Exhausted, but I’m here in Paris.  Here’s how I got to Paris -

I think the whole experience of going to Paris, and what it took for me to set up this trip, is very emotional to me, very meaningful.  I suppose, there’s nothing that different here than anyone’s Jet Trip, but to me it had some additional meanings – since I had some many obstacles to overcome in order to set up the trip in the first place.

Since I could only stay for half of the total trip – the rest of the group is in Aix-en-Provence, happily painting right now, until June 17th, while I had to leave on June 7th, I reconciled that I had done the best trip I could given my circumstances, at this point of my life.

Was it the ideal trip?  Was it the best trip it could have been?  It would have been better for me even if I could have stayed till today (another 2 and a half days) but I could not, in all honesty, do that as there were many pulls requiring me to come back when I did.

Even so, I asked myself, as I flew back – crying -deep tears, if there could have been a way to stay longer and I just did not think it through enough, or plan it well enough.

Oh well, we live, and hopefully, we learn.

Here’s the last of the three videos I made which comprise most of the footage from that day – I’ve provided the first two video URLs as well. Enjoy

Video Part 3 (the longest segment) – also note the Tree Breast at 1 minute into this clip – it’s special and way off the path (you have to climb down to it and it’s not seen from the road). Also, there’s some footage of the best and most expensive restaurant in Aix-en-Provence, Le Clos De La Violette, at the end of the file (but the URL link does not seem to work).

part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZleHXMqK-8

part 2 -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXuBVOaqayE

part 3 – http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3LJW43WEGk

My guide, Christine Boulet (who lives in Aix-en-Provence and who I met the day before)  on this 4 or 5 hour walk to my favorite Painter, Paul Cezanne, happened on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 and took most of the afternoon and early evening.  At the end of the long, long walk/hike, it rained. 

Note: The quality of the video that gets uploaded and shown on YouTube is considerably less than the original files – I noticed that, no matter what I do, preparing and uploading online video footage for streaming video makes the videos loose a lot of the details.

Also, my recollection of the color of the sky – it was much bluer than richer than what is coming over from the videos.  My take on that – whenever we translate an experience from one form to another (IE: a part of my life is transformed into a video) something is lost (in this case, a lot is lost).

On the other hand, what is gained is the memory I have as I look at these videos that warms my heart and brings back the fresh air, whooshing sounds, thundering and pungent smell of the the moist earth – the rich warm reddish browns of the earth and the brilliant blue of the sky.   A gray-lavender band of wood, part of the foliage / trees is pushed more towards lavender by the rich greens of the tree leaves and grass on the grounds. 

After the first hour, or so, of our walk, we had the sandwiches and Pepsi Light (we brought no water – or sunglasses) – the heat got to be almost unbearable and when we reached a midway point there was a water fountain – near a dam – and I got my shirt all wet, just to deal with the the intense heat/sun.   But then, as the afternoon progressed, it cooled down and rained and that was magical.

My guide, Christine Boulet, was wonderful company – but little of that is really translated in this movie and yet, I hope all of that comes though, past the limitations of the medium of Online Streaming Video – via YouTube.

Again, Enjoy and for any of my readers on ArtNewYorkCity.com  – I’d love to hear your feedback.  Bear in mind, I’m not the best photographer – fortunately, Christine Boulet took over for much of the footage, she has a much steadier hand than I – but I’m learning.

Life is so crazy; haven’t been over to my studio to paint for almost two weeks – but I will spend the better part of Saturday and maybe, Monday, painting – and I have on my mind a still life, sorta like a Paris Still Life, to do.

Which reminds me that life has a way of repeating itself as 20 years ago, when I went to Paris for the first time, I also painted a Paris Still Life – but it was a much more drawn out painting – and I remember selling – it was a commission, for a 1000 bucks.   Here’s the Paris Still Life I painted – and I remember it took me a month to painting and I did quite a bit of over painting on it.

I think the painting was 30″ x 40″, or something like that – oil on canvas.

 I don’t think in terms of money, but I did then – I could think of little else as I was always worried about not having enough.  I barely made it to Paris 20 years ago, and all I did was hang out in the city and speak to American Woman – no one else would speak to me.  

Thankfully, the upcoming trip won’t be a repeat exactly as I am going with people, or meeting them at any rate.

But the Still Life in my mind, if I get to do it – will, probably be one, or at most, two sittings and include the World View of Paul Cezanne and the Journal of Eugene Delacroix as well as a book on the South of France…and any other bric a brac that I can find at the studio.

Which reminds me, I bought some Art Supplies to take to with me tonight – some very oily Oil Pastels and two sketch pads … I need little else as what I’ll paint is much as I paint here – pastels are much faster and less messy … and they are much quicker to work in – and require less commitment in terms of setup and finishing up, cleaning, etc.  But then again, I’m pretty messy with my art supplies, once I start using them.

With out forgetting to mention it – I did go to a great opening last night at the Fuse Gallery in the East Village – and wrote it up on Webmetricsguru.com – here it is – Lifelogging event – Destroy Television – Jerry Paffendorf, Christian Westbrook – Fuse Gallery NYC.  I even put 7 YouTube movies in the post so you can see for yourself what the opening was all about (hint – Second Life and Art).

Some people are telling me that Second Life is not that important – and maybe they’re right – I tend to go with what I think is important at the  moment – and honestly…I don’t know who I am anymore – pulled in so many directions and wanting to contain them all.

But I started out – as an artist and I remain, fundamentally, an artist; a painter.

Did a painting today – I have not recovered fully from a long, intense week in San Francisco – but I did not want to leave my painting behind.  Having said that – I also did not feel up to doing two studies today and settled for this nude painting – below:

 

I’m hoping the Paris Trip I’ll be taking in a few weeks will help me recharge my energies and give me some perspective on the work I’ve done over the last year.  For one thing – I’d like to see what other artists do with the same motifs. 

Not even certain I’ll paint much on this trip – not enough time.   I am not going as much, this time, to paint, as to fulfill a dream to visit Paul Cezanne’s studio and hang out in Paris with other artists. 

I went to Paris in 1987, myself; it was kinda tough to take in Paris as I did not speak French and few people wanted to talk to me – mostly Americans.  I think, this time, it will be different.    Also, on my first trip, I never made it further out of the city than Versailles.

Getting back to my nude study today, I was able to stay with oil pastels and not stray off to chalk or wax pastels – I am happy I did not mix it all up – because I’m getting tired of losing control as add chalk pastels over Oil Pastels.