Chef - Honfleur

Alliterations and More

I woke up this morning and the first thought I had was Ding Dang!  Now this is a good old Southern expletive reintroduced via a cousin and friend.  The other one is Dilly Dally!  Fun to say!

I had an award winning painting I entitled "Lots of Pots", and am not proud of that one! 

Veering away from the obvious - there are several southern euphemisms I find descriptive - Raising Sand - didn't understand this one as a child, but I heard my Grandmother use it a lot!  She simply meant, don't create a rukus! One from recent years I find charming is Bowed Up - this one I understand fully - when you catch someone Red Handed - they get Bowed Up.  Then there is the good all around phrase Calling Out, I understand that one all too well, as I have done some Calling Out myself and it doesn't involve yodeling lessons.

In the South, when we wish to imply a future action we are preparing to execute, we say Fixin', ie: I am Fixin to go to the Store to buy the fixings for dinner/supper - so, the plural of Fixin - Fixings is a noun!  We are creative with our speech patterns and sometimes this can sound like a foreign tongue to a north of the Mason-Dixon Line transplant/visitor.

We prefer our peanuts  boiled, our pork bar-be-qued, and can make an entire meal out of butter beans and rice (no, no, these are not lima beans)!!!

Now, I am fixin' to cut off the computer for awhile.

Good Monday!

Honfleur Yacht Basin

Honfleur 

The Normandy Adventure

Honfleur - teeming with tourists - Eric Satie and Boudin museum - Deauville, a hop away!

Eight of us painted around the yacht basin one morning.  It was a good experience for my students.  Somehow we managed to smuggle our oil paints and french easels through customs.  This was the baptism of on location painting for most of them. 

Honfleur is a true tourist town - as we set up and became focused on the task at hand (two hours for each painting) the babble of languages became a blur - Onlookers gathered behind us - obviously discussing our selection of composition and execution, the gift to us was we didn't understand Swedish, Norwegian, German or Italian - (didn't hear a lot of French spoken that morning) so we were not distracted by the comments. 

To be in such charming surroundings, to be able to go into that altered state and stay there for hours surrounded by a churning crowd of watchers - the ability to shut the world out and work - that was the lesson this day!  Not to create a piece of art, but to learn how to create and banish stage fright!

Moulin De Le Connelles

17th century timbered four star hotel Connelles, Normandy!  Two times - I have had visited this wonderful place - The hotel  actually straddles a fork of the Seine.

The ability to view the Seine from my window - the changing light - the optical illusions at sunset.  Unbelievable for the painter.  The chefs allowed us into the kitchen to watch them prepare croissant, etc.   Southern charm goes a long way!!!  

In action - with an open casement window and morning light - What more could I ask.  I have painted this baker/chef many times - He was delightful!  I wish I had asked his name - but we were allowed a very short time in this french kitchen.

We painted on location here and rested - pastoral - quiet - inspiring!

Don't miss the opportunity to stay here if you are in Normandy, you will not be disappointed.

My room was the top window on the right!  The view produced many paintings!

Enjoy!

Lauren

This is a little gem portrait of Lauren - one of my beautiful granddaughters.  She is a rising high school senior and will soon leave the nest . In this portrait she is 4 or 5 years old - memory isn't what it used to be.

This painting is executed on a 6" x 8" linen panel, oil is the medium.  I began this painting ten days ago - and finished yesterday July 6, 2012.  

I believe that I have captured her spirit, which is loving, generous, kind and giving.  It is my opinion re: portrait work - to capture the essence of the subject - and I know many think this is artistic babble - but it is true.  If the emotion and soul of the subject is not revealed in the finished product,  it is nothing more than a rendering, or photograph - an exact likeness - and most artists can produce that - but it comes across without warmth - without that spark.  Gifted photographers do a better job of this than a cold stone artist! 

I remember reading that John Singer Sargent (an American expatriate) was considered a hack in is day because he was a portrait artist - I strongly disagree - he was magnificent - he was a painter who painted personalities - he was a rock star!   He produced paintings.  He showed them - his first commission contract was $150,000 - and in his day this was a fortune.  If you are not familiar with his work - look it up online - you will understand.

Say something people - pretty pictures are for people who want to match art and their sofas!  Gad Zooks - take a stand!

Sorry for that emotional outburst - that's just the way I see it!

Later!

A Little 4th of July Story

(the names have been withheld to protect the privacy of my friends)

Several years ago I was invited to participate in a wonderful southern Norman Rockwell 4th of July celebration.  Pot luck in the south is incredible - no one would consider bringing less than his or her best offering - be it main dish, side dish or dessert.  That being said - let me set the scene!

Small southern village - community park surrounded by oak trees dripping with Spanish moss - gazebo - community center on the property where an generous buffet would be set for the entire village!

I accompanied my friend, art teacher and mentor (with her husband). 

Eight or nine of us stepped into the gazebo and sang patriotic songs (Dixie included) - a local pastor blessed the food and it was on!

The highlight of the event was a portrait unveiling!  My friend had painted a portrait of the village's founder which would hang in the local museum!  How wonderful (how Norman Rockwell is this getting?).  

Then the desserts were offered - one of them a red - white and blue confection (the blue being blueberries) was being consumed by my friend, when a reporter from one of our State's most prestigious newspapers introduced himself to our table, to interview her as the artist (this was a big deal)!  

When she lifted her head to acknowledge him, and smiled - she displayed a set of bright blue teeth!  I am sorry, I started having one of those inside laughing spasms you have in church - and it finally exploded.  

There was nothing I could do until the end of their conversation - by this time I had excused myself - !

Well, that is the end of the story - one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed.  She was a good sport about the entire incident, and no photos were taken of her - thank goodness! 


Hope you had a fun, happy, patriotic and safe 4th of July!



   

Jeremy Creek, McClellanvile South Carolina

Fourth of July in the South

Fourth of July! Independence Day! 

A family gathering day in the American south!  This is a day for celebrating southern comfort foods - boiled peanuts, hand churned ice cream, macaroni and cheese and most importantly home made potato salad. 

No self respecting southern woman would serve "store bought" potato salad, and each ancestral line had its "secret" ingredient list which had to include Dukes mayonnaise - this is also a guide that indicates whether or not a woman who resides on the other side of the Mason Dixon Line is a true Steel Magnolia - check her pantry!  Dukes mayo not there ??? - not a southerner!!!  

Another tradition in South Carolina for this national holiday is the family fireworks extravaganza.  Fireworks are legally purchased in South Carolina and can be legally ignited (please check your town's guidelines).  There are three holidays we indulge in fireworks - July 4th, Christmas eve and New Year's eve (my Canadian born father never understood Christmas eve).  None of my people suffered injury via fireworks, but there is one story I will share - I know for a fact this happened, but will not offer names.  

A day of celebration along a beachfront neighborhood complete with sidewalks (significant ingredient), one of the celebrants (male) decided that he would be the fireworks grand finale.  His plan was to place enough sparklers in his helmet to set the evening sky ablaze (never asked how this was done) then inline skate past the party goers.  I am told that there were oohs and ahhhs for approximately fifteen seconds -  this was not a good idea - and involved a visit to the emergency room - the lesson?  Human sparklers and an afternoon of cocktails do not mix well!

So, my South Carolina friends - indulge yourselves today - have fun and be safe! 

 

http://jeanhanna.com/blog-studio/

Good News

My venture into the world of online mercantile has begun.  My online store, featured on this blog, is up and running.  This is exciting and I hope that all of you will share this news with your friends.

The artwork I have been featuring is now available on stretched canvas in ink print, archival giclee form.  The product list on the sidebar will only feature items that are in stock.  If you have any questions concerning my art, please leave a message here, or email @artigal@hotmail.com.  I will be glad to answer any concerns you may have!  

I respect Cezanne's skewed artistic viewpoint and tend to experiment.  This bird's eye view of a still life entitled "Pears and Roses" is one of my softer offerings.  The plate is vintage french.  I have a collection of art books - I spotted this one in a book - "Cezanne's Table".  There was a photograph of a sideboard with these plates displayed.  He loved peaches and voila, they are decorated with peaches.  I actually found a set of these on ebay years ago, bought them and use them in many still life set ups.  There is something spiritual- having these prizes - they connect and inspire me! 

Off to a day of paperwork - which will most probably become my first procrastination of the week.  I am ready to paint!