Friday, October 9, 2009

Mystery tours

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. ~Pablo Picasso

I have recently started to paint again, and it must be well over 30 years since I had picked up a brush, several people inspired me to try again, and on the whole I am enjoying it. It is like starting a journey but without an intinery, never really knowing what I will see at the end. A complete mystery.

I started just before we went to the Vendee and have tried my hand at various scenes since the middle of September.

On our short break when we walked around St Gilles Croix de vie I came across this delightful information board it was about an artist Charles Garabed Atamian (1872-1947) who was born in Constantinople.

When he was 13, he was sent to Venice to study at an Armenian school, where he was very interested in painting, so the school administrators had him enroll in the studio run by the teachers Paoletti and Tagliapietra, with whom he studied until 1894.

When he returned home to Constantinople, Charles worked as a designer in a ceramics studio belonging to the court of the sultan Abd-ul-Hamid, however he left two years later because of the persecution of his people (the Armenians) ordered by the sultan. With great difficulty, he was finally able to flee to Paris in 1897-----where he set up his permanent residence.

There are many images of Charles Atamian's work for sale on the Internet.

I don't produce pictures like Charles maybe I am more like Van Gogh, tee hee a bit wild with a glass of wine in my hand!

I am mainly choosing forest scenes since I have so many pictures to work from.

Decembre on the tapis rouge.
Bien Encadre
A Fresh morning
A French word for scene or place is lieu
A French word for enroll or register is inscrire

PS.Many thanks to Carol and Sally for inspiring me to dabble with paint again!

15 comments:

LadyFi said...

Wow! I LOVE your paintings - you've captured the fierce vibrant colours of autumn!

Blu said...

Many thanks LadyFi

Carol said...

You are so very very welcome!! I'm thrilled that you've started painting again...look at the stunning work you've produced!!

Your a very talented lady you know!!

C x

Blu said...

Kind comments Carol

ArtPropelled said...

Oh wow! And here you've been keeping your talent hidden. So glad the artist is back!

Blu said...

me an artist?

French Fancy... said...

Blu - hidden talents or what. I adore the third picture; well, I like them all but the third one is just fabulous. You carry on and you'd be able to have a little expo and no doubt sell them all.

Blu said...

Thank you French Fancy that is encouraging.

Clive said...

We are very impressed!

Great autumnal colours!

We really liked them!

Clive and the gang!

Ken Devine said...

Hi Blu
As a former professional...and will be again, I have to say you have talent. I like the first one and I think as you use pure colour more, you'll be approaching the Van Gogh "wow" factor for strength and vibrancy.
Don't hide for the next 30 years. Stick with it and you'll do well.

DAB said...

Hey Blu, I love the paintings - your colour palette is very vibrant with a strong Van Gogh quality about them. Keep painting for it's esential to have a creative side methinks :-) TFx

Ken Devine said...

ps, stay away from the quality street, even though the wrappers are fantastic and inspiring colours.

Val Grainger said...

OMG.....you are brilliant!!!

Blu said...

Thanks one and all, for your comments.

~vagabond~ said...

Loved, loved, loved your paintings. Whatever made you not paint in so long? If I had your kind of talent, I think it would have been hard to walk past a paintbrush and not want to paint. :)