Fresh and clean

I remember these words I caught in the most amazing opera I have ever seen ( Einstein on the beach).
In april, a very tiny french island that I know and cherish, is a " fresh and clean " place.

Sometimes you feel like you should have vacations anywhere else when you sit in the boat.

You can only find seagulls on the beach

Kids are proud of fishing squids; people there call them "morgates".

I am sailing and will be back soon !

ELLE Nederland

 ELLE Nederland magazine is featuring many Etsy artists this week YEAH !

The magazine will be available tomorrow in stores. I guess I will try to get one in la Gare du Nord (once more!). There, we can find the international newsvendor. Stations I love you ....

( We have been asked not to show the other artists work on our blogs, but if you buy the issue you will see them :)

Indian pink

In Paris I have been living in several flats, I notice they often were close to stations. I like traffic, ports and stations, I always have been thinking that they were full of promises, even if I don't move from my district.

I lived (and had a studio nearby, shared with my art school friends ), near la Gare de l'Est, and la Gare du Nord; these 2 stations are very close one from another. Trains link Paris up to London, to Belgium and Netherlands,  as well as Germany and east of France.

 But this "10ème arrondissement" is also called the Little India. Passage Brady is such a cool place, but.... you know my english.... You should have a look at Elliott Esther's post, he is talking of this "other world "much better than I would.

myparisnotebook

flanancias

I am now living and working near " la Gare Saint Lazare ". People are on their way to Normandy, west of France, but can't go further without swimming in the ocean.

This week is always the most beautiful one of the year in my street, trees are blooming !

( ooops...definitely have to try having prettier photos with my brand new Iphone)

.........Dreams of Japan.........

Japanese vegetables botanical plate on Etsy

Mint tea

When my kids were very young, they did not really like milk for breakfast, so I  looked for something warm they could drink before going to school; I thought of mint tea, tried this, and they liked it so much. My 16 years old daughter is still drinking her mint tea every morning...in a japanese teapot bought at Mariage frères. Just need to have some fresh mint always in the fridge, and :

You know that I like travel journals, mail art, and mixing of cultures.

 Today I had this vintage moroccan envelope, sent to New York City, this was for a mint tea painting.

I painted with golden gouache on the glasses of course !

The MaineCoonCat

Macarons tips

When baking my first chocolate macarons, I had a few precious tips. I like drawing rather than speaking, so here is an illustration of what I learned:

Colors are way nicer in person; my scan is a good one, but it hates the fresh green Ladurée color, and silver painting....too bad.

Uglier and uglier, YEAH ! my camera is the winner, but you can see the silver painting slightly shimmering.

This is the approximate translation for the tips, but they are very important for success :

1/ Leave the egg whites in the fridge for one night before starting the recipe

2/ Choose an electric mixer instead of a kitchenaid while beating the egg whites.

3/ Mix (in the kitchenaid!) the almond powder with the ice sugar, and chocolate - if you bake chocolate flavoured macarons - a very very very very very long time.

4/ Before baking them in the oven, leave the macarons for an hour or more, in a peaceful and cool place.

5/ Make a stack with 3 baking trays in the oven, this is weird but will help macarons having a "collerette".

Many good tips here

Is there a fig tree in Monet's garden ?

These art school supplies were hidden for a long time in a drawer, and I have been about to throw them in the trash very often... and never could do this, because I love this kind of "thing". Not useful anymore in anyway, they are just here for fun now :

You maybe will see these letters and symbols in my next paintings :

Was it the time for tidying up my studio ? I found this cooking journal of Claude Monet :

I received it as a gift for my 35th birthday, many a few years ago, and then invited my friends for a "grand dîner". The whole menu was from this cookbook, and I remember having spent 2 days in the kitchen for it ! ( I can't believe it now ). But it worthed it.

Recipes are very easy, Claude Monet enjoyed cooking in his blue and yellow kitchen.
This book is also available in english.

Inspired by " Les pêches à la Bourdaloue ", which seems to be a yummy one for sure !

Back from the market

News from the parisian market : winter veggies are still here but we already see fresh spring greens....very slowly.

Vilmorin's botanical plates are very inspiring, captions as well :

" Variegated eggplant from Guadaloupe "
" Pumpkin from Valparaiso  "
" Golden ball turnip "
" Round or flat black turnip "
" Pea from Auvergne ( pruning knife or cossack (!) "