A Stroll in the Rain

Some of the nicest childhood memories are those of strolls we took in the rain. Isn't it a treat to be almost isolated in a bubble of peace while it is softly raining? My Parisienne looks cosy and contented! Around the corner is a coffee house with steamed up windows and wonderful aromas....

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

At the Couturier

For an elegant lady who lived in the twenties and thirties in an environment of liveried servants, clothing was an investment. Here I imagine her in the setting of the show lounge of her couturier, making a decision about a coat, while it is modeled for her by a live mannequin. I do believe you had to have morning, afternoon and evening coats!

My little belle looks serene in a blue suit with a tight-fitting flattened bodice. Suits in pastel colours were popular and female curves were abandoned. Frenchwomen had a battle with this, but English and American women found it easier to achieve the boyish frame, being naturally more angular.

The photo comes from Costume & Fashion by James Laver.

I came upon a very special blog today, called "Eye Prefer Paris". I thought I would show you this delightful post on Parisian dogs in their winter coats.

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

Winter Pleasures

This is my absolutely favourite little painted lady! I have waited until you were truly shivering over there in the Northern Hemisphere before I posted the painting here. So please disregard the fact that I am writing this on a sunny summer's day in Cape Town!

In her book: French Women for All Seasons, Mireille Guiliano writes: "Most of us don't have a choice to sit winter out. The fact is that not every bird gets to fly south. And I confess I wouldn't want to: I love my morning walks in the winter, breathing the cool crisp air, and I can't imagine living in places without much seasonal variation. "

Well said! Wear your coziest coat and let me know what you see and experience out there. And tell me what you eat and drink out there!

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

As French as....Lavender

200 x 200mm

Acrylic on wrap-around stretched Canvas

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

AVAILABLE in South Africa from January 2011

Price R500 + R50 Postage and Packaging

I am adding a different line to my blog! Every now and then, as I paint them, I will post something very French as part of a series called "As French as...." So here is my first inspiration, a bunch of tall lavender stems bound with ribbon that is casually plaited through a louvered window shutter (also typical of French cottages).

The Lunch Date

The vintage era was a time of great style and elegance. I thought that this neat suit and hat portrayed the spirit of the time!

The Duchess of Windsor gave a lovely description in her autobiography (The Heart has its Reasons) : "There was good company in the Washington of the early 1920's, perhaps the most charming, exciting and cosmopolitan company in the United States" It was known

as the "diplomatic set".

Among the social events she names protracted dinners, dancing in Embassy ballrooms, teas, cocktail parties, Sunday night suppers at the houses of friends, impromptu excursions to little country restaurants, picnics in the Virginia countryside. "One lunched in a leisurely fashion", she wrote.

In the paintings by Modigliani, his beloved Jeanne Hebuterne wears hats like these. For an interesting "artwork- within- an- artwork" approach, you can look at the fashionable Jeanne's hats in Life Without Modi II by K.Madison Moore.

180 x 180mm (18 x 18 cm)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010