French la Vie

I’ve been a huge fan of Corey’s “Tongue in Cheek” for so long,

I can’t even remember when we first connected.

But I’m so happy that we did.

From learning about how Corey first met her French Husband,

getting acquainted with her California family

and her children, and now a beautiful grandchild (!)

to the enchanting images of the vintage,

old and luxurious brocante treasures-to die for,

seeing life through Corey’s eyes has been a joy.

Much needed, especially now in these challenging times.

 

 

I’m so attached to Corey’s point of view because it reflects

the vision I bring to my own work.

I’m an artist, living on a small island,

not far from Seattle.

Although growing up, my family lived on

both coasts of the US,

in Europe and South America,

I find great peace and joy

in our little wooded neighborhood,

where connections to nature abound:

 

 

beach walks and the discovery of ornately

patterned shards of Blue Willow china from long ago

washed and tumbled by the sea;

long rain misted hikes through the island’s

towering firs and cedars,

the ground usually damp from the grey drizzle

that keeps us “green”;

the wild (and terribly invasive) blackberries

that are so sweet plucked

warm off the vine in the short, warm summer months.

We even welcome the rose-eating deer to our yard-this year,

being homebound because of Covid,

it was a very special treat that our resident doe,

(that we named “Doe”),

brought twins (!) to our lives, all spotty and freckled.

(We named them “Dipple” and “Dapple”

even though we couldn’t tell them apart,

but it was always fun to say, “Oh look! There are Dipple, Dapple

and Doe outside!).

 

We live in an old island home,

created from beach rock and grey shingles

with the dark wood (and scuffed)

floors and beamed ceilings that were born

from our island’s plentiful woods,

more than a hundred years ago.

It’s where I work and paint and although,

over the many years, I have created a wide variety of art

and loved volunteering in every art project

and auction creation while our children were small.

I’ve found my passion now is depicting the beauty of time passing,

the vintage, the loveliness in the faded

and decay and adding strong swipes of bold

color to the mix, for an unexpected spot of modernity.

 

I describe my paintings as being influenced by

“The romance of vintage floral French wallpapers

and Chinoiserie with a modern twist”.

So my work features birds and botanicals,

leaves and vines, and lots of

pattern and color.

 

Lately, I’ve started adding gold leaf to my art stories,

softened and distressed, worn and softly gleaming.

I imagine, as I work, that my paintings are

just a part of the picture as if they were included in a large,

ancient, and darkened mural of a grand chateau that

has been cut away, so that imagery often fades off the side,

only revealing a bit of the intended narrative.

I hope the viewer will make up a new story for themselves.

 

In 2017, I was invited by the Japanese owned cosmetic company,

Shiseido to collaborate with the Creative Director of Cle De Peau Cosmetics,

Lucia Pieroni, to create original artworks for their limited edition,

Holiday 2017 Collection, “Nuit De Chine’.

It was an honor and a thrill to work with the

special and amazingly talented Cle De Peau Team!

 

My work appeared in all Cle De Peau’s global markets-Russia,

Asia, the US, Canada-and one of my favorite memories of this

experience was huddling around a small table in New York with Lucia,

the Team, the translators, and all of us collaborating

on ideas and directions and color, mood, and feel. 

(My work appeared on all packaging: makeup coffret,

nail lacquers, eye crayons, skincare,

and banners, website banners, even tablecloths

and photo backdrops for Cle De Peau events

to introduce the new collection.)

 

My work is shown in a variety of galleries,

along with my silk scarf collection,

based on my paintings, my silk and

linen pillow collection and greeting cards.

It was a thrill, just recently, to send my cards to London

to be used as invites for a wedding there!

And my first book cover with my art will arrive next year,

published by Little/Brown, London.

 

The world is such a wonderful place.

Corey’s blog reminds me of all the beauty that is still “out there”

as we remain at home. I am grateful for that.

Aside from my art, Corey’s life resonates with me because many years ago,

I moved to France to learn the language without speaking a word.

I did know Spanish, and that helped a little.

But it was those first months of listening

to catch a recognized word or to speak a phrase

that someone understood that remains with me

as such a challenge and thrill.

I wonder how Corey felt when she first moved there?

I remember being invited to my first French dinner party

by a couple who were renovating a small old chateau.

Everything in shambles except for the kitchen,

the little dining room, and the parlor.

The long table was packed with friends and food

and it was the loneliest feeling ever-not understanding

what was being said and not being able to join in.

But later, when we all gathered to dance after dinner,

a very charming French tradition I learned,

Cat Steven’s album came on and it was delicious to hear English!!

How kind was the French people to welcome me so warmly,

in spite of not being able to speak “un mot”. 

(Much later, when I started dreaming in French and

understanding all the jokes in the Asterisk and Obelisk comics,

I felt a lot more comfortable being chatty.)

 

So that’s my introduction. Merci mille fois for the

kind opportunity to meet your many, many readers.

It has been a delight to read about your followers’ stories.

 

Corey’s Daily Doses of beauty-those wonderfully, exquisite and

magical vignettes of lovely inspirational imagery

are so very welcome to see and be inspired by every single day.

Merci Corey for this gift.

 

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