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I surprise myself every day here in France.

Why am I obsessed with painting desserts, bread, cheese, fruits, vegetables?  What happened to the plein air painter whose mission was to brave the extremes of weather and capture immediate impressions of nature?

It started when I was at the doctor’s office in January in Lewisburg, getting knee injections for inflammation brought on by overdoing it during my last stay in France. There is nothing like pain to motivate!  Getting on the plane a few days after the shots, I vowed I would settle down a bit and respect my knees.

It was pretty easy to do since my new apartment is perfect for still life - quiet, luminous, and secluded. On the first day I found this intriguing chess board on a shelf. 

How old is it? Who made it?

The holes on the side were for hinges, so it must have been made out of an old door. Could the door date to the 1700s, or even earlier? What a treasure!  

Every day I would find myself in a bakery or a farmer’s market looking for subjects that would look good on the chessboard.

A fruit and vegetable stand at les Halles in Tours

After two weeks, my knees were fine, yet, I still couldn’t stop painting still life.

I discovered the amazing control I have over my subject. Unlike working outdoors, I can keep the light from moving!  After decades of working as fast as possible to capture a scene before the sun moved too far, I can set the location of my clamp light and the light stays put.

Having wonderful music on the radio is a luxury I don't have when I'm working outdoors.  France Musique has no ads and plays classical music all day, jazz in the evenings. You can stream the station from the website at this link (English version) or this link (French version).

Can you imagine how spoiled I feel being able to make a second cup of coffee, and turn up the heat if I get cold? Wow! I won’t even mention the absence of sunburn, insects, wind, fast-approaching storms, or subjects that walk away (“moo”)!

Now, to get serious, the French have a deep appreciation for the small bakery, and so do I. These bakeries are a social center of the neighborhoods and are competing with the supermarket economy. It feels good to support them.

Boulangerie de la Scellerie, the closest bakery to my apartment

One day, when I was at Boulangerie de la Scellerie trying to decide which delicacy to buy (“hmmm… this one has fantastic color and the icing reflects the light so beautifully”) I heard one customer exclaim to the owner “Madame, these are works of art and examples of French artistry!” (“Yes,” I thought.)

"Framboisier et Chocolat" oil on canvas panel, details here

This is what I selected from the Boulangerie de la Scellerie that day.

It is called a "Framboisier." (Framboise = raspberry)

How fitting to be painting the creations of another artist, little sculptures of chocolate, cream, pastry & fruit. (And how great to be able to afford them -something I couldn’t do as a student in the seventies.)

So, the surprises keep coming.

Will I go back to painting outdoors? 

You bet! But for now, this is good for my knees, my artistic spirit, and a challenge, because I didn’t tell you the down side: designing and setting up an amazing still life is as hard as painting it.   

"Baguette et Fromage" Oil, 6 x 8" Available

"Mille Feuille and Oranges" Oil, 8 x 10" Available

Three cheers for French bakeries!