Monday, May 03, 2010

Chez Alice


You're terribly late you know...Naughty!"
                              said The Mad Hatter. It's true I am late. Late posting today
And I never got to the Alice Tea Party at Rizzoli because I was painting up a storm here trying to catch up. Thank you Grace for posting on The Real Alice in Wonderland book signing. I thought I'd show you Alice at Printemps instead today.
You could look down from the escalators on the big Mad Hatters tea party going on at Printemps ground floor - not very private indeed! *Note on the facing wall behind the tea table.
All these exquisite.
'Alice' still life setups.
Perfect for painting.
Perfect for eating. Well just perfect. As I was tiptoeing around in my best Sherlockian mode, nabbing shots to show you I heard my name called out,
"CAROLLLLLLLLLLLLL"
Was I about to be arrested..?
It was Biscuit Bear (aka Helene) and her daughter Puni, attendees at the big tea table who spotted me. We met on Flickr sometime ago. I loved this picture of Puni wearing the dress from the Marie-Antoinette exhibit.
Helene and Puni showed me the Alice book in the tea salon. It's a book within a book, well many books.
I realize I haven't shown you a single macaron today.
Simply shocking!
The green "Alice" music box was once full of macarons...sigh
Now I must get back to painting.
Doesn't this look like a modern-day Alice lost in wonderland? Wanna trade places with her on this wet Monday?
I DO!
Jeanne sent me her painted version of "Alice" - Your lovely post of Alice and Puni reminded me that my recent painting of my granddaughter Carlie seemed to somehow emanate Alice as well. Maybe with the current movie, Alice is in our collective consciousness.
Isn't she enchanting?

34 comments:

  1. A lot of publicity was made about "Alice" before it was released i France. Maybe the film did not do as well as one would have expected. I like very much Tim Burton, Johnny Depp... but saw the film and was a bit diasppointed.
    Anyhow, it gave you a good opportunity to make a nice post!

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  2. I love all that you share
    Love you

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  3. Karen.in.CT10:45 AM

    ... girlfriend was in from Cali on Sat .. we tubed down to James Beard all excited to see your wonderful paintings. Having never been there, I had no idea what to expect. We wormed our way through the kitchen to the greenhouse, and saw them. Nobody seemed to know how to buy one, so we thought they were just for show. Actually we were the only interlopers there. Did I miss something?

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  4. PETERM you really make me laugh :)
    I am fascinated more by the French facination for Alice
    They really do take the cake (un petit four svp) when it comes to Alice adoration IMHO
    Move over Brits, who think it was written by a very naughty math professor.
    Isn't ALICE about all of us?
    It's a rites of passage story
    i.e.the trials of growing up and up and up and sometimes shrinking too..
    I have learned to love ALICE rather late, but not too late I hope...ahem

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  5. Dear KAREN in CT,
    THANK YOU so much for going to The Beard House exhibit!!
    And for worming yr way through the kitchen!
    That is spectacular!
    All sales are handles by me.
    They do zip I'm afraid..
    And I am LATE getting my price notice up there!!
    LATE
    LATE LATE- my middle name
    Please email me and I will get back to you PDQ
    They are all the same price bla bla
    PS
    How did you think they looked?
    I was a wreck after hanging 25 pics up and down the ladder 50x
    Carolg!

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  6. A quick question, who has the best macarons, laduree or pierre herme?
    some day i hope to find out for myself.

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  7. A difficult question to answer Jill
    I have to say it's personal choice when it comes to choosing the best Paris macarons.
    They are both right up there with J-P Hevin and...
    it really depends on yr favorite flavor
    cg

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  8. Oh, poor Alice, er, Carol,
    I wished I could have helped you!

    I hope you do get to put up the prices and buying info asap!!!!!

    I love your fascination with the fascination of the French for Alice! I am always imagining that the French imagine Alice wearing naughty knickers or something. ;-)

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  9. Justine11:23 AM

    Anything to do with ALICE is a favorite!
    Merci love today's post.
    And I love Jeanne's Alice portrait!!

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  10. FoodWalker11:27 AM

    Love the sharp contrast of all those shiny metalic escalators in Printemps with the very old fashioned fantasy tea soiree going on...
    amusing to say the least to pull that one off.

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  11. MERISI, you must stop watching those old Moulin Rouge movies and pick yourself up and go to PARIS!
    Mon dieu!

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  12. Je suis une admirateure brazilienne du "Paris Breakfast".
    Très, très joli blog!!!

    À demain...

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  13. It's true, I believe we all have a little bit of Alice inside of us.
    But what called my attention today was the gray tea pot and the tea cups.
    I collect such things and I get wordless when I see beautiful ones like that!
    Glad to know you survived your crazy Friday. ;)

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  14. I'm enjoying your comments here, Carol. Great post! Love the Hare in the initial photo. Oh--And you did show that macaron tower at the tea, remember?)

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  15. Laurie1:06 PM

    Carol, you did show macarons today!!
    Laurie

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  16. Ooops I forgot about the towering macaron piece monte thing...
    not the same as a delicious little macie though, since it's probably inedible and glued permanently together.
    You PBers are too sharp for me :)
    Carolg

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  17. What an honor!

    I am so grateful!!!

    Jeanne

    P.S. Your "Cha-cha?" post and the little dog painting "Airedale Dreams" ---- especially delightful!!!

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  18. Love the Rabbit photo -- even though you are late late late -- it still is a delicious eye candy post. And it is raining here in the North West 26 days in a row -- for April and now still more rain -- Ugh! I think I will join you in line with that last photo.

    Joanny

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  19. cozinharegionalnoroestees1:13 PM

    Carol,
    I loved the post about "Alice" and I'm very anxious to see it.
    I hope it will be very nice.

    From a Brazilian follower who loves your daily comments.
    Vanete Arrigoni

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  20. Misha in Paris2:20 PM

    OMG the rabbit' eyes is scaring me !
    He is looking for us !
    please design for all your fans a kind pretty "Mad Hatter" Carolllllllllllllllllllllllllll !

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  21. Clare in the Dordogne2:21 PM

    I'm thinking of upgrading my camera and wondered what make you use. I did look on your blog as I thought you had a link to the make, but can't find it.

    Your France has gone from boiling hot to freezing cold and grey!

    Clare x

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  22. it's miserable and rainy here too :(
    from boiling hot yesterday...
    I LOVE my new very small CANON Power Shot S90
    I should add a link on the blog...thanks for the reminder

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  23. Of course, Carol!

    I feel very honored. I think you're a great artist, and I follow your blog for a long time.
    Your posts are inspiring to me.
    Thank you!

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  24. Great opening shot!
    I hope that the weather has cleared and that you are catching up on painting....

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  25. Mon Dieu! Alice is everywhere this Spring!!!!!

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  26. Fabulous post! I also love the vignettes of the cake, boxes and other "Alice" articles. Glad you are busy painting, painting, painting!

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  27. Perhaps you need a vacation....what do you mean you haven't shown a single mac today? Check out that white mac tower?

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  28. Perhaps you need a vacation....what do you mean you haven't shown a single mac today? Check out that white mac tower?

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  29. Dear Mrs Gillott,

    Yesterday I was visited by a women from Boston. She read your article about our Shop in Paris you wrote in december 2008.
    Since this article, she was obcess by visit our shop.
    So I would like to thank you for your interest and I hope to see you during your next trip.
    Very Best regards

    Didier BERTRAND

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  30. How did I miss this tea party at Printemps?!? Le sigh. Guess I'll have to have my own at Ladurée when the weather improves.

    La Mom
    An American Mom in Paris

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  31. Hi Carol! LOVE, I would really like to go to a real, live tea party. A real, live one like THIS! After seeing your post I'm feeling horribly deprived, need to remedy this asap! Cool pics!

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  32. Carol,
    Again, thank you.
    I find it extremely kind, you keep this as close contact with his followers. Responding to a comment, an act so simple, makes all the difference. This always admired his way of being. The first time I visited your blog, I thought, "she responds to visitors, incredible!"
    Thus, I had the opportunity to be seen by a huge number of followers you have. I'm starting now (I started my blog in 04/04), and it makes me very happy to have been "presented" by a large "master".
    God bless you!

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  33. Anonymous7:23 PM

    A delight which brings me back to Paris each day. Any chance you can share if the Alice au Pays des Merveilles book in your blog is something we can purchase in France? I looked on Amazon.fr to no avail. merci beaucoup. Lis

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  34. LIS-I wish I knew regarding the book. You would have to contact Printemps-perhaps it was made especially for the Alice tea party..
    Qui sait?

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