Paris Coundown

Not long to go now before we touch down in Paris.

It's just under 9 weeks and still so much to prepare.

Actually I've been delaying the inevitable with this blog..........a good excuse not to do the packing I think........but now it's time to knuckle down and get things done.

Here's a shorlist of the jobbies (not in order of importance) that I've yet to complete:

1.  Pack everything for storage - approx. 20 boxes already packed.......but there'll be double this I'm sure.

2.  Organise the storage facility.......somewhere close by if possible.

3.  Learn French...only joking!  I've been taking a couple of courses with Alliance Francais here in Brisbane....so hopefully, with this grounding,  I'll be able to make my reservations at Le Meurice and ask "Mon dieu, c'est combien?"   I'm also OK at "Je suis australienne........je m'appelle Robyn" but not much else malheureusement!

4.  Pack for Paris........well, I like to travel light....but not for an extended period - a girl has to have her coats, boots, scarves, hats for Paris and, of course, Pierre will want to take his stuff too.  So I'm going to organise Fedex to  deliver 100kg for us.  Then there's all my art 'stuff' (journals, crayons, inks, etching plates, brushes, pencils, wax seals, xuan paper etc etc) that I'll be taking to Paris.

5.  Organise travel money etc.  Wow.......that exchange rate is looking very healthy at present.

6.  Check that passports, other documents and reservations are in order.

7.  Find the perfect passport wallet.  Any suggestions?

8.  Sell our Tigra gris.

Our little silver convertible Tigra is up for sale.

9.  Find the perfect tenant for our home here in Brisbane.

10.  Buy a new laptop and install Skype.   L'appartement in Paris provides free internet and phone calls back to Australia so we'll easily be able to keep in contact with family and friends.

Voila!

So.........as you can see, quite a few little things to take care of in the next 9 weeks.  Oh.......and of course, I have to do some printing and take a workshop before I leave Australia.  My wonderful addiction needs a couple of fixes before I leave!

Now.......as I'm going to be a little busy for the next 9 weeks, I'll probably post just once a week on the blog.............but, hopefully, when I'm settled in Paris I'll extend on this and do more regular Parisian posts (and I've already got a few exquisite ateliers, exhibitions, wine bars and restaurants to tell you about.)

A bientot.

You may also like my post on:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/difficult-decision.html

Parisian vert, orange et gris

I love the Parisian green of chestnut leaves and the chalky verdantique and verdigris on Paris' sculptures and monuments.

Rusty gold/orange/bronze and gunmetal grey (and all the variations in between) can be seen on the architecture of Paris.

These are the colours that I seem to be drawn to subconsciously.

I prefer these colours when printing too (they just seem to suit my work).  I've decided to keep 'colour boards/journals' when I get to Paris - I think they'll be useful resources for ongoing inspiration.

Here are my favourites in all their variations - Parisian vert, orange et gris.

La Couleur Vert

Chestnut branches outside our apartment window

The tranquil garden at the Musee Rodin

Rodin's verdigris lovers outside Musee de L'Orangerie

Living botanical wall at the Musee de Quai Branly

La Couleur Orange

Modgliani's orange flesh tones at the Musee de L'Orangerie

The polished and gleaming orange tones of the Musee Nissim Comondo

Apricot peony from the rue Cler flower market

Miro's vert, orange et rouge

The elegant Art Nouveau wrought iron at the Grand Palais

La Couleur Gris

I love walking through here - the Buren Columns in the main courtyard of the Palais Royal.

A beautiful example of trompe l'oeil in the 7th arrondissement

Mon appartement???? I wish!

Gris et verdigris at Musee Cognacq-Jay

You may also like my post on:

http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/paris-and-lheure-bleue.html

Paris on a Grand Scale

Last year I was fortunate enough to visit the wondrous Grand Palais in Paris.

This immense building was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris and is a truly unique building............an architectual miracle in my view.

The exhibition, Monumenta, is staged each May in the glass-roofed nave of the Grand Palais, with a well-known contemporary artist invited to create a work especially for this monumental space.

Last year, the incredible Anish Kapoor was the featured artist.

Walking in and through Anish Kapoor's enormous aubergine sculpture was unforgettable.  Almost spiritual.   He created a 13 500 square metre aubergine cave that allowed minimal amounts of light through its semi-transparent blood red roof.  Spellbinding!

The guest artist of 2012 is to be Daniel Buren.  Daniel Buren created those famous black and white columns (see below) in the main courtyard of the Palais Royal - one of my favourite spaces in Paris.

The Buren Columns in the main courtyard of the Palais Royal

I'll visit Monumenta 2012 (10 May 2012 to 21 June 2012) and write a post about it.  I know it will be thrilling.

Should you want a virtual discovery of the Grand Palais go to http://www.grandpalais.fr

The red images (the blood red roof of the sculpture) were taken inside the enormous aubergine sculpture.

Can you believe the scale of this sculpture?  13 500 square metres!

And just for fun, voici les grandes dames - elles sont magnifique.

You may also like my post on:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/parisian-havens.html