Visiting the Cemetery of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Recently Jean Marie and I drove to the small village where French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is buried. Toulouse-Lautrec is one of the best known and most popular Post-Impressionist painters. Born into the aristocracy, a life-time of health problems were visible in his short stature and stilted walk, and because of his physical limitations he immersed himself into his art. Eventually Toulouse-Lautrec came to the Montmarte section of Paris where he found creative inspiration in the avant-garde bohemian lifestyle. A well-know and highly visible artist and alcoholic, he captured the Montmarte decadence with his colorful and innovative paintings of working girls: prostitutes, dancers and singers. His art posters were extremely popular during his lifetime, and are highly collectible today.

Verdelais, France, is an afternoon drive from our home, and is the small village where Toulouse-Lautrec was buried after dying from alcoholism (he's well-known for his love of absinthe) and syphilis at 36.

Notice the etching in the lower-right hand corner of the grave: here's a close-up:

Here Lies Henri de Toulouse Lautrec 1864-1901

I found this etching of the artist at work very unusual but a good way to commemorate an artist. Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings are highly sought-after and one recently sold for over $22 million. Some of my favorites include:

JANE AVRIL

JARDIN de PARIS

TROUPE OF MME EGLANTINE 

  

THE DANCE

Color Inspires Me

"I have always been inspired by vibrant, bold colors. I cannot imagine a colorless world." ~Shirley Monestier

 ~The Psychology of Color in Logo Design

The Logo Company

I have always been inspired by color; I chose the colors for my website and blog because they are vibrant and bold and grab the eye. In this image, you see the colors I chose:

                              Yellow:          optimism, clarity, warmth   

                              Orange:         friendly, cheerful, confidence

                              Red:              excitement, youthful, bold

Color Psychology is the science of determining which colors evoke specific emotions or behaviors. Are there colors that make you happy, or sad, or calm, or hungry? That's color psychology! 

Some artists known for their bold use of color:

Piet Mondrian: Composition with Red, Yellow, Blue and Black

Georgia O'Keeffe: From the Plains II     

Ken O'Neill: Mondrian Signal 

Diego Rivera: Portrait of Sra. Dona Elena Flores 

Roy Lichtenstein: In The Car

Willem de Kooning: Untitled

Color Inspires Me!

Orchids of Vietnam

I am not an artist who paints flowers.  Also, I am not an artist who says never, cannot, won’t or any other words of restraint.  When I stumbled across these fabulous, GOD given Vietnam orchids, their incredible beauty was so inspiring I was compelled to paint them.  Always up for a challenge, I had no idea how difficult these orchids were to paint. After painting the first orchid, which I am so proud of, I made a decision to paint a series of orchids.  There are hundreds of varieties of orchids.  The choice of which to ones to paint will be difficult.   I present to you my first artwork of an orchid.

BEAUTIFUL ORCHID-ACRYLIC ON CANVAS – 16x30”|40x80cm

“learn to keep a secret”

Overcoming the challenging of painting my first orchid, painting the second orchid was pure joy.  I am painting a series of these beautiful flowers and will share them with you.

BEAUTIFUL ORCHID TOO – ACRYLIC ON CANVAS - 16x30”|40x80cm  SOLD

“you’ve got a right to be happy.”

ENJOY!

Shirley

 Facts About the Orchids of Vietnam

·         there are over 700 orchid varieties found in Vietnam: and scientist think there are several hundred more waiting to be discovered!

·         Golden Slipper Orchid, Jade Slipper Orchid, Golden Cyprus, Green Emerald Queen, Rainbow and Forgotten Fruits are some popular varieties

·         the Vanilla orchid is a very rare recently discovered orchid species believed to bring  good luck and help the owners overcome misfortune: and is now being hunted by billionaires in Vietnam[1]

·         destruction of their forest habitats and over-harvesting of popular species make the orchids one of Vietnam's most threatened plant groups[2]

To explore photos of orchids of Vietnam, enjoy this slide show Orchids from Vietnam by EvilClaudiuS

Orchids from Vietnam

View more presentations or Upload your own.

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[1] http://talkvietnam.com/2012/10/newly-found-orchid-species-in-vietnam-hunted-high-and-low/#.UjRUVD_5nlM

[2] http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/vietnam_biodiv/plant.xml

NEW YEAR 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! When I first started my blog, it was my intentions to write a blog twice a month. Unfortunately, life throws us such curve balls that I was unable to keep this commitment. Our fortunate is that we can continually renew, reinvent ourselves. So, my resolve is to write a blog at least twice a month.

I spent my New Year in Puerto Vallarta, MX with my husband, Jean-Marie and five very long time, close friends. I have known my friends for more than 40 years. As I looked around our dinner table, my thought was how fortunate I was to have my husband and dearest friends to celebrate a New Year. Collectively, we feel 2011 will be a great year -- Keep Hope Alive!!!

The holidays are over now and I am picking my paints, brushes and am anxious to create wonderful artworks this year. I will keep you posted.

A Day in Toulouse, France

Hi There, I am Shirley Monestier, artist, and this is my first blog!!!!

Yesterday, my hubby, Jean-Marie and I took a short trip to Toulouse, (the rose city - named that because the city construction is entirely red, rose brick)! Whenver I travel, on my "to do list" are art museums and find a great restaurant.

We visited the Le Chateau d'Eau Museum of Photography (the oldest photography museum in Europe). Viviane Sassen's Flamboya exposition was just wonderful. The photographs in the exposition were compositions of African men and women posed in shadows. Her photographs were taken in Zambia,Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana. If in Toulouse, this is a must see exposition. Vivian Sassen currently lives in Amsterdam, Holland.

Les Abbattoirs Museum of Modern Art is a renovated, red brick building that was once a slaughter house. It has many smaller out buildings that surrounds a beautiful court yard. There were many wonderful expositions there. The exposition that impressed me the most was the permanent expositition of David Sylvestere's brilliant photographs of Ethiopian men and women body paintings. Wow, what designs.

We had a great meal at Le Colombier their speciality is Cassoulet au Confit d'oie (beans with goose and toulouse sausage) and the wine with dinner was Madiran 2007. Bon Appetit!!

WELCOME / BIENVENUE!!!!

BONJOUR, I am Shirley Monestier, an African American artist who lives in Bordeaux, France with hubby, Jean-Marie. This blog is my maiden voyage and, hopefully, I will be successful in navigating the blog cyberspace.

My passion is to create colorful and interesting artworks -- never repeating a piece twice. I love to face a blank canvas, put on some colors, let my creative juices flow and "give it a go." Creating in this manner is a total joy and fun journey for me. In everything there is shape and form, you just have to look for it. I search for these and when they are found -- I paint them!!

Besides my passion for painting, I love to travel the world, meet interesting people, check out cultures, prepare great cuisine and enjoy a great bottle of Bordeaux wine.

I am very interested in meeting other creative artists who will share painting experiences, views and tips.

Thanks for entering my blog. Wish me success in blogging. Please feel welcome to leave your comments and views.

Shirley Monestier