Visiting Paris is...

... a pain in the neck. Literally! But I take it with a smile. As they say: "Beauty knows no pain." - and for this beauty I will endure it any day!

Pont d'Iéna at the foot of the Eiffel Tower

Where does the pain come from? 
From constantly walking with my head turned upwards.

Why? 
Because that is where Paris hides her most beautiful jewels in plain sight. Granted, not always so easy to see with the naked eye, but with the help of a zoom lens on a camera, ...well, ...Wow!

So where exactly are these jewels? 
In the exquisite architectural details all over the city.

Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)

The Louvre

The Louvre

Institut de France

Musée Carnavalet

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The best are those patiently waiting to be painstakingly stripped of the city's pollution and nature's contribution in wrapping them in a beautiful patina, highlighting their intricate details. 

Basilica Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre

Institut de France

Institut de France

Musée du Luxembourg in the Luxembourg Gardens

Above the Tower Door at the Musée National du Moyen Âge, formerly Musée de Cluny

Equestrian statue of Saint Louis at Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre




And when my neck can no longer hold up to the strain, I just need to lower my chin to be blown away by the patina on statues and monuments. 

Église Saint-Eustache with the L'écoute sculpture by Henri de Miller

Monument to French painter, Jean-Antoine Watteau, in the Luxembourg Gardens

Joies de la famille by Horace Daillion in the Luxembourg Gardens

Sainte Clothilde in the Luxembourg Gardens

Statue of Chevalier de la Barre in the Nadar garden, at the foot of the Basilica Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre

Equestrian statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, King of the Franks, in front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral




Even on tombs and tombstones.

Montmartre Cemetery

Montmartre Cemetery

Montmartre Cemetery

Wandering through Paris in this fashion, also takes its toll on my feet, my shins and my knees. Things like side walks and bollards keep appearing from nowhere, tripping me up! But hey, when I sit down at the end of the day to look at my photos, it's all worth the bruises and the crick in the neck! And the excitement starts bubbling up inside of me for tomorrow's stroll among the jewels.


If you're new to my blog, you may also enjoy my post on Patina in Paris and this one on Patina at Musée Carnavalet.


Happy Painting!

Tania
xxx

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Combining 2 Passions: Trumeau Mirrors and Shell Art

The art of ornamental shellwork, initially a European tradition, has been around since the early 18th century.

In her exquisite book, THE SHELL - A World of Decoration & Ornament, Ingrid Thomas writes: "The Rococo style of the 18th century was dominated by feminine taste and influence. As well as showing off their grottoes, ladies of society competed for the most elaborate and elegant interior decorations. The availability of foreign shells, many of them of dazzling beauty, suggested a new pastime that would introduce a different kind of decoration into their houses. Thus alongside the traditional pursuits of tapestry and embroidery there emerged a new hobby, shellwork, the perfect embodiment of the Rococo ideal."

By the late 18th century this art which started off as a pastime for the rich only, had spread to become vogue among ladies of culture. The accomplished shell artist of the time, Mary Delany, was a highly respected member of the cultural and social elite in England and she said: "I've got a new madness! I'm running wild for shells. The beauty of shells is as infinite as flowers."



A while ago I decided it would be rather fun to combine two of my passions: producing trumeau mirrors and the art of shellwork. You see, I too am running wild for shells now!

Making the trumeau was not as difficult as it may seem.

 I just stuck to the basic formula we use in Module 6 of our online course: Construct a basic background, add mouldings, beadings and mirror glass, but here comes the twist.  Instead of using pressed or cast ornaments, I used shells as decoration. I also applied the different layers of home made paint, before adding any shells. 

After the first coat of paint I made and applied a gap filler where needed, followed by more paint.

After the paint had dried, I started with the oval at the top. First I set the shells out to find the correct design. Once I was satisfied with that, I made a gesso-like mixture which I applied to the flat surface inside the oval and placed the shells back in position.

Next up I tackled the detail below the mirror in the same fashion.

Then I decided to add detail around the mirror itself. I did have more than enough shells, but just not always the right size. This caused some delays as I first needed to collect the missing shells. They proved to be rather illusive.

Eventually I was ready to adhere them to the frame. I used narrow strips of sticky tape to lift the shells off the frame, applied my mixture, placed the strips of shells back in position and then carefully removed the tape once the mixture was set.

The next step was to attach the shells that I had laid out like a jigsaw puzzle in the side panels. I used the same method as before, but opted for a wider packing tape with which I transferred  the shells.

I added some accent colours, waited for them to dry and then the real fun began.  

My favourite part in the whole painting process, is the distressing. This is where I expose the underlying coats of paint and create a "history" for my trumeau.

Finally I added shells as corner details and my work was done!

I'll be off to the beach for more shells soon.

Happy Painting!

Tania

xxx

If you also have a thing for shellwork, you may enjoy my earlier post here and an even earlier one here.

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Make your own Cassone

A cassone is a large marriage chest that was one of the trophy furnishings of rich merchants and aristocrats in Italian culture.  These beautifully painted and gilded works of art were given to a bride by her parents, as their contribution to the wedding. It was filled with the personal goods of the bride and placed at the foot of the bed in the bridal suite.

"This cassone was probably made to celebrate a marriage in the Strozzi family, as it is decorated with family emblems on the sides. The scene on the front is thought to portray the conquest of Trebizond. However, two other surfaces of the cassone are decorated with painted imitations of the textile designs. The exchange of expensive luxury fabrics and jewels was an important component of wedding preparations during the Renaissance. The inside of the lid and the back panel, seen here, are both painted to look like the magnificent "pomegranate"-style velvets, with two heights of silk pile and metal-thread brocading. These painted surfaces refer to the valuable contents that would have been stored in such a chest." - Metropolitan Museum

What I found especially fascinating here, is the back view that seems to be unfinished. Because it was made to be placed at the foot of the bed, the back was not finished off like the rest of the chest and you can see the construction, yet they did decorate it to some extent. Almost like an afterthought or perhaps a later addition. Might this have been done by someone else at a later stage?   Note the patina on the light wood - scratches and cracking.

This cassone is the work of Marco del Buono Giamberti (Italian, Florentine, 1402–1489); Apollonio di Giovanni di Tomaso (Italian, Florentine, 1415/17–1465). It was decorated with tempera, gold, and silver and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum.

Now, making your own, slightly simplified cassone, is quite doable.

You can use an existing wooden chest or box. Alternatively, you could make a basic chest, using the woodwork skills taught in the Display Case Module of the FARRAGOZ Patina PROJECTS Course.

Once you have your structure, you can create your own low relief decoration on the required areas. For that you would use the recipes and techniques from Italian Style Frame Module in which students learn to make a gold frame with the same kind of low relief decoration as the cassone in the above photos.

Next you would prepare the flat surfaces, transfer the images of your choice and apply paint in the same manner as you would do with the Byzantine Style Icon in the Icon Module. The paint itself can be made according to the recipe for tempera, as used in creating the Angel Plaque in the same course.

Finally you will need to distress and seal your cassone in the same fashion as we do with the above mentioned PROJECTS from this course, in order for it to look authentically old.

Anyone up for the challenge? I would love to see your cassone.

Happy Painting!

Tania

xxx

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