"I was late at work because of T-Rex." / "Je suis arrivé en retard à cause d'un Tyranosaure Rex".

Petite animation des stars de "reach for the stars"....

Oh canada, terre de nos aïeux.. this is the national anthem of this country where i've spent 2 weeks last november. Here are few samples of my sketchbook : drawings and watercolor of Ottawa in Autumn covered by the red maple leaves. Outdoor sketching was a bit difficult with the "close to zero" temperatures. (Restaurant on Preston Street)

Canada is a very different city compared to the european one. Found in the 1800's, ans proclaimed capital of canadain 1857, most of the buldings are still standing : a very quiet capital with very few history compare to thoses on the old continent. (Here is a detail of the parliament building).

Another particularity of the city is the huge concentration of massive 19th centurychateauesque buldings such as the "Laurier chateau". (detail on picture), such bulding we can see in bavaria with the Neuschwanstein castel of Ludwig 2). Like a fairy tale except that thethis one is hauted by his owner who drowned with the titanic few days before the opening of the castle).

A common view when you come in the new world are the emergency stairs in all the buildings, so not only in U.s but in Canada as well... wich is  not part of the USA. Canada is canada ! Even if the streets are North-South and East-West, people inside are really different : nothing happens in this country : no murder, no crime, et.. the most significative crime over there are driving slightly over the speed limits and the bike theft.... so a bitdifferent compare to thier neighboor.

A view of  chinatowon in the afternoon, i did get my favorite lights there : the orange and razing ray of light before thesunset. So chinatown is located in somerset street (on the picture), one of the  fourth street with life. Life in a sense that there are some human presence in the streets (Canada is a very quiet country). Many chinese shops and restaurant there.

The rideau Canal (on the picture), the most famous thing in Ottawa because Ottawa exists thanks to this canal, found by mister By. After few years of military use, then commercial use, then touristic use, the ottawa City Council decided few 30 years ago (or more) to make all what was needeed to tranform it into the biggest ice rink in the World... with some 8 Km of length; this worth a view and a try if you are in Ottawa in  February. (I had to come back to see that then !)

Another interresting thing in Ottawa is the serie of Locks (on the picture) to make the boats climb some 20 meters of  height.A serie of 7 pf them are located just between the laurier chateau and the parliament hill, and boast the oldest building of Ottawa : the house of Mister By, wich originaly call his town by his name : "By town".

And the last thing i've discovered here is the North american Indian culture wich was really huge before Mr Colomb... called the pre-Columbian art. I've discovered that most of the things we know about indian is relatively new and did happens after the invasion of america. So, i did get interrest into this not-yet dead civilisation wich is completely amazing.

Now can i read a totem-pole ! This civilisation is still present but you had to go further to the west and reach the British Columbia to get the most of it... another good reason to come back to Canada...

(my colored version of an ancient indian drawing)

Le monde du silence...

Il n'y a pas beaucoup de mise à jour dans la galerie ces jours ci, mais cela ne veux pas forcement dire que je ne fais rien... Et en effet, je ne fais pas rien, je travaille sur la prochaine série de peinture...

Le nom de l'exposition s'intitulera "le monde du silence". Une sorte de clin d'oeil aux reportages sub-aquatiques de Cousteau.  Elle fait intervenir des personnages sympathiques dans une ambiance aquatique. Je prevois sous peu la sortie d'un petit carnet illustré contenant les travaux originaux, à la manière d'une BD, puis la réalisation de peintures originales sur le même thème.
Voila donc pour mes travaux du moment avec une petite illustration en prime pour vous donner un petit apperçu.

The silent World.

Not so much gallery updates in theses days, but it doesn't mean i'm doiing nothing. Well I'm working on brnad new works and next painting series.
The exhibition purpose will be about "the silent world", reffering to the sub marines TV shows of J.Y Cousteau. The exhibition will present pleasant submarines characters : fishes. I first work on a serie of watercolors bringing a bunch of original ideas, the whole packed up in a comic book, then the best original ideas brought to huge sized paintings.

So now you're aware of my current activitie, with a small picture teaser...

Dublin est une bien jolie ville, mais les irlandais mettent tant d'ardeur à cacher les immeubles anciens, à les demollir ou les reconvertir en logements neufs. Par contre l'acier et le verre ne sont pas vraiment des éléments chaleureux. (video rigolote sur ceux que veulent faire des fous au large de Dublin... c'est pas realiste leur video avec le temps d'ici).

Je vais donc me deplacer d'avantage pour les prochaines peintures et aller à l'encontre des anciennes rues et batiment qui subsistent, avant qu'ils soient definitivement detruit ou convertis en "Highest standard 1 & 2 bedrooms apartment". L'idée est de remonter la rue qui mène au centre ville et de s'arreter pour voir un peu le Dublin decrepit.

Une première peinture en travaux en ce moment sur une impasse prés de Amiens street. A suivre.....

Dublin is the fair city, but the new movement is too try to make it different : luxury and modern like theses... (have a look at this ad, it's quite astonishig how it sounds serious about making a shamrock island near Dublin). Well lets move for the next landscape paintings into the old streets and buildings of Dublin, before they collapse or get a lifting to be made luxurious 1 & 2 bedrooms apartments at the "highest standard". So I will follow the main road to city canter and stop myself in the Vintage Dublin.

The first painting is about a dead end street off Amiens street called : "Preston street".

Work in progress...

J'avais pris avec moi un carnet de croquis pour ces vacances en France. J'ai ramené quelques griffonages de beau temps, d'arbres et barques au bord de berge.

Une sensation de beau temps que je n'avais pas ces derniers jours avant de partir. Le soleil est un peu timide ici et le ciel est souvent couvert.

I took my sketching book with me while in holidays in France. I turn some white pages into black, with some piece of french countryside : small boat, poplars and pathway in the fields.

It was nice to feel the sunny weather i didn't get theses last days before holidays. The sun here is sometimes away.... in our hearts.

Maybe will i use them for painting a bit of french country in ireland...

Je vous présente la nouvelle galerie d'images improvisées : tous les jours je réalise un dessin avec un feutre noir et un papier cartonné. J'ai fini le mois de janvier et vous pouvez le decouvrir en images en suivant cette adresse. Je posterais la nouvelle serie du mois chaque mois en changeant aussi la musique. (Musique d'ambiance de ma composition "couloir du metro" - 2004 -). Ces dessins me servent de base pour les peintures acryliques que je suis en train de réaliser ne ce moment.

De retour de San Fransisco (9 decembre - 19 décembre 2007). J'ai arpenté les rues de la ville et consigné ca dans mon carnet à croquis. Une soixantaine de croquis ont été réalisé la première semaine, principalement dans le centre ville. Angles droits, briques et crissement des freins de voiture, escaliers exterieurs et cable-car...CLickez sur l'image pour acceder à l'album photo.