Grand Prix - Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud.

 

On Sunday l joined a mass of painters at hippodrome de Saint-Cloud for an art competition. 

I’m crazy for the elegant, mystery Equestrian woman who prances out and inaugurates every race track.

I decided to paint her…on a Saint-Cloud racing sheet.

I’d done lots of doodles…

Darling, patient SOLLI came along to take pictures 📸 for a bit, even though I was yelling at her, “Not the chin…not the chin!” 🙄 Haha I was nervous as a cat

Other painters were working much bigger of course.

Other painters had assigned #number tags which I missed out getting, since I arrived at 2:00 when the first race started. Not as requested at 9:00 am 😬 It was HOT 🥵 on Sunday in the 90s. 

I am not telling how many ice creams🍦🍦🍦 I ate.

The assigned painting theme was ‘Dejeuner sur l’herbe’/ Lunch on the grass on Etsy. I spotted an adorable dad and daughter eating sandwiches 🥪 sur l’herbe…

I thought, I better do a back-up and got sketching

Dejeuner sur l’herbe on Etsy

Following the assigned theme.

I didn't know we were only allowed ONE entry or ‘off with your head’. My first big error (of many others). All paintings had to be completed by 4:30. 

They announced the winners 🥇 at 7:00 🕖 

Second prize was well-deserved.

A poster in the Metro fed my fantasies of hitting it big. The prize money was quite substantial-1200€, 900€, 600€ for paintings. Winning sketches started at 300€ etc.

Meanwhile the Aga khan Studfarm’s 4-year-old, Calandagan hit it Very big 

Winning the Gran Prix de Saint-Cloud🥇 race of around 532.000€! The winner gets to wear a special coat. Calandagan will be No.1 place at the l’Arc de Triomphe race in October, evidently the best starting place in the race Shirley tells me.

Pretty girl at the races…

My dreams of a holiday in divine Mauritius shattered, I dragged my stuff home. 

The next morning, on Monday all contestants received the RULES of the painting competition:

Only paintings on white surfaces were accepted.

Only ONE entry per contestant 

It is forbidden in the racecourse to be inspired by an existing painting, a photo or a book 📕 to realise the work. 

How you hang your artwork and its size could disqualify you.

If you did not meet these standards, your artwork was a fake, null and void, a scam.

You must apologize to all the other artists or the consequences will be dire.

The guillotine awaits me dear readers. 

Quilty as charged.

I Apologize to everyone 🙏😀

Coming home, the Seine never disappoints ❤️