art: a breton landscape, david's mill {gauguin}

Painted in 1894 by the French master Paul Gauguin, this scene of bucolic Brittany perfectly captures the colors of autumn. Don't you just love the vibrant hues? It's an oil on canvas and resides at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. 

A Breton Landscape, David's Mill - 1894

91 years young

My great aunt passed away this morning in Paris. She split her time between her native Paris and her husband's native Bangkok. She was 91. Aunty Suzanne was from another era - when impeccable manners were the norm - of which she exemplified.  She had been a widow for decades and was so in love with her husband (my grandfather's cousin and my mom's godfather) that when she would tell us stories of when they were young her cheeks would go all rosy. It was lovely to see. Her kindness will always be an inspiration to me. She gave me access to the stories of a generation in my family now gone, and I am so fortunate to have been able to know dear Aunty Suzanne. It gives me so much happiness to know that she and her beloved husband are now reunited.

Paris

poppies: in art & in the garden

Hanging on in our hallway are bright and colorful pieces of art. Two of my favorites are of the same subject - poppies. The first is a painting I bought at the Madison Art Fair on the Square a few years ago. The colors and subject caught my eye, and this painting - with its happy hues - still delights me every time I pass by.

My dad is an excellent photographer and in his office/studio he has many of his great photos. He being the very generous dad that he is, let me have a photo he took of a poppy. My photo of this photograph doesn't really do the original justice - but it's gorgeous in person. He was able to capture the delicate, paper-like poppy petals with real precision.

I captured these next two images in my parents' backyard garden. 

a close-up

poppies just look happy, don't they?

Poppies of course have been favorite subjects of many painters too. Perhaps it's that poppies are so vibrant and lend such a punch of color. Here are a few poppy painting I find particularly beautiful.

Monet's "Poppies Blooming" 1873
at the Musee d'Orsay, Paris

Perhaps less famous than the Monet pictured above,
but no less beautiful.  This is by William Blair Bruce -
"Landscape with Poppies", 1887

the iconic American painter, Georgia O'Keefe's,
"Oriental Poppies", 1928

Aren't they gorgeous?

flowerful friday

It's the coldest it's been all winter, and I'm so incredibly thankful for my cozy home where I can curl up in the evening with a warm blanket by the fire, but there's nothing like a little mind over matter to "transport" ourselves to warmer days.

Waterlilies - perhaps because of their tropical nature, are for me, the perfect "getaway" flower. Let's enjoy some of these warm weather beauties.

notice the dragonfly? 

I like how water collects atop the lily pads 

it's almost dreamlike!

one in Monet's Waterlily series -
at the Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris
click onto the image for a bigger view

inspired by Monet - here is one in my
Waterlily series

Happy Friday!

solid as a rock

Sculpture, perhaps more than any other art form, amazes me. How a sculptor takes stone and creates something that can be so life-like, is a process I am in awe of and find completely inspirational. Not that I think I'll ever take up sculpture, but rather what inspires me is the process of creating an end result that is so beautiful.

at the Art Institute of Chicago

profile of a sphinx -
Corinth, Greece

how does stone look like
draping cloth?
Delphi, Greece

classic
Delphi, Greece

one of Venice's many regal lions -
did you know that the lion is
the symbol of St. Mark, the patron
saint of Venice?

gorgeous!
at the Louvre

perhaps my favorite - ever since I saw this for the 1st
time on a high school trip to Paris!
at the Louvre

inspired

"Make the most of yourself, 

for that is all there is of you." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

We're a week into the new the new year, and I've decided to change up my Saturday posts to focus on being inspired. What inspires you? For me, I find great inspiration from my surroundings, especially when I find beauty in them, in other words by being present and noticing what is around me I am so often inspired. Here are a few images of people, places, and things that have inspired me...

 in a Paris park -
I adore her attention to details
and how cute are her shoes!?

noticing a robin that blends right in

perhaps nothing inspires me more than a
walk through a beautiful garden

on vacation,
a quiet sitting area inspires me
to create this type of oasis
 right at home

viva le tour!

I'm a huge fan of the Tour de France. Actually I'm a quite a Francophile and I enjoy cycling, so it's really not surprising that this 3 week long bike race is my favorite sporting event. I fell in love with the Tour ten years ago when I was lucky enough to be in Paris on the race's final day. It was an amazing scene - I had my little American flag with me to cheer for the riders from the States. As I climbed and clung onto a lamp post in order to get a better view, I snapped a photo of a memory that will last a lifetime!  

Paris, 2001

color therapy - yellow

What do you associate the color yellow with? For me, it's the happiest of colors. When I see forsythias' yellow blooms I know that spring has arrived and warm, yellowish light always makes me feel cozy. Here are a few (mostly) yellow photos of mine. Hopefully the cheeriness of this hue will brighten your day.  

isn't the yellow forsythia
against the blue sky just stunning?
Kalabaka, Greece

warm, yellowish light
Paris

I love how each of these petals are
both strong and gentle looking

a perfect yellow bloom,
flower type unknown to me
Esperanza, Vieques

a close up of a type of palm -
almost looks like modern art,
doesn't it?

yellow lighting shines with so much
warmth and coziness - it softens
the metal of the lamp

springtime in Paris

There's a reason that springtime in Paris is sung about, written about, dreamt about. It's an enchantingly beautiful city to begin with and when you add buds and blossoms into the mix, something extraordinary is to be beholden. I took this photo while in Paris in March of 2004. This is another photo I took in those pre-digital days, so I scanned the photo directly from the album.



at the Musee Rodin, 2004

I love the combination of the statue's feminine body and profile, the bare branches against the powder blue sky and the grand dome in the background. Standing at the same spot in the summer you don't even know the dome is there!