WHERE DO COLORS COME FROM?

Maureen asked: Your work is beautiful from the perspective of the architecture and everyday life graphics that you capture (read coffee cups), but I am also mesmerized by the color you use. What inspires your color choices? 

My answer: 

Maureen, the colors speak to me. When I look at a piece of white silk with a design sketched on it, an area of the design presents itself to me and says, “Me! I’m red!” And once I decide which type of red it should be, mix it, and paint it, that particular red informs the next color. Do I want a color that contrasts with the red, or blends with it, or complements it?

Sometimes the composition informs the color choice. For example, how many blue skies can I paint and still make each one unique? How many different colors of blue can I discover to represent a sky? Do I want the blue to be a “real” sky blue or a shocking, unusual sky blue? Just yesterday I painted an orange sky--and I’m ecstatic about it. Yes, it is unusual, but the orange spoke to me when I looked at the forest green foreground and the fuchsia midground. And speaking of foreground and midground, I take into consideration whether I want the foreground color in a painting to bring that foreground close, or to make it visually recede.

It may take up to a week to find the right color. When I’m working on a color it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and it stays with me all day. It’s like a dialogue I have with the artwork and the colors. I cannot explain how my mind “sees” a color and how I then interpret it. But if I have an idea of a color in my head, I may say to myself, “Well, that would take a royal blue, rather than a navy blue, and then I will add some lemon yellow . . . ” Sometimes the colors surprise me completely. I was so excited to see that when I mixed the forest green (which took a week to perfect) and the fuchsia, which were side by side on the painting, it created a beautiful deep maroon-burgundy, which then created harmony in the painting when I used it for the details. Divine!

Quite simply, colors make me happy. I relish them, absorb them, and study them constantly. When I am driving down a country road in the early morning (which, living in the country, I frequently do), I often stop the car so I can study the colors in the sunrise. My eyes drink in the colors; I put what I know and what I have discovered about the color into my color memory bank, and live with it for a while. I also study artists whose work speaks to me: Henri Matisse and Edouard Vuillard, for example. And sometimes I ask friends what their favorite color combinations are, or I look around to see the colors in my own environment that inspire me. And I use that information as a jumping off place to begin painting.

Now you know why I enjoy being an artist: I love the feeling of being surrounded by beauty and surprises all the time! 

A DREAM COME TRUE: MY ART RECEPTION IN PARIS

November 12, 2014 - Truly one of the best days of my life. There was a crowd at the reception, half of whom were people I knew and their friends, and half of whom were total strangers to me. Such a nice mix! Everyone loved the artwork and asked lots of questions about my process, inspiration, etc. Most people spoke in French, and I did my best to reply to them in French.

During the reception, Christina, the cultural events coordinator, gave a talk about my work. Below is the text of her talk (translation courtesy of Etienne and Christina):

"I think René's artwork is very interesting. The pieces give a strong atmosphere , and you don't see people in the prints and paintings. There may be a dog that walks around, but otherwise you see only glasses and coffee cups. With these cups one can imagine the people behind the coffee; those who have prepared the coffee, or those drinking it. These art pieces are 'inhabited.' They invite us all to pick up the cup and enjoy some coffee.

I am very happy to introduce René to you all. This reminds me of the saying, 'Tell me what you drink (or eat); I’ll tell you who you are.' René embodies this idea. She travels through taste: she often comes to France, and she drinks good wine and good coffee. This is how she came to La Caféothèque: because she was looking for some good coffee to drink. That was one year ago. We communicated through e-mail and we met each other only one week ago. We actually found out that we make a great team!

I also  want  to thank Laure, who helped us a lot. She is a very sensitive person with art; she has good judgment and she can create stories through what she sees to share with others.

I am very happy to be here and share this time with you. The exhibition will be on display until January 7. I invite you all to have another look at the pieces . Enjoy!"

-Christina Chirouze Montenegro

Working with my "team" in Paris

 

November 7, 2014. I AM SO HAPPY TO BE IN PARIS!! Met my "team" tonight - Christina Chirouze Montenegro & Laure Jubert. We looked over my art, decided how to hang it, and discussed our philosophies on art and life.

Christina & Laure loved their t-shirts I brought for them. I can tell that these two talented women are going to make great things happen!

November 8, 2014. Out shopping for picture frames, and having a coffee (of course!) at café Loustic in the Marais - where Laure works during the day. Event documented below -  with the inimitable Christina Chirouze Montenegro!

I'm exploring France and calling it research - how awesome is that?  What artwork will come from my current experiences? In just a few days we'll be celebrating the opening of my first exhibit in Paris!

A Quiet Visit to a Café

Today, a year after my last visit, I quietly returned to La Caféothèque de Paris. I didn't let anyone know I was coming. I wanted to see this magical place again by myself: explore the rooms, study the walls, feel the space, and find out whether the coffee really is as good as I remembered.

It is.

The espresso I had today was full of body and smooth as silk. No acid, no bitterness; just pure, gentle coffee flavor. It really is the best coffee I have ever had.

The space is also as wonderful as I remembered. It has four connected rooms for enjoying your beverage, each with its own personality. Today I sat in the "Green Room," a setting with rustic wooden tables and plants - including coffee - growing everywhere. The cafe was pleasantly busy; there was a buzz of soft conversation from some of the patrons, while others read or spent time with their work before them.

As I sipped my espresso, I watched the activity on the city streets through the large windows overlooking the Seine and Île Saint-Louis. I watched the cycles, the motos, the little Fiats and Peugeots go by, as well as the pedestrians: the office workers, students, and tourists. The streets were alive, and all who passed by looked as though they were enjoying the day as much as I was.

***

I'm exploring France and calling it research. What artwork will come from my current experiences?  In just another week we'll be celebrating the opening of my first exhibit in Paris!