French Cafe Glasses

Originally I was going to paint just one cafe glass
 
OK this one - a typical Frenchie glass from the Brick cafe.

But then I felt ambitious. I'm addicted to cafe glasses
 

Anyone else out there love French cafe glass with a passion?
 

Confess PBers. And please do not complain about the bill for the Orangina. You're paying for ambience at cafe Le Select. And the little printed doily thing..grumble...grumble

Am I alone, compulsively taking of photos of cafe glass where ayre I go

The French adore their glass. They still make most of the wonderful utilitarian glass like Duralex from Picardie or La Rochere. Luiminarc is another pas cher FAB French glass I love. I chased all over looking for a little Luminarc glass pitcher I thought I saw at Angelina and found it at Sur La Table in New York - an insane way to spend your time in Paris no?

There is something inherently elegant to utilitarian French glassware - a plain carafe and water glass at Jean-Paul Hevin Bar Chocolat. If this guy doesn't have superb taste no one does

At La Bovida, Jill of Mad About Macarons spotted these mini verrines with a matching bent spoon. Mignon non?
 

Old fashioned waterglasses in brocante Portobello in the 6th make a lovely still life just waiting to be painted

Very plain glassed filled with Guy Martin's very fancy baba au rhum + marscapone + chestnuts

French girl, being French does not have your standard utilitarian glassware that I drool over constantly. We were eating blinis, smoked salmon, hummus, Greek olives and radishes FYI

In our hand-painted Spanish glasses we're drinking 'San Pe' or San Pellegrino. I do the dishes when I stay, so I live in dire fear of breaking one of her fragil little glasses.

"Hello French Girl, why couldn't you have those darling unbreakable cafe glasses I love so much much?"

BONJOUR FRENCH CAFE GLASSES!

DIY Painting Glass

With all the glass paintings I did last week, Jeanette said: you didn't paint it all in, but the eye/brain fill in the missing bits...Damn! I'm going to have to buy David Dewey's book ...sounds like he thinks the way I like to see. I thought I'd do a little review on painting glass. I painted this one back in David's class at Parsons in '96.

A very old, much looked at copy of one of David's class demos of painting reflective surfaces...... and the notes from class on the "closure effect".

"Break it up so the eye fills it in automatically. Simplify! Color effects create the form on the patterns. You want to relate the reflective patterns to the overall 2D pattern! Use chromatic neutrals (grays made from mixing complimentary colors, never black or gray paint)." A page from David's watercolor book, using Wayne Thiebaud’s painting demonstrating using compliments on glass. Thiebaud paints quite a bit of glass. I'm always adding to my reference files.

Another Thiebaud. OK! I’ll do a pencil thumbnail of my subject. Remember the lesson on thumbnails class? Early stage of the painting is mostly pale washes of warm and cool color.#171B Hydrangea in a water glass, sold, original watercolor,9" x 11"
Voila! The finish. I mustn't forget to show you the subject matter.

Glass Teapot...

Gallerie Lafayette Glass Teapot, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

When I visited Paris in October I had no intention of buying a clear glass teapot...

I drink only hot chocolate so I remembered my folly yesterday. I saw this glass teapot at The Tea Box in Takishimaya, my favorite New York browsing store...

I spotted these enticing teapots in the Gallerie Lafayette Gourmet tea department.

Who could resist? Only 15 Eruos. And perfect for painting still lifes I told myself. And I'm always interested in painting glass...

These round glass teapots were on display at the October 3-day Le Festival de The.

I ended up buying loose tea with whole rose buds for my glass teapot at Lafayette. The idea is you watch "the "agony of the leaves" as they unfurl while brewing in hot water. I left my glass teapot in the hotel room for housekeeping to enjoy.

And I'm back to drinking my hot chcolate :)