Painting French Ribbon, April Paris letter

I've been coming to see Parisian Easter chocolates every March for at least 7 years.

An annual trip to admire extravagant chocolates and especially the adornment of French ribbons.

The French have a long tradition of adorning with ribbons.

Tied every place, fore 

And aft.

Last weekend I went inside a wonderful store I've passed many times. Have you been in La Droguerie? I thought it an outlandish drugstore. Instead they have the most marvelous collection of buttons, trims, beads, knitting patterns. 

And gorgeous ribbons. At 9-11, rue du Jour 75001 (near Les Halles)

Wrapping with ribbon be it a box of chocolates or the Eiffel Tower comes naturally in France.

This huge wrapped egg by Swiss sculpture, Beat Zoderer.

Was the inspiration for Pierre Hermé's limited edition (just 15) Easter chocolate egg.

I bought a much simpler chocolate egg from Gerard Mulot because I love the way he combines brilliantly colored wired ribbons. Last year was rose and green - the sales person told me the color combo changes every year.

I picked up my egg by the ribbon this morning planning to take a better look. It slipped and fell to the floor and broke. 

ET VOILA ! Anatomy of a French Easter egg.

The ribbon is not merely decorative but holds 2 halves of the egg/rabbit/bell/fish together! Inside are hidden the little chocolate fish/friture, praline eggs etc.

This hard working French ribbon has taken on a new meaning. It deserves to be painted.

Time for tracing paper. No pencil needed. 

Just draw the curvy lines with a brush pen  (Aquash brush by Pentel Lots of water. Then drop in blobs of watercolor. 

Be sure to leave bits and pieces of white paper for sparkle. 

WIP - work in progress.

More and more French ribbons later. This month's subscription sketch is my homage to French ribbon and it's vital contribution to holding together the French Easter egg. 

Hurray!

If you'd like to receive an original French ribbon watercolor (4.5" x 2.75") with your name on it, do subscribe to the SIX(6) month or TWELVE(12) month sketches available on Etsy.

Bonnes Rubans

Paris Thumbnails

Redon inspired still life, 9" x 11"

 

There were a lot of requests to paint yesterday's Redon setup, so I did.

First to watercolor match the ribbon and boxes

Surprise! A 5-month old framboise macaron lurks within one of the boxes.

Used in another setup. No, I did not eat the macaron...yet.

Would you?

Were the rununculas chosen because of the Redon exhibit?

The pink box was sighted not so far from the Grand Palais expo...

I wanted to start off doing thumbnails like Dewey did in Maine

David paints his thumbnails on typing paper(!) so I tried it out

Then just plain old tracing paper

Then thumbnails on watercolor paper but these are not simple enough

But I forgot to look at the thumbnails I did that day until after the fact. A la prochaine/next time. If you're going to paint pink, pink, pink

You need to eat a lot of watermelon! What shall I paint next PBers?

BONJOUR Paris THUMBNAILS!
 

Pink Ribbons

Nancy Van Blaricom said...I love ❤️ your paintings with pink in them. No one uses it as well as you. Lovely.
Hmm...I'm toying with redoing my pinkie macaron avatar as a watercolor, so your vote is requested. 

Please vote for A - B - C - D or none of the above or stick with the old photo

Here are somepinkflowers for you while you're voting.
Do you dream 

Of pink ribbons.(on Etsy)

Speaking of pink ribbons.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Do get out your pink ribbons 🎀 
And do all the other essential things we should do this month.
Pink ribbons are everywhere - even on this mini Charlotte gateaux!Payard Patisserie has a lovely pink gateau for you to snack on while voting. Don't wait for November 4th please.

B I G M E R C I!!! I went with A at least for now

BONNE WEEK-END

Chocolate Ribbons

Rose teapot and chocolate, original watercolor
 

Everywhere I turned in Paris there were bows, bows, bows.

French ribbons on every single piece of Parisien Easter chocolate.Corey's Rose teacup, original watercolor,

French ribbons cannot to be ignored, since the ribbon industry started in St. Etienne in the 11th century.

Organza pink ribbon + French perfume-a perfect match.

A bow-tied slipper

Embroidered ribbons as a decorative motif are ever present at the Musee Carnavalet.

The Marie-Antoinette exhibit at the Grand Palais is what made me sit up and take notice of French ribbon - this hairdo guide at the show. I'm reading the unputdownable Antonia Fraser biography of Marie-Antoinette

Ribbons were not just decorative touches - they held hats on or used as belts - they were the zipper of their day.

 The ribbon as painted decor on a wall - does anyone do it better here at Chateau Vaux le Vicomte.

And here in an old boulangerie in the 18th wall ribbons keep croissants safe from greedy fingers.

Here a do-it-yourself wall treatment to buy at department store BHV.

So when I saw this box of John & Kira's chocolates decked out in wired French ribbon I had to get it and paint it. The chocolates inside are flavored with lavender, ginger, bergamot and lemongrass