In London I spent time messing around with teapots and boxes.
And I browsed more in supermarkets than museums.
The names of products are so enticing. An Eton Mess is an English dessert I felt an instant affinity to, being a master mess-maker myself.
Squeak the cat could expound on the subject at length. Here he steps none too gingerly onto my 'work table'/bed. 
Squeak does an inspection of the Gillott mess... 
In disgust, Squeak gazes out the window for some relief from chaos. 
A natural still life waiting. 
Finally Squeak chastises me,"Why R U SUCH a mess?!"
Ultimately he gives up and goes to sleep. 
Making watercolor 'messes' in London and Paris is a good way to warm up. 
I even made a mess on AirFrance with all my drawing stuff laid out on two seats. Who knew many AF flight attendants were former artistes? 
Doing warmups can be fun - except when you thought they weren't going to be just a 'warm-up'. 
Enfin, not a warm-up, but an Angelina I'm happy with. 
Back home the mess continues minus Tom the cat.I wonder if Squeak makes house calls?
Here's what I'm listening to whilst I get messy.
BONJOUR ETON MESS!
Tom is so lovely...your photos always light up my day, thank you!!
ReplyDeletej'aime ton bazar!!!
ReplyDeletebon weekend
Manon
Creative minds can't be distracted with "cleaning up"... Your work is beautiful. Each time I pop in for a visit I most thankful that you share your your wonderful works. Happy Friday...HHL
ReplyDeleteyour "mess" is just a creative mix, Carol. It's all good. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful paintings, Carol.
ReplyDeleteWe could be roomates :) My place looks as muddled as your's.
I'm going to miss Tom......
Have a relaxing weekend!
tiffle, mess, fool
ReplyDeleteThe Brits do have a way with words.!
xxx
This creative mind needs a night course in organizing HIGH HEELED LIFE..
ReplyDeleteOh wait I've taken several to no obvious results...
many actually!
Wow, that laptop looks like it's inches away from falling to pieces ... but I guess a messy work space is de rigor to produce such AWESOME watercolors. I mean, somethings must come first - like art.
ReplyDeleteLove the freshness of your watercolor messes...
ReplyDeleteDelightful indeed!
What a lovely mess it all is. I am once again enjoying this London/Paris trip ala PB and have to say, you don't just pay a visit you set up camp and make it your own. And I love the still life photo, how fun to peek you in the shiny pot's reflection. I wonder if the Eton mess was as comforting as it looked. Enjoy the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI once knew an 'Eton Mess' rather too well...
ReplyDeleteHe got kicked out for unseemly behavior, but was quite a charmer none the less...
I just peeked in the window of Angelina today!
ReplyDeleteLovely sketch~~
love the feeling of light
ReplyDeleteI do most of my souvenir shopping at supermarkets :-) I especially love spices & such that I can cook with for some time to come. I am almost out of a divine white pepper I bought at Monoprix in Paris...
ReplyDeleteDivine white pepper from Monop!
ReplyDeleteMust look into that
Merci ARMCHAIR PARISIEN.
I love the packaging and the typography...
And I like imagining how things would taste if I bought them...
Tom sure is a handsome cat :)
ReplyDeleteLove seeing your thoughts at work here...
tres jolie.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for my question -- did you study somewhere? You're obviously not self-taught painter, right? I really like you works and I wonder did you find all these techniques "vous-meme" or you have a special eduction;
merci.
pamplemuss
David Dewey was my watercolor teacher for 14+ years.
ReplyDeleteHis book is terrific and I always go back to it..
The Watercolor Book
How on earth did you mange an empty seat beside you on the plane?
ReplyDeleteAnd mess is in the eye of the beholder. I personally prefer a visually complex field...that's MY story and I'm sticking to it!
What would Tom do without the creative mess? Love the Angelina painting.
ReplyDeleteCarole- I'm like you I love le super-marche especially in Paris - but I couldn't get the hang of what to do about the fruit & Veg - I put it in a bag, went to the check-out-"non,non Madame" so I go back and tip it out put it on the scales(minus sac) then she says "non,non,madame vous-devez emploi le sac" aagh!!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog
Dianne xx
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with Paris the first time I went 20 years ago and so love reliving my time in such a special place through your watercolors and photos.
I love your 'workspace' and of course thinks Tom is the luckiest guy around!
Merci pour vos bel et amusant e-mails!
Cooper in Los Angeles
I am crazy about your watercolors!
ReplyDeleteFresh and fabulous!
JEANETTE, Thanks to 'Premium Voyageur' I had THREE empty seats to MESS UP!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha
Here's what you do next time in the super-marche PUDDINGLANE.
Put stuff in a plastic bag
Then go to the scale
Find the number for the fruit/veg
Press that number, weigh the stuff, and out will pop a ticket.
Stick ticket on plastic bag of stuff
et VOILA!
Carol, I too love exploring supermarkets--my favorite is to look
ReplyDeleteat baby food in the French supermarkets--so sophisticated--
artichokes for babies! I usually bring back dog or cat treats
from foreign markets.
LuLu
I loved this post and this cute cat!!
ReplyDeleteI love your photos - they are real and inviting to us artsy types who like to have things around! I think your work is amazing - hope you are well friend.
ReplyDeleteahh !! now I've got it - how simple I must go straight back to Paris and try that: bag - number- ticket- stickit- Voila !! so simple
ReplyDeleteDianne xx
Milo is tres jalouse of Tom.
ReplyDeleteI love, love your new watercolors! xo
Chère Carol j'ai parlé de votre travail, vos déssins sur mon blog parceque vos peintures sont très jolies,ces aquarelles sont superbes, j'aimerais metre quelques photos mais ... j'ai brodés des petits macarons et j'ai fait un post de ce thème. Merci. A bientôt-Esther
ReplyDeletehello carol ...
ReplyDeletei love your blog very much!!
Which brand of watercolor palette do you normally use for painting on the go?
i am sourcing for a suitable one, especially one with a wide range of bright and light pastel colors.
thanks a million!
aléatoire . croquis ~* I use Winsor & Newton watercolors.
ReplyDeleteTo make pastel colors simply add water and dilute dilute dilute!
ce comme ca!
Carolg :)
Beautiful cat! He looks very distinguished haha. And I love the Laudrée bag peaking through the shots
ReplyDeleteI brought home lots of Angelina's drinking chocolate from Paris, but I'm sad to say it's all gone now. I tried to order it online but, non ;-). It's so good added to coffee. Love you watercolors!
ReplyDeleteG
Carol - I adore Squeak, I love London and I so admire your terrific art. You are so gifted. So who needs to be tidy when you have all that god-given talent?!
ReplyDeleteI think your new header photo is so charming.
Lovely Sunday evening to you x
I love, love, love your messes. I entered a still life design in a flower show recently. The title of the exhibit was the Lure of the Garden. I had a Picasso looking vase, an antique paint box from a now deceased artist friend and a book about Picasso. I had flowers in the vase arranged very Picassoish.
ReplyDeleteI even downloaded Picasso's handwriting and had a sketch of the vase and flowers (as if he had sketched it before painting it). After the judging I was talking with one of the judges (I just happen to have been a clerk as the group of judges judged the exhibit I had entered and could not say a word the whole time the judges were doing their thing) about the exhibit. She mentioned mine and said that it really was creative and inovative but just sooooooooo messy. She said if the exhibitor had just cleaned up the paint off the box and had cleaned us some of the old tubes of paints and paintbrushes it would have been more pleasing to the eye. I laughed and said that the said exhibit was mine and that the paint box did not need cleaning up since that was the nature of the box. I had a good laugh and was pleased with my 2nd place ribbon.
You would probably faint if I took a picture of my sewing/junque room!!!
Loves messes too,
June
Afraid I cant help you there, I'm the queen of neat, I'm sure Tom would approve ;)
ReplyDeleteNow why cant all grocery shopping involve Micheal Buble singing with a marching band in the aisle. I'm sure I would grocery shop much more if that were true!!
did you see the BIG MESS Michael made at the end of the bid?
ReplyDeleteMy kind a guy!!!
I love creative messes, and yours is one of a kind! :-)
ReplyDeleteThe video makes me nostalgic of American supermarkets (must be American, all those gallons of milk!).
Is that an antique Thonet chair that darling kitty is stepping on? A subtle message to come and visit Vienna? ;-)
I almost died when I saw tom, our cat is named tom and he is the same breed and looks quite similar, sooo cute! nice to know he has a twin out there. Beautiful watercolors:)
ReplyDeleteCarolg
ReplyDeleteCreative License -- ,lovely,lively fun post, fall out my chair laughing so hard over the FG and the bathroom with the pink panties.
Love love that song, I play it to get into a better frame of mind and clean up my creative 'license'
go forth and love and live a wildly creative life.
Joanny