Jean Hanna's Blog Studio

I will be adding content from my blog from time to time. I update it frequently. I hope you enjoy my musings.

Giverny Luncheon

The day we toured Monet's home and gardens in Giverny, we took a mid day break for lunch.  An alfresco event !  


In an instant, I became a "people watcher".  The sun was cutting through the trees and just happened to illuminate this couple. 


I think this tells an interesting story.
It is obvious that they are at total ease with one another, which I found intriguing.  I am drawn to cafe scenes.  It seems that sharing meals in France is a relaxed social event, no hurry to give that table up for another party, people are allowed to enjoy the total experience.  

The Lily Pond - Giverny

I know, every artist who has ever been to Giverny has painted this scene.  
It is just too tempting not to paint it.  Of course, I put my own spin on it.
The painting is the result of the second Normandy painting trip.  We made reservations to paint in Monet's garden six months in advance.  Six American painters and the gardeners, no tourists for the entire day.  
It was really difficult to paint on location; the gardens are so vast and wildly colorful, even in October, focusing is very hard.  Too much to take in at one time.
One of the painters remarked upon leaving the lily pond that the experience was similar to being in a cathedral, she was right.  It was an humbling experience, the master was here, painted here, ate, drank and made merry here.  

If you haven't experienced this wonderful place, it is a must, especially if you are an artist. 

Rocky of Rouen

Rouen


This is not the typical painting subject matter most artists choose from a trip to Rouen.  The Notre Dame cathedral that Monet painted over and over again, in every season, time of day and weather condition - stunning. This cathedral had been burned into my minds eye before I saw it.  Also I faced the fact that no one could compete with the master's canvases.  Besides, I was going to record my memory of this place.

Upon leaving Rouen that September afternoon, we paused to be refreshed alfresco.  Sidewalk cafes were stacked side by side, it was difficult to locate a table that was not occupied.  The unengaged table we found was indeed engaged by a basset hound named Rocky who was sprawled underneath the table, his right front paw partially covering a huge croissant.  He didn't seem particularly interested in us, however, anytime a male came within ten feet he would bark incessantly.

So, we were told the story -- Rocky of Rouen.  Rocky belonged to the cafe owner. Each morning Rocky would make his rounds, the butcher shop, the seafood shop, the pastry shop and so on.  Rocky would stop in the doorway of each shop where he would be rewarded with a treat from the shop owner --  he consumed these morsels immediately.  His last stop was the bakery, where he was given a fresh croissant.  The croissant would be carried home intact and would be guarded for the remainder of the day until twilight - when the croissant would be eaten.  The waitress who shared this story with us invited us to come into the cafe, where a life sized ceramic replica of Rocky, a gift from a local artist, was displayed.  This dog was the toast of Rouen! 

The painting??  I snapped this shot while my fellow artists were securing our table.  The memory had been captured, the day I met Rocky, the croissant toting basset hound - Rocky of Rouen.

Etretat - The Painting

This painting was completed in my studio and is the result of a plein air painting trip to Normandy in 2006.  I used a palette knife, it is oil on canvas and the dimensions are 30" x 40".  It is the last painting I sold before the economy took a nose dive.  I would have held onto this one, but my cottage is too small, the ceilings are too low, it needed a proper home, and it found one.

As I was painting Etretat I fell in love with it. When I fall in love with a painting, I tend to slow down the painting process  ----  the truth is I begin to have a relationship with the work and start to experience  premature separation anxiety.  I would go into an altered state of conciousness every session, and when I do this, I am working entirely out of the right brain - I don't think, I create.  This doesn't happen with every painting, when it does - - - euphoria!

There is an inner peace that follows the completion of a work well done!