-
    Viennoiseries is a word that describes sweet breakfast pastry in French. These pastries include croissants, pain au chocolat, chausson aux pommes and pain au raisin.

    Viennoiseries refers to "laminated" (?) pastry products, such as puff pastry, croissants and danish pastry which go through a series of folding steps during preparation. The result is a light, layered dough which, when baked, gives a light, crisp, multilayered end product.

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  4. Anonymous9:56 AM

    You know what I call those pastries?
    DELICIOUS. ahhhh.. Wish I had one now. Great blog again. ;)
    Cris in OR

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  5. Anonymous10:59 AM

    That reminded me of the time I DID jump into the deep end without my water wings! Well, I had my little floaty belt on, but it wasn't fastened properly! That was scary for a 6 year old.

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  6. Anonymous11:01 AM

    I think the 'getgo' issue hasn't impacted on your many talents, Carol. This painting looks like a work in progress still and I look forward to seeing the final when it's done.
    Parisien doggies -- gorgeous little Tenterfield terrier, very popular here in Australia, especially in Tenterfield, NSW, of course! Lovely blog post, as usual. Cheers!

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  7. This painting is definitely finished, kaput, fini, termine.

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  8. The last photo, what a yummy WHITES!

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  9. Lovely, just lovely, *sniff sniff* Now I am quite homesick.

    Your artwork is quite beautiful. Thank you for the show.

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  10. I truly love your style of watercolor. So cool and transparent! Very lovely.

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  11. Plundergebäck:
    Made of Plunder dough (i.e. yeastdough that's folded with butter layers like puff pastry).
    I quick to bed, before I get too hungry here. *help*

    Liebesknochen is made with choux pastry, btw.
    Says the sleepy Merisi,
    from Denmark (or was it ... ah, Vienna!)

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  12. Anonymous7:05 PM

    I really enjoy seeing Paris Breakfasts! One never knows what you will produce next.
    Love the "cake" . Its so creative and would certainly make me stop and look in that shop.
    I was sad/happy to see I am not the only person who wishes they bought this or that when overseas but sad you missed out on the doggie bag. Next time!

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  13. ladyjicky
    I often have no idea what I'm going to post here..
    At 5AM I tend to be impulsive.
    And yes it is sad I missed out on the "doggie" bag :)

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  14. Anonymous12:53 PM

    Great photos!! You crack me up, your eye for detail is really something special! I would hate to have to try to sneek pass you....you notice everyting don't you?

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