Parting Shots...

Here's a few parting shots of goodies I'd like to possibly buy, paint and or taste..

These macs at La Grande Epicerie -

well the brilliant colors turned me off initially, but I'm feeling more accepting.

Especially since next Saturday I'll be taking a 3-hour macaron class

at Ecole LENOTRE!

This green Lego gateau of Dalloyau on the left has always fascinated me.

Time to belly up to the bar and try it.
Will it taste like a real Lego?

Qui sait ?

Orange chocolate bars at La Mere de Famille...

Hmmm...

Well if you're a foodie expert you've got to be ready

to taste cow's whatsits and dog's tail.
Hey, not this foodie expert!
But orange chocolate? I can give that a whirl.

As an early toaster of marshmallows over the pilot flame

when I was home alone,
this French version has me curious - Guimauve.

I won't be toasting any in my rented Paris apartment though...Tee-hee :)

This caught my eye at Lafayette Gourmet.

These lemon meringue I have no hesitation about!

Apple tarts from Poilane.
This window shot is for Asuncion in Spain!
Do I have to eat it too?

I can't eat EVERYTHING

I'll have to take a tanker home :(

Caramels from La Mere de Famille...
YUMMERS
I'm going to sign on for a cooking class called,
Caramel Délicieux at Atelier des Sens

tout a suite!
I'll get to make MACARONS caramel au beurre salé! YAY
Oh and I'm paying a call on Gerard Mulot's kitchen with Meeting the French!

Last but not least...
This yaourt "macaron" has me very curious.
All part of research...

Bon Appetite :)

Pas Prete...

Pas prête is short for Elle n'est pas prête.

(She's not ready.)

Some of you think I'm "excited" to be going off to Paree...

Hum...I haven't really had the chance to get excited.

Or even have the "cold feet"

I normally get just before a trip.

I'm juggling 3 (yes THREE) deadlines here.
And doing lots of praying between bouts of procrastinating

and occasional actual working,

on a Thanksgiving menu for the Russian Tea Room..

And some coffee painting sketches
that have taken way too long...
Plus I have to write a little story on Paris Breakfasts for Artful Blogging

ALL BEFORE I GO on Sunday morning!!!

Yes, idiot-moi, I decided to take a day flight on AirFrance :(

Oh did I mention I went out and bought a new camera?

What kind of a ding-a-ling does that just before a trip?

This ding-a-ling, that's who!

I'll take along my old friendly Canon PS A510 of course,

but the lense cap decided to break off recently...

Quite a few of you have wanted to know

if you'll be getting your morning PB fix regularly while I'm away...

That's why I bought this new laptop to take along.
It took months to decide which one to buy...

I got a Compac because I wanted XP Professional.

Microsoft Vista gives me the shakes.
Since it's my FIRST laptop it looks more mysterious than those macarons.
The keyboard is harder to figure out than a French keyboard.

Or it will be when I get it out of the box...
I may call on y'all for help.

Another reason for a 'puter in France is,

I've noticed in the past, after a few weeks I get a hankering for spoken English.
This way I can get a shot of the BBC if the urge arises...

What to take?

This one is tough since I use a rather small (and old) suitcase.

But it's nice to have a few friendly cups along to throw in a Parisien still life..

Which ones do I take!!??

Oh and books are always the killer aren't they?
So darn HEAVY!
One thing I never leave behind is my real dice bracelet.
US Customs is always totally distracted by this bracelet.
So I can bring in all the contraband diamonds and fois gras I want.
Tee-hee
Any fabulous last minute suggestions are most welcome :)

Mystery Macarons...

Have you ever been running somewhere and you spot something wonderful...

You take one near-perfect picture of it and make a mental note;

I must come back here and go inside!

But WHERE was it?

That's what I'm wondering about this adorable pile of macarons

I saw the first day last time in Paris...
I thought the little window sign at the bottom would be a logo clue..

But no, it's just a symbol for some French Pastry association...

Objective #1: Find this place again!

I know you're busy reading the yummy the list on this Maison Kayser ardoise..

But when I look, I see yummy handwriting like any French kid can do.
What I wouldn't give to be able to write like this...

That's why this mystery restaurant appeals to me...
But I passed by so quickly, I didn't get the street address, the name, nuttin'
I know it's somewhere around Lafayette Gourmet...

I don't care what the food is like.

I just want to eat in a place surrounded by ardoise /

blackboards covered in French handwriting.

Objective #2: Find it!

*Update: I found it. Procrastination will get you everywhere.

63, rue de Provence 75009

COJEAN is across the street at 66

Why I never went inside a place called AQUARELLE is beyond me?
This is an easy one - at least I know where it is!
7-9, rue de Buci Paris, 75006
OK, this is a biggie...
I've not been back to the Tour Eiffel since MY FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE,
when you have no choice about visiting national monuments.
But this trip I think I should get a little bit closer than this shot..
What do you think?
More French handwriting..
This mystery window is on rue de Seine I think...
I'm going to go look for it.
Wonderful seashell underwear!
I got a quick shot even though the vendeuse was wagging her finger at me.
I know it was on rue Bonaparte, down a bit from Pierre Herme.
I wish I'd gone inside and bought these..
Especially since I took this picture 2 years ago!
So this mystery underwear is long gone :(
Is there something you missed out on from a previous trip
that you'd like to go back and do?
Not a mystery.
I KNOW I will get to visit often with my adorable cousin K. in Pigalle.
I hope we go back to Rose Bakery and that I remember to take pictures...
I hope she lets me pay this time...
I loved Lyn's comment on Mondays post:
I always rent an apartment in a part of the city I've not rented in before.
First morning I scout the neighborhood,
get my first "flavor" of it,
find a nice place for a latte and a pastry,
then sit and enjoy.
Objective #3:
I think these mystery chairs in the Jardin Luxumbourg
would like me to stop
and sit down and enjoy...

L'Opera Geometrie

The famous l'opera gateau is not exactly unrelated to my Paris trip.

I keep staring at my rectangular suitcase

and thinking about pastry geometrie instead of packing...

I tried opera cake at Sadaharu Aoki's patisserie

on 35, rue de Vaugirard, 75006
Sadly, I cannot report how it tasted.

I was too busy admiring it's perfect architecture and lovely dimensions.

The cake was first created by Louis Clichy in 1903.
But Dalloyau renamed it after the grand Paris Opera
and is reknown for their version.
I stole a shot at Galerie Lafayette Gourmet...
Every French patisserie makes a version of this popular multi-layered chocolate decadence.
L'Epicerie has their monster versions...
I would love to figure out why a squared cake in the US connotes an
office party birthday or a banana cake?
Where is the panache?
Where's the ganache? Humm...
Pierre Herme makes what looks like an opera cake but he changes the equation.
Called the Carrement Chocolat, it is not layered.
Inside is:
(biscuit "molleux chocolat", creme onctueuse au chocolat, mousse au chocolat, fine feuilles de chocolat craquant)
Well I see the word feuille / leaves, so maybe it is layered?
Help me out here..
I brought the petit four version home to paint...
There's nothing like the challenge of painting a square
on a rectangular piece of paper.
But I think I forgot to taste it...
Uh oh
These (20!) step-by-step demo pictures are from

the Meilleur du Chef.dom..
In case you're thinking you'd like to make this cake,
Dorie Greenspan has carefully documented Dalloyau's recipe in her yummy book,
Paris Sweets.
Here's what's inside the cake:
Giaconda biscuit
Coffee syrup
Coffee buttercream
Chocolate ganache
Chocolate glaze
Not exactly "a piece of cake" to make!
I think I better focus on the 20+ layers going inside my little suitcase...ahem

First Day in Paris...

What would you do on your first day in Paris?

I'll be there next Monday!

Normally I'm not a plan-ahead kind of person..

but it does seem only right to start off the day with some macarons.

I'll stock up on pomegranates too.
I don't want to catch any Parisien colds over there!
Plus a carton or two of Tropicana Gazpacho
to counter act all the macarons...
A bouquet of flowers seems like a good idea too...

I've rented a studio in the Marais, and not very far from the apartment is

my favorite lunch at L'As du Falafel,

In fact I've mapped out the route :)
Don't you love Google?

After lunch, I'll get a Parisien haircut natch.
This time I know where to go.
I better call today for an appointment...

A stop at any cafe is de rigeur...

One thing I don't plan on having in Paris is jet lag.
Getting up crazy early in New York has some advantages...

I plan on ending my first day with a tarte au citron...
If it's from Pierre Herme's...
That would be heaven.

Any other first day suggestions are welcome!

Leche-Vitrine...

I thought I'd give you a few Paris windows to lick this weekend

i.e. leche-vitrine

So we'll begin with some Viennoisserie for starters...

Then move on to the hard core ultra, serious patisserie...
You can enjoy your pastry on a plate from Pierre Frey,
with a "pastry" patterned napkin and tablecloth,
while leaning against a "pastry" pillow!
Why not?
Really the cheese course should come before dessert...
but heck who's gonna know?

A glass of Champagne wouldn't hurt either...

from Fauchon's windows, their own private brew.

Of course you'll need roses with your Champagne and tarte.

In Paris flowers are out on the street,
not hidden behind store windows
where the scent can't drive you mad.

The truth is,

woMAN cannot live by pastry alone.

This woman will be munching some healthy sandwiches and salads

between bites at the patisserie.

Don't you love it that Cojean has come up with a wrap especially for October!?

I've yet to see a September or October wrap in New york...

I'll be spending the ENTIRE month of October in Paris

starting a week from this Sunday.

YAY!

If you'd like to lick some more windows go here :)

76, rue de Seine

Le Leche-Vitrine

Bonne Appetit!

Painting Seashells...

Painting seashells in watercolor...
is a lot like painting blobs...
You lay down a pool of water on your paper...
And then start dropping in the colors,
preferably a warm color and a cool color.

You get to play with the positive and negative shapes...

The more blurry the patches, the better.

I like to think of watercolor this way-

The water is the tide washing in and out.

And the granules of paint pigment are the sand

that gets pushed around by the tide.

Painting seashells is just as much fun as playing on the beach.

Play is the operative word here...

On Japanese Woodblock Prints...

Japanese woodblock prints have long influenced in my still life watercolors. The French Impressionists, particularly Manet,

collected Japanese prints like mad.

The abstract areas of black in the prints,the mastery of balance in composition, achieve serenity and intensity at the same time,

all strongly influenced their paintings. My studio walls are covered with print reproductions.

I like to think I'll absorb their beauty by osmosis.
Simplicity and wonderful negative and positive shapes here... I bought this facsimile ages ago.

The colors are so soft and delicate, yet the composition is strong.

Artists began making still life prints after Commodore Perry "opened" Japan

and the new influx of European painting.

The ships also brought in the Prussian or Paris Blue pigment you see in so many prints. I can't resist Japanese household objects either;

the shiny, deep reds, pale greens and blacks.

Plus all the wonderful surface textures. I bought all of these at KORIN.

The book that got me going:

The Great Wave:the influence of Japanese woodcuts on the French, from an exhibit at the Met. The prints first showed up in France,used as wrapping paper for shipped pottery from Japan. Their strong patterns and asymetrical compositions captivated the Impressionists.
Van Gogh copied them exactly in oils to better understand them. I started collecting prints after that show and they still hold my attention...

(Reposted from October 26, 2006)

Ispahan Mit Schlag!

This is an homage watercolor

to Merisi's discovery of Pierre Herme's Ispahan

migration to Vienna!

I would like to rename it

The Ispa-HAM!
Since the Viennese chefs have seen fit to load up on WHIPPED CREAM

or mit schlag as they call it...

Merisi took this photo.

Every which way you turn in Vienna

you will be loaded up "mit schlag"
It's the law of the land.
I happen to be one of those rare birds

who doesn't care much for cream in any form.

That's why this "Mont Blanc" at Angelina's is deflating...
There are other Ispahan copy cats right in Paris itself!
This kitty is missing the treasured rose petal.
Hmmm...wrong wrong wrong
Since Herme's inspiration was the Ispahan rose.
Plus I do not see the tiny, marvelous droplet of moisture
(a glob of glycerine experts tell me)
that graces Pierre Herme's Ispahan.
This is a serious lapse of pastry expertise in my opinion.
Not that anyone's asking...
Lucky Anita of Dessert First has not only sucessfully
made her own version of the Ispahan,
but she got this wonderful souvenir at Herme's Paris shop...
I've never seen it the enteen times I've visited so it must be a limited edition...
What wouldn't you give for one of these?
If you are into schlag, then run to Vienna
and if that isn't convenient,
check out this book
or Wolfgang Puck's recipe for Cremeschnitten.

Mit schlag or not,
do not miss
Merisi's marching Ispahans.
I have to admit they're pretty damn gorgeous
even if they are copy kittens!

Soir de Paris and Impulse Control...

Yesterday 2 little words,

with a good helping hand from Google

led me down a twisty-turny path...

Those 2 words:

"Paris Blue"

are something I've been around for 6+ years, two days a week

and never given much thought.
But when seen out of context I had to find out more...

Paris Blue is really the French version of Prussian Blue,

also known as Iron Blue, Berlin Blue, Antwerp Blue, Chinese Blue, Steel Blue.

It was first made by colormaker Diesbach in Berlin around 1704.

Searching for PARIS BLUE I came up with Soir de Paris,

a perfume made by BOURJOIS in 1928.

Hmmm...not what I expected at all.
Look at these beautiful "Paris Blue" glass bottles!!
Instant love...

And look at this glam poster - so evocative of the 50's
There are many more of these and you can own them!
Quite a few online sites are selling empty vintage perfume bottles..
Isn't this tasseled purse flacon dreamy?
A bit of history on BOURJOIS...
In 1863, Monsieur Alexandre Napoleon Bourjois was busy concocting
superior makeup for actresses. He came up with the first powder blush,
Pastel Joues. The fashion spread from the theatre to the masses.
You can still find these little round pots of blush in Monoprix.
The perfumes came later...
I love this bit of BOURJOIS vintage advertising.
Just 2 weeks...14 days till I am there
in PARIS!
So yesterday while searching for the color Paris Blue,
on an impulse I bought the vintage perfume bottle I painted above..
The description reads:
A small amount of eau de cologne is left in this vintage Evening in Paris cobalt blue perfume bottle. Original silver cap. Original silver paper label must have been made for consumption in France as it reads: Soir de Paris which means Evening in Paris in French.

This is where impulse control comes in or the lack there of.

Impulse control disorder is a set of psychiatric disorders including intermittent explosive disorder (hot-headedness), kleptomania (stealing [shots?]), pathological gambling, pyromania (fire-starting) and trichotillomania (pulling one's hair out) says Wikipedia.
Uh OH!
Well...I did control my impulses at the CHANEL parfum counter...
And this little bottle only cost $12... Google is a dangerous place to set foot in if you lack impulse control.
Learn from my bad example and stay clear :)

The Thief of Bergdorfs...

No, I did not go back and nick any Chanel perfume bottles at Bergdorfs!

I'm not that insane!

Though the scent of 31, RUE CAMBON still lingers on my left wrist 2 days later...
I had to skip WaterGym at the pool.
Chlorine and fragrance don't mix.
But I did go again to the 7th floor

and steal shots in the adorable vintage china shop at Bergdorf's.

i.e. the blurry photo...

My name is Carol and I am a repeat offender.

Who could resist?
One of a kind cups and saucers.
So pretty and brimfull of memories...
I saw this one on the last stolen visit...
The cherry was not onsite.
I wonder who drank out of these dainty china cups..?
Scarlett of Tara perhaps..?
It makes you want to have a tea party doesn't it?
And the slight nip in the Fall air says you should!

Did you notice Paris Breakfasts has had a face lift?
It's been on the drawing board waiting to happen and long overdue.

I've always been mad for French labels.

Especially confiture labels.
Thanks to collaboration with graphic designer Pamela Fenwick

I got my new banner just the way I wanted it.

And with some overseas surgery (all the rage now)

Di Overton of Designers Block installed the banner and even got me over to

NEW BLOGGER

YAHOO!

Hope you like it.

Let me know between sips of tea :)

CHANEL 6

Yesterday I did one of the bravest acts of my life!

Visiting Tehran, Hong Kong, Rio was nothing on this.

I set foot in Chanel's New York flagship store on 57th Street.

I marched up to the perfume display of the new

Les Exclusifs eau de cologne like I owned the place.
And I started spritzing!

They have these sweet logo cards you can spray samples onto.
CLICK on this picture and ENHALE!!!

I sprayed my left wrist with 31 RUE CAMBON

and my right wrist with EAU DE COLOGNE.

Today I still smell like a divine orchid hot house!!!

I read Luca Turin's reviews of these 6 new fragrances and decided to give it a whirl.

His words of praise -the thrill of feminine beauty, the pang of pain and longing

gave me courage. Bravery pays off!

The truth is Kat of K & S wrote me yesterday that she'd taken some pictures of Chanel
windows in Japan as requested in August.

I ran to get some more window shots

and then I got up the nerve to enter.
They were nice as pie to me even though I was wearing my MTA map T-shirt...Ahem
Afterwards I went in to Bergdorf Goodman's to try more of the new Chanels

and they were rather snooty. Hmmm....

So all over the world in Chanel boutiques pearls are getting dragged on the floor.
Don't you love it!
What about these jailbird stripes?
Only SONIA RYKIEL can do stripes in my opinion...
Don't you love their tragic luxe looks?
Have they been enhaling too much EAU DE COLOGNE?
Did I mention it's $170 a bottle..?
Les Exclusifs do not show up on Chanel's website.
They are sold only in 11 "doors" they told me at Bergdorfs.
So want to win a box of Laduree Liquorice or rather Les macarons a la Réglisse

to match you new black and white Chanel outfit?

I dare you to set foot in the nearest Chanel flagship boutique in your town

and try on the new colognes!

Not fair if you live in Paris or work for Chanel or live in Timbucktoo.

USA only.

You could also make your own Les macarons a la Réglisse

if you visit Pure Gourmandise.com

It helps if you speak a bit of French...

Is this contest for real?

Do you think I have been enhaling too much perfume?

Maybe...try me and see

The POMEGRANATES have arrived!

The POMEGRANATES have arrived

Heavens!

It's only September for Gawd's sake

Usually they show up in time for Thankgiving tabletop decorations...

I fell in love with pomegranates in Venice about 4 years ago...
So romantic no?
But you don't have to go to Venice to get a pomie.
You can go to your unexciting Key Foods market!
They were mad for pomegranates in the 17th century too.
And they didn't even know about flavanoids and antioxideants.
I saw this gorgeous painting by Saraceni at the 2003 Natura Morta exhibit in Florence.
These pomies are by Cristoforo Munari.
They are sitting beside quinces, which I have yet to try...
In the good old days pomegranetes were symbols of fertility and richness...
This relief is by da Firenze.
I don't know why we had to wait 500+ years to wake up to the power of pomegranates?
I woke up 4 years ago and now I never get a winter cold,
as long as I down a few seeds (arils) daily.
My family used to say a blessing over the first fruit of spring.
Well I'm saying a blessing over Fall's first pomegranates!
While my co-workers are already sniffling and snuffling,
I will be cold-free thanks to the all-mighty Pom.

There's always pomegranate tea if you can't bear the thought of those seeds.

Hmmm...

I would love to know

why there are NO POMEGRANATE MACARONS?
Please get a pomegranate and try one!

Missing a dear friend...

I wasn't sure I was going to post today.

Being 9/11...

Hilda of Saffron and Blueberry took a wonderful photo

of a Pierre Herme's Emotion Mosaic.

I asked her if I could paint it...

(“Morello cherries in cherry gelée, pistachio gelée, pistachio mascarpone cream”)

My first thoughts were

Tower of power

with a cherry on top!

That's how I felt about the World Trade Towers.

Such a delightful friend in my New York life...

There are so many good memories attached to that building.

I attended, well volunteered to help out at Kevin Zraly's Windows on The World Wine school.

I got to serve the bread rolls, never pour the wine, but I learned so much about wine.

I couldn't wait to attend each class.

Thank you Kevin!

I got to photograph for the Beard House at The Windows on the World restaurant too!

I took trading classes on the 13th floor in building #1,

when I was pretending to be a day trader.

You got to imagine you might make a cool mill someday, especially in that building...

I remember the first time I visited the WTC -

All the fantastic Milton Glaser graphics on the ground floor.

Though I'm afraid of heights, I loved visiting the observation deck.

There too, Milton Glaser created maps at your fingertips.

You gazed out at the spectacular view and

you could look down and identify exactly what you were seeing.

There were free summer dance concerts on the esplanade.

So many things...

Best of all, those buildings were a touchstone for all New Yorkers.

Everywhere you looked, you could see them.

They were our Eiffel Tower.

Can a building be a friend?

I miss you dear friend.

My First Macaron...

Do you remember biting into your FIRST macaron?
I can't honestly say I do.
And it was only a year and half ago or so...
Did lights flash?
Did the earth move?
Granted I have done double duty making up for the years sans(without) macarons...
Before I ever tasted a macaron I remember seeing these
cheery colored disks lined up in Angelina's windows
And thinking to myself..
eh?

They looked awfully sweeeeet to me.
That was before I knew better...
Well they are awfully sweeeet but so much more is involved..
Though not if you asked my second cousin K. who lives in Pigalle.
She used to be a oral surgeon and doesn't have much time for macarons.
Chocolat -OUI!
Macarons NON!
Isn't it interesting that macarons are exactly the same shape as the French beret!?
At least my cousin is always wearing a macaron!
Last week Brit in Norway wrote about eating her FIRST macaron...
Granted it was a Norwegian macaron...
Does that count?
Since I can't remember my first macaron, I've decided to immortalize Brit's first.
Even if it was Norwegian...
*And Brit has been kind enough to let me use her photos to paint from...
I plan to work more seriously on my macaron expertise next visit to Paris...
IN 20 DAYS!!!
Painting them is one thing...
But I would like to become truly discerning about the taste and texture.
I'll be reading as well as tasting and painting.
Not that macs and I aren't already joined at the hip...
Ahem...

Nostalgia...

Does a rose give you feelings of nostalgia?

Or a macaron?

Someone commented recently that I'm getting awfully nostalgic lately..

I think every single post and picture here is about nostalgia for a past moment.
This Laduree green makes me very nostalgic...
Fond memories have so much to do with forming our taste choices,
both in our mouth/tastebuds and in our heads.
Is there a statute of limitations on memories?
Or a sell-by-date when they must be removed from the shelf?
Can I be nostalgic for what happened a moment ago?
I'll always be nostalgic for the luminous light in this little room in Paris...
A fragrance like my grandmother's Elizabeth Arden Blue Grass bath salts reminds me of...
staying over at her appartment, high over Fairmount park.
How can I forget looking out the window and seeing horseback riders below.
In my memory, always a couple...always a prince and princess...
I don't remember a thing about this moment.
I do remember my mother taking us on picnics where she used to go horseback riding as a girl.
Can you be nostalgic for someone else's memories?

Rouge et Vert

There's a bit of a controversy over which is the more "Parisian" of the two cafés - Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots? In Adam Gopnik’s Paris to the Moon,

he wrote at length, going into historical factors and issues of snobbism.

He calls it , "the Two-Café Problem".

It seems Parisians only want to be seen in the "right" café of the moment, even if it means waiting for a table when there are plenty of empty seats in the café across the street, says Q+A Magazine.

Here is my hypothesis, and it's based solely on color theory and nothing else. Color acts on us in unconscious ways and drives us to do things we hadn't planned. The absolute winner of color combinations is rouge et vert or the RED/GREEN combo.

It's the best pair of color compliments of all 3.
RED - GREEN
ORANGE - BLUE
YELLOW -PURPLE
red + green turns up where ever you look. Go to your corner grocery or Farmer's Market. The grocer intuitively understands color theory and never painted a color swatch or had to sit in color theory class.

The RED tomatos are ALWAYS next to the GREEN peppers, lettuce, parsley etc.

Christmas, who can avoid it, is a RED/GREEN holiday.

RED roses have green stems and you see them every Valentines day, particulary in the hands of those who almost forgot ? Florists understand this intuitively. Red cherries have green stems, making them so much more appealing...someone up there gets color theory. So what does any of this have to do with "the Two-Café Problem" you ask?

Because the Café de Flore has the winning color combination - RED + GREEN.

Les Deux Magots, malheureusement (unhappily), chose for their signature colors a creamy Naples yellow (my favorite color) + a deep forest GREEN. It's a classy combo, but it doesn't have the pulling power of RED + GREEN.

I'll explain a bit more about complementary colors.

They enhance each other and effect the brain too. Complimentary colors sit across from each other on the color wheel. So what?

Well, if you have a predominantly green color environment and than add a touch of red, the brain will make that green vibrate like crazy and the red will sing out like Callas.

Get the picture?

Café Flore's use of green as an accent color enhances those red chairs and makes it all the more appealing.

Did you know all important cafés in Paris have their own proprietary chaise designs and their own proprietary rattan weave as well? Maison J. Gatti is responsible for these.

You can find them stateside at Cafe Society in San Francisco.

The all-time master of the red/green combo is Pierre Hermé.

I left a Kremer Pigments red color chart in his rue Bonaparte shop and realized belatedly that I'd forgotten to bring along the green color chart. Quelle disastre!

So, sorry Deux Magot, your signature colors are très classy and I'd take a set of your breakfast crockery anyday over Flore's.

Your chocolate chaud is hands down the winner on the boulevarde, but you can't compete with the red/green combo. Adam Gopnik might have a giggle if he read this... Nevermind color is powerful and even trés chic Parisians are not immune.

So that's my theory on "the Two-Café Problem".

*Reposted from August 31,2006

Maine Escape...

I'm not really ready for Fall or back-to-school school openings...

So I'm escaping off someplace I should have gone this summer..
Up to David Dewey's watercolor workshop in Maine.
I've been 4 or 5 times.
I thought at first, that since I'm focused on still life I didn't need to look or
think about landscapes again.
Too late I woke up and realized of course, a still life IS a landscape!
A bunch of shapes sitting on a flatish surface = a landscape.
Most workshop mornings begin with THE DEMO by the instructor.
You crowd round to see the magic performed in the relentlessly hot sun.
Then you go off for the day and try to perform a little magic yourself...
The bay out my motel window in '01...
Thomaston's boat yard in '05

At the end of each workshop day comes the group crit.
You learn heaps here.
I could use an end o' day group crit in my New York studio...

The real end of a Maine day ends with a Lobster.
If you haven't had a lobster roll for lunch that is...

Or for lobster aficionados, every meal should be Maine lobster...

OK I'm ready for Fall now :)

Pages from the Past...

Today is the first day of school.

Kids will be learning handwritting.

I ignored that early training to my own detriment.

I was too busy drawing pictures on the paper to pay attention.

Now I can't read my own handwriting nor can anyone else.

I fell back in love with handwriting when I discovered French wine labels.
British Copperplate calligraphy or what the French call "Anglais"
is used everywhere and has such a classy look to it.
5 years ago I took myself off to calligraphy classes with Elinor Holland.
It's not too late to run and sign up if you have a few free Sundays!
You practice and practice like scales on the piano,
the same letters over and over.
It's a lot like meditation, but your hand is moving constantly.
And you're making these lovely swoops and swirls.
It's a lot like drawing...
You also have a good excuse to buy lovely bits of pen paraphrenalia!
Last trip I fell victim to the Marie Antoinette inkpot here
and I don't even practice anymore...
I wish all the new kids on their first day in school the best of luck.
I hope they pay better attention than I did in handwriting class...
"If only Carol would just pay attention"
Bet you never heard that one?
The French still love fancy handwriting
And so do I.