Outdoor Painting Workshop in Le Jardin des Tuileries

Merci beaucoup to my fellow community members at the US Embassy in Paris for joining me for a beautiful evening of acrylic painting in Le Jardin de Tuileries. Blue skies, chilled bottles of rosé and red wines, and inspiration at every corner made for an enchanting evening of painting. Nestled between the Louvre and Concorde, Le Jardin des Tuileries, with it’s relaxing ponds, sculptures by artists including Rodin and Giacometti, and endless gardens designed by gardener André Le Nôtre, created an ideallyic backdrop to put paintbrush to canvas. Who wants to join me in another Parisian park soon? I’ll bring the paint AND the wine!

Featured wine:

*2017 Vignerones de Irouléguy Domaine de Mignaberry Rosé

*Lacapelle Cabanac Prestige CAHORS 2014 

 

Exploring Our Inner Van Gogh at the US Embassy Paris

One of the best ways to appreciate famous artwork is to give it a go yourself…a big thank you to the aspiring artists at the US embassy Paris that picked up their paintbrushes and joined me for a night of Post-Impressionist-style painting and wine tasting in the spirit of Van Gogh. We took inspiration from Van Gogh’s The Church at Auvers. Auvers-sur-Oise is a small village just northwest of Paris where Van Gogh lived the last few months of his life. The painting, created in 1890, now hangs in the Musée d’Orsay.

Coming soon…a post about visiting the enchanting village of Auvers-sur-Oise

Success! Acrylic Painting Atelier at US Embassy Paris

Hats off to the great crowd that joined me for a night of acrylic painting and wine tasting at the US Embassy Paris. The night was all about gaining perspective, both in life and in painting, while re-imagining classic French scenes. Wine tastings from the South-West of France both relaxed and inspired everyone to discover their inner artist.

Celebrating International Women’s Day at UNESCO

I was honored to celebrate International Women’s Day today by attending UNESCO’s current exhibition on rural women, and to show my support for a dear friend, featured Nepalise artist Sandhya Mishra.

According to UNESCO’s website, the exhibition features a variety of different creative expressions from all over the world emphasizing the role of artistic creativity as a means of empowerment and a reflection of agency and leadership.

On display are works by artists from member states of UNESCO, including Argentina, Bolivia, Georgia, Laos, Liberia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

At the entrance to the hall is a fantastic Giacometti sculpture titled “l’homme qui marche.” I couldn’t help but wish it had a different name. Perhaps one day “la femme qui marche” will stand beside him. Any sculptors out there up to the task?

L’homme qui marche” by Alberto Giacometti 1960. Bronze sculpture. Acquired by UNESCO in 1969.

When to visit: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 to Friday, March 16, 2018 – 10:00am – 5:00pm

 

A Peek at Pastels

A rare treat indeed…a wonderful friend offered me the chance to join in on a private tour of “The Art of Pastel from Degas to Roden” at the Petit Palais in Paris. Of the museum’s collection of 200 pastels, a selection of close to 150 of them are currently being shown for the first time. As an artist often intrigued by the power of this medium, yet frequently frustrated when it comes to putting pastel to paper, I was inspired and overwhelmed by the talent on display at this unique exhibition.

On display are works by Berthe Morisot, Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, Charles Leandre, Alphonse Osbert, Emile-Rene Menard, Odilon Redon, James Tissot, Jacques-Emile Blanche, Victor Prouve, and Pierre Carrier-Belleuse.

Exhibition showing now through April 8th, 2018. Don’t miss this rare chance to delve deeper into the world of pastels. #expoPastels

Here’s a peek at a few of my favorite pieces: