Lavender fields in the South of France

Lavender fields in the South of France
A3- Pastels
08/11/2016

I've always been attracted by the colors of lavender's fields. The smell make me think of something old fashioned. 

Probably because it's related to my childhood memories, when people were hiding lavender under the clothes to make the wardrobe smell good. 

Honestly, not really a fan of the perfume but the colors are awesome with the different shades of violet, purple and blue. 

Sunset on the beach

Sunset on the beach

A4 

Pastels

8/4/2016

I was working with acrylics and couldn't obtain what I wanted. So, being me, I've decided to change the medium and to let the other one resting... I just hope I will not forgot about it! :-D

Here is a bloody sunset on the beach. Don't know what I have with colors lately but the brighter, the better. Lol.
Will be back with pencils tomorrow! I have found a super cute tiger as well as a fox, can't wait!

Head in the clouds

Head in the clouds

A3

Acrylics

8/3/2016

Second try in acrylics and I'm not comfortable with this medium. But I like to play with the colors. Not really a fan of how fast it dries and how difficult it is to cover the mistakes.

As for what was the perspective and where should the viewer look from...let's say you are a lady bug on a flying carpet! :-D

Geez...I'm bad with perspective and I really need to work on the light. :-) It seems that I just enjoy putting paint on my hands...

Here is a negative version created by my phone. Thought it was funny!

Sunday's Quote

Sunday's Quote

"For I do not want my book to be read carelessly" writen by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Since, I'm reading "The little Prince" again... LOL. I was looking for all the quotes from this author and this one caught my eyes.

I guess I don't want it either for mine. A real book or a more figurative one. It's always sad when someone don't look at you properly or doesn't invest its time to discover or be curious about your inside book.

And when someone does that, the minutes you share together are priceless.
But anyway...


So, I was enjoying a walk in the park near my home today, when I've spotted a lovely place to draw and to think. A quiet piece of grass, where I was able to watch the people around as well as enjoy the strange forms of the clouds. Love doing the guessing game! :-D

After I've finished this drawing (or more like a strange soon to be erased typo), I've discovered cool flowers on my way back.

I don't know their names but I can tell you that the red rose was awesome. Nothing fancy about her, not a lot of petals but...Men!
She was stunning. A vivid red like fresh blood. Couldn't stop by without taking a picture.

I may not be hiking, climbing or seeing extraordinary landscapes this summer but the clouds, the trees, the dragonflies and this red rose, like the one from the "Little Prince", made me smile. And I thought of you and the simple pleasures of the universe. Thanks for this smile, even if you don't know you've put it on my face. ;-)

Uptown & Downtown by Alan Bortman

Uptown & Downtown: Old Skool Paintings on NYC Subway Maps by Alan Bortman
Summary
New York graffiti writers who cut their teeth painting trains in the '70s and '80s transfer Old Skool street art to a more permanent, collectible medium in this book, using transit maps, instead of subway cars, as canvases. 

GHOST, T-KID, QUIK, REVOLT, BLADE, SHAME125, COPE2, SKEME, and others decorated ordinary 23" x 32" MTA maps with their personal tags and graphics echoing the heyday of New York train graffiti. 

Sixteen sections, one for each writer, feature a total of more than 100 maps, as well as brief statements about the painters' artistic evolution and style. Like a dynamic "piece book," or sketchbook, this collection is an exclusive sampling of the painters' signature strokes and tags in portable form. 

In fact, many of the artists featured here have used subway-map art as a springboard from the fleeting genre of train-tagging to the sturdier platform of the international art gallery circuit."

Impressions
Full of great graffitis !

If you like street art and graffiti, you will appreciate this book. It let a huge place to the art. Lot of pieces bought by private buyers are offered to your eyes and they are impressive.

If the art is well shown off, I would have liked to know more about the artists. Sure, there is a bio but a very short one. Like the sobriety of the design but I would have loved more words.
Idem for the introduction to the graffiti on the NYC transit system. I like to read, even if the illustrations are awesome.

Perfect, if you want to enjoy only the art.

Source
*Arc provided by Edelweiss
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Safe in your arms

Safe in your arms

Watercolor

3/6/2016

I was trying to represent the feeling of contentment coming from the warm of a body. 

The tenderness of this simple gesture and the secure impression you get, even if it last just a brief moment in time. :-D

Beauty Spots

Beauty Spots

A8 pencils- charcoal

16/5/2016

A friend told me, she wanted to see more of my pencil drawings so I've done an autoportrait on impulse. I was the only model available and I'm working on body lately. It was a 1h drawing just because I've spent time on the details on the bra.
:-D

Sunset on a lake

Sunset on a lake
A4 pastels
28/4/2016

I was late posting this landscape as I've done it a month ago. Since I've been sick and buried under work, I was not really able to draw or even to find the inspiration.
Hope it will come back soon.
:-D

DAZEWORLD by Chris Ellis

Dazeworld: The Artwork of Chris Daze Ellis by Chris Ellis, Sacha Jenkins

Summary
This is the illustrated story of New York artist Chris Daze Ellis's successful transition from the subways to international studios and galleries. Follow his 30 year career from his teen years as a graffiti writer to his current life as a professional painter, mentor, and family man. 

This book, with more than 250 photographs, is a journey that tracks seminal moments in Daze's life that shaped his art. 

View his aesthetic evolution, from "Graffiti High" (New York's High School of Art and Design) and an "unsanctioned" street art phase to exhibitions with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Train photos from the 1970s and '80s, a broad representation of Daze's studio and mural works, and personal photos guide the reader through an artistic portfolio spanning five decades. 

Contributions by graffiti writer Jay "J.SON" Edlin and essayist Claire Schwartz, and a foreword by graffiti historian and chronicler Sacha Jenkins complete this volume. 

Impressions
Street art is an art that amazed me and I really enjoy to know more about it.

In this book, you learn about Daze's world as an artist. Through his eyes you discover the graffiti, the underworld art as well as the evolution of New York from the 70th to nowadays.
A great original view of an art.

Tha fact that Daze has started his work on trains also captivated me. As we often think of graffiti as a nuisance and an act of incivility, and of course some times it is, it was also cool to see paintings made to embellish the cars. The art robs them of the murky atmosphere by adding some colors.  It was interesting to understand; how this artist was trying to be part of the city by making everything his canvas.

Worldwide famous for his art, his numerous exhibitions and huge projets around the world, Chris Daze Ellis has had an real impact on street art and its recognition.

Perfect book, if you want to learn more about the artist and its art!

About the author
Chris Daze Ellis began painting the gritty New York Subways in the mid-1970s while attending the High School of Art & Design. His work can currently be found in galleries and museums worldwide.

Source
*Arc provided by Edelweiss
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Fishing for the thrill

Fishing for the thrill

So many fish, so many temptation

Every details count for the connoisseur

The place in the river, the bait for the seduction

Standing still, watchfully, thrills the amateur.

While he ties the fly, his excitation grows

The hunt is on. The master deploys his skills

With elegance the hook dives. Carefree, one pray slows

Talented, he lures with whispers that gives him the chills

Gently, he tames with moves steady and enchanting

Anticipating when the deadly kiss will seal the deal

Trapped by the line, the lies, the foul stop fighting 

Soon there will be no air to breath, nothing to feel

Swelling with pride from their exploit, some will brag and embellish

Others will relish their prize in a recipe warming  the heart  

Sportsman who lives for the power, the mastering of the art

Will release the mystified soul and start again.

Sadly at the end, lonely, he will enjoy a dish of frozen fish.

Lucie

29/04/2016

Art: Sharon Nowlan

Landscapes and exploration

Landscapes and exploration

I was working with ink and watercolor. Trying to apply only layers of back and a bit of blue. It seems that it lack of depth to make it more 3 dimensional but I like the far away look in it.
As if you where looking at a scenary while leaving it and put it behind you.

The far away island

For this one, it's my second attempt at acrylic. I like this medium better than watercolor to work with but I'm still learning. The sea is lacking of dimension too and maybe my scenary is a bit dark and agitated for a midnight swim. :-D
Like the possibilities of improvement.

Midnight swim

Cat lost in its thoughts!

Cat lost in its thoughts!

A4

Watercolor

Poppies dreams

Poppies dreams

Seconds before I close my eyes, I see yours
My heart sings, my mind forbids the melody
I breathe deeply, banishing you to a mere memory
I’m tired of fate, its rich stores behind closed doors
Teasing me with hopeful occasional gleams.

I sigh, turn and return, then halt

I let my body be engulfed deeply by soft sheets
Powerless against Morpheus and his asinine treats
Intoxicating illusions of a world without reason
Where your smiles lead to passion and oblivion
A devastating drug called my hell, my dreams

I sigh, turn and return, then I realize

Soon the veil will be lifted, I’m ready to let you go
Without fire, your lukewarm arms are fruitless, heavy
Always, of our bond i will be fond, as well as of my fantasy
But Eos is finally calling, time for new sunrises to glow
I’m free to fly away, to enjoy life until the sun's last beams

Lucie
A5 Painting
Ink, Watercolor, Acrylic 

Bodies of Work by Lauren P. Della Monica

Bodies of Work: Contemporary Figurative Painting
by Lauren P. Della Monica

Summary
Human forms can be intensely intimate or broadly universal. Here, figurative artists use the human form as a tool to express varied content and contemporary issues. 

These paintings depict our feelings and sentiments, our sense of belonging to a larger community in the contemporary world, while capturing the impulses behind the range of figuration presented by today's contemporary international artists.

Portraitist Marlene Dumas presents figures in a gritty, unsentimental manner, evoking the essence of the human condition, while Kerry James Marshall paints the life of African-Americans in the twentieth-century, employing recent historical review to document the social challenges. British artist Jenny Saville paints the figure in massive scale, combined with an overt, never-ending interest in the pure rendering of human flesh. 
Hope Gangloff paints her figures as characters, intimate friends, and acquaintances, narrating a drama from their canvases. An important resource for those interested in contemporary figurative painting.

Impressions
I like realistic paintings and drawings and when I've seen "Bodies of Work", I was curious to know more about nowadays figurative art.

Through the different artists and sensibilities, I was amazed at the details of the portraits and their originality. You can feel the emotions coming from the subject who is posing, like he/she was completely naked in front of you.
For some models, it's literally true and the way the artist see the nudity is also interesting to look at.

The second part is about social art. A section probably more conceptual, more darker for some artists who use their brushes to make engaged art. A great way of expressing your opinions, your views through images.

An interesting art book where I've discovered a lot of great artists and their amazing work.

About the author
Lauren Pheeney Della Monica is a New York-based art consultant specializing in advising private clients on building collections of fine art. She writes about contemporary art, American art, and art collecting.

Source
*Arc provided by Edelweiss
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Red little one

Red little bird that may look like a cute shy flame. LOL.

A5 watercolor

Impatience

I've got sweets, red wine and a seductive smile

You and your body can stop by for a while 

We will set the world on fire, create a incandescent light

But hurry or I may blow away the flames and say goodnight

Turning red

Turning red

I feel vibrant in your company

You tint my feverish cheek 

In a warm shade of cherry

When you whisper your fantasy

Of what you want from my body

Ardent dancer you are unique

And this tango...sigh...the end of me

Mad World

Mad World

Some days, I just can't understand 

Why you should wake up from dreamland

What is the point in trying? 

If ugliness and darkness are the ones winning?

Are all the efforts worth the agitation?

When everything may just be a fucking illusion
Fed up with this mad world!

PS: Love this song but today it's making me sad to listen to it! 

Happy Holi!

Happy Holi to all my Indian's friends!
Like this color celebration, wish I could see that for myself one day. :-D

Mist and Will

Even when everything is blurry

Covered with heavy cold mist

Spring always awaken some beauty

With strong willpower to resist

That hope for a new beginning.

Lucie
22/3/2016
Watercolor