Outside the Box - Paris Romance Collection by M Carlen - May 2015

When was the last time you decided to create art that wasn't your typical scene or approach it from a completely different perspective? I've spent most of my years painting what I see, whether it was plein air, a still life in front of me, or the usual photo I took of something - only to go and paint it later. I've asked others what they'd like to see me paint, and I've done commissioned works. I would describe my style as realism so I tend to paint exactly as I see things.

Recently, I was inspired to paint from a very different beginning and in a very different way. I happened to come across this very fun looking bike/cruiser (picture attached) as part of set d�cor for a famous food and wine event. I couldn't stop looking at this bike. So, I took a photo of it and thought perhaps this would be good to paint. But there wasn't a scene that it was in, it literally was part of an exhibit that was serving French cheeses, pastries and the like. It took some quiet moments and a great chunk of time, I began to sketch the bike - even thinking I would maybe just leave the bike as the only focal point with a white, plain background. What was the fun in that? I couldn't bear the thought. I closed my eyes and imagined how beautiful this bike was - where would someone find this bike? I let my pencil fill in the blanks so to speak, I was deeply moved in the creative spaces of my mind and heart. I pictured a woman riding this bike and making an unexpected stop at this cute French bakery - on a street corner that was relatively empty with the exception of a lamppost on the corner and a tree far off in the distance. There was something mysterious about this bakery - it seemed this woman really did want a nice hot caf� au lait and a sweet pastry, but she stopped for something more. Was it to meet someone unexpected, or someone that was expecting her? No one quite knows.

It took me a while to decide what colors to blend together. The red awning and the yellow plaster building and blue door seemed to fit. What's unique about this work is that I literally took one subject (the bike) and developed something around it that would speak to the viewer. I had one viewer share with me that it looked exactly like a little caf� that her and her husband rode their bikes to when they stayed in the countryside outside of Paris. She was emotionally in that painting which to my surprise was amazing given that this place was made up in my mind! This is the ultimate desire of an artist - to speak emotionally to the viewer.

I've since painted a few other pieces that I've used just an object as the theme and again tapped into my creative psyche to fill in the blanks. I've deemed this series of paintings - Paris Romance Collection. I hope you get a chance to view them and share any feedback. Enjoy!

paris art for sale

eiffel tower art for sale

~M