Tuesday, August 13, 2013

How to paint Reine Claude Prunes


Prunes Reine Claude

Bienvenue chez moi
It's the season for Reine Claude plums maybe known to you as Greengages. They were practically throwing them at you in Marché d'Aligre last week, making you taste them. Who can say no after one bite? I escaped with just 1 pound and I'm still munching 1-2 a day.

 I thought I'd try to color match them...not so easy
Why does my dirty water look more like the plum's color than the watercolor?

It's really hard to paint something over-size, bigger than life size. The hand/eye automatically draws true to size almost as if you were tracing around it.

You have to listen to Sade's plummy voice to get the plums right.

These plums went extinct for a while and then apple enthusiasts (Croquers de pommes) brought them back. They grow right in Paris' backyard, in Hauts-de-Seine. I'm hoping to go pick some off the tree tomorrow at a farm.
I know I've been posting a bit sporadically since the move. Things are still topsy-turvy though not as bad as the picture. Still I'm happy as a clam in my new diggs.
Bienvenue Chez Moi!
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21 comments:

  1. Like how you incorporated Sade to the pic:)

    Love the aquarelle and how you add blues~
    Last pic..at first I thought oh lala she used a lot of that blue gummy stuff:)
    Till I clicked..listened and smiled.
    Hope the ironwork we see is part of your view..
    Like that too.

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  2. Being a northern mid-west girl I have never heard of your greengages or Claudes. I will have to look for them in the upscale shops, me thinks. Did you try a little naples yellow with a little green? It might work.

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  3. Chez vous? HAHAHAHA! Love your washy painted plums, but only you could have a hand that automatically draws life-size! I am a huge fan of roasted plum tart.

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  4. Anonymous1:25 AM

    I love your stuff! Can you please tell me what kind of paper you are using when you trace your pic on your iPad? There is no way I can see thru my watercolor paper … then I was thinking maybe I should try newsprint … Finally decided e-mailing you was the best idea! Thanks!
    Pam

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    1. Simply tracing paper Pam, preferably the cheap stuff.

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  5. Anonymous1:27 AM

    I can't tell the difference between the REAL and the painted plums
    Gorgeous!
    Lucinda

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  6. Anonymous1:29 AM

    You're getting sooo healthy with the cheese and fresh fruit. Maybe you won't want pastry when it comes back from holidays?!
    Anna-Maria A

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  7. I love the different summer fruits.Your colour wash of the plums entice me to gather all your how to paint lessons together.Then get my palette out of the cupboard as I'm back home next week, well almost. Lodging in our 'Petite Maison' for 2weeks & I always feel like I'm on holiday when we're there. So it's time to paint.

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  8. I forgot to say I loved 'Bienveue Chez Moi !'

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  9. I love the colors! Great sketches.
    Good luck with the new apartment!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks
      It's a million X better than the other one
      Quieter and cleaner air

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  10. Oh Carol, greengage plums are amongst my favorites. I have been asking the farmers at the Union Sq GREENmarket (geddit?) when they will have greengages on display with the other plums. They keep saying "next week." I'll be checking again on Friday.

    Your painting is lovely. How much fun to try to find that elusive green. How great to be able to pick you own fresh greengages!

    xo

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  11. Are those postit notes on your wall? I thought I was the only one who did that!

    I especially like today's lesson and subject. They're really so pretty -- and that color gets me every single time! What part of the city are you living in now? I hope you will love it! (Jerry is still looking for a new apartment -- I don't know if he's excessively picky or if there just isn't much...)

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    Replies
    1. I'm in the 19th
      The Post-its are from the hot video Bienvenue Chez Ma of Belgian kid wonder, Stromae
      I'm close to the Butte Chaumont if you saw Paris Je T'Aime and I'm loving it.

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  12. Yay--glad to hear you're liking the new place. Has to be great fun. Love the color matching pix--always good to see. And nice plums--funny--Joe and I had just bought a batch and they're delicious. Smiled to think you were doing the same in Paris!

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  13. Oh your colors are so luscious. We picked pears today and the colors are about the same. Love that color. I am sooooo glad you said that about the hand and eye wanting to draw what it sees. I am having a hard time enlarging things from small photos so I have to get them enlarged to get things bigger... drives me nuts. Nice to know its not just me. Glad you like your new digs. why cleaner air what was mucking up you air before?

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    1. Oh just about a million garbage trucks and motorcycles etc.
      I'm on a cul-de-sac here so only parked cars and tons of fresh air wafting over from the Butte Chamont park

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  14. Anonymous10:44 AM

    1/2 or 1/4 plum with a knob of Roquefort or Gorgonzola, wrapped in prosciutto, broiled in the oven....ooh la la!
    Watson Inn

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  15. I've never tried these- in any country or language- it would be intriguing although I'm not all that fond of plums I guess. Is it true that greens are the hardest colours to do?

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    Replies
    1. Re: green that's what people say
      Because blue + yellow doesn't always work
      and because nature is hard to reproduce

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