Monet, Colour, and Choosing Paint

"Water Lilies is an extension of my life. Without water the lilies cannot live, as I am without art." (Claude Monet)

I recently went searching through photos for something (and I found it), but was enticed down a rabbit hole with photos from our trip to France and the UK in 2016. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Giverny where Monet lived, gardened, and painted. 

"I must have flowers. Always and always." (Claude Monet)

The garden was a riot of colour. Roses, poppies, sunflowers, agapanthus, phlox, hollyhocks - all the lovely flowers mingled together in generous beds between straight paths that led round to the house. 

"Everyday I discover more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything; my head is bursting with it." (Claude Monet)

Although most of us would think a pink house with bright green shutters garish, it fit perfectly in Monet's garden. 

"Color is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment." (Claude Monet)

Most of the walls in Monet's house are cool neutral whites and pale shades. It was quite startling to walk into the dining room where vibrant, clear yellow dominates. Notice how even the furniture is painted the same colour.  And the red checkered floor. Blue and white tiles. Amazing. This is a room for lively conversation, for good food, for friends and family. One feels revitalized just walking into the space. 

"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." (Claude Monet)

The kitchen is a riot of blue and white tiles, turquoise and white cabinets and those shiny copper pots that instill admiration and the desire to whip up a souffle or omelette. There have been a few books published about Monet's appreciation of good food, and how much he entertained his friends at Giverny. 

The photos of Monet's house got me thinking about my own. Like Monet I favour cool, clear colours. I have never liked the beiges and earth tones that were so popular a few years ago. Wherever we lived, if it was possible, I painted walls light and cool. The collage above is composed of photos from the Cotswolds and Wales, and you can see I have a tendency to blue. Clear blues of almost any shade are, and always have been, my favourite.

I even have a hard time taking photos of flowers that are orange or pale peach. They just don't appeal to me like the pink roses and blue delphiniums. Above is a collage of roses from the gardens at Sudeley Castle. I forced myself to take photos of those orange hues. 

This brings me to my current dilemma. Our living/dining room needs repainting. I've been thinking about it for a couple of years. It's very pale blue. When we lived in the jungle of Ecuador, the living room was painted white with the barest barest hint of pink - cool, clear pink, not swine-colour. I've been looking around and talking to paint experts and I think I'm ready to take the plunge.

"Try to forget what objects you have before you - a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think, "Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow," and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own impression of the scene before you." (Claude Monet)

I painted a test splotch on the wall today and I think the colour will work (can't remember the name, but the clerk at Benjamin Moore said it was the palest pink they make). We have the best of guests for the weekend (Baby Iris and her parents) so painting will wait for awhile, but it feels good to start. 

I'm so happy the sun is shining this afternoon after a rainy, cloudy week. Hooray for summertime! 

Linking to Friday Bliss, hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions, where she mentions that Finland has also had a cool and rainy week.  

Cruising Down Memory River

Just one year ago we were in Europe. I've been reading my travel journal, remembering, and enjoying the trip all over again. Today's post features photos taken during our Avalon river cruise up the Seine. I can't say enough good things about the cruise. It's a good thing we can enjoy it over and over again in memory. The sunflower bloomed in Monet's Garden. 

Close to where our ship docked in Vernon, this house, bordering on the river, had an "Â vendre" sign out front. The gate was open, and the front door, so my friend and I walked into the garden and up the stairs. We were not quite brave enough to walk in the door, but we did peer in a little. Were we brash? The idea of purchasing such a house and renovating it occupied an hour or two of pleasant conversation later. Our husbands were not so enthralled with the idea. 

Wrought iron fences are a weakness of mine, and this one, painted robin's egg blue, went to the top of the list. 

I think my favourite colour is blue. (Any family members reading this are rolling their eyes and saying, "duh.") Isn't this the prettiest window? Blue gingham curtains with a little ruffle, blue shutters, and a pot of white flowers. It just makes me sigh with satisfaction. 

Church steeples dominated the landscape of each village. There is such disdain for the Church in many places today, yet people forget that without it, much of our knowledge would have been lost, health care would not be where it is today, and society would be very different. I'm not excusing the injustices and atrocities committed, but I think that modern society has lost its compass. We have become so arrogant that we believe we hold all the answers ourselves. It doesn't seem to be working so well.

The old mill of Vernon straddles two piers of an ancient bridge. The waterwheel is long gone, but the mill has been preserved. It likely dates from the 16th century, and was painted by Claude Monet. An engraving of the mill is featured on the postal stamp of Vernon. 

The food on the Avalon Creativity was amazing! There was no standing in line at buffets, but instead very civilized dining with various beautifully presented courses, served by attentive waiters as the ship sailed along the river. Buffets were available for breakfast and lunch, but with only 80 people aboard, there was never a wait. 

There were always several choices on the menu, including vegetarian options. What really tickled my fancy was the option for a cheese course instead of dessert. The cheeses and accompaniments varied every night. Oh my, they were delicious!

One last photo of Monet's house as seen from the garden. 

Do you make vacations last long after your return home? What makes a vacation memorable for you? 

Mosaic Monday with Monet

1700-plus photos taken during our three-week trip mean lots of memories and lots of editing, along with some deleting. I hate to delete photos, always thinking that perhaps there will be some bit of information I might use, or some corner to crop.

Let's revisit Monet's home in Giverny. I showed you bits of the garden in this post. We'll walk through the pathways and arrive at the rose-framed house where the door is standing open. 

It's early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. We wander through sitting rooms and up a narrow stairway.

Most houses of this time favored dark rooms full of dark furniture and lots of wood. As one might expect from Monet, the painter of light, he disregarded the fashion of the day and chose the colours he loved. Light streams through large windows into his bedroom, above, and fills it with airiness.

Monet's step-daughter, Blanche, also loved to paint. Her room is seen above. After Monet's death, his son Michel inherited the house and allowed Blanche to live in the house until her death in 1947. The gardens fell to ruin and restoration was begun in 1966, after Michel died. Here's a link to a site with photos of the house as it was. It's in French, but the photos speak for themselves. 

Several years ago I took a book out of the library - Monet's Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet. He loved cooking (and eating) and planning menus. After reading the book I was inspired to keep a journal of meals I'd cooked and served for special occasions.

I was most curious to see the dining room with its bright yellow walls. I wondered if it would look as inviting in real life as it had in the book. The room exceeded my expectations. 

Those clear yellow walls, red-checked floor and blue accents work so beautifully together. It's daring and masterful. I can just imagine the laughter and clinking of cutlery against plates around the table.

Such a pretty room. Monet had an amazing collection of woodblock prints which are displayed throughout the house. 

A few details from the house - a clock in the sitting room, a dining room chair, and a demure eyelet lace curtained window.

Then, the kitchen. Oh my. Beautiful blue and white tiles on the walls, made in nearby Rouen, add such life to this large room. 

I think that any food would taste delicious and turn out exquisitely if prepared using those gorgeous copper pots and pans. 

One last rose from the garden to close this post. I'm linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted for the first time by Maggie of Normandy Life. Many thanks to Judith for her work in keeping the link up going for several years. There are so many interesting blogs that link there. 

Monet's Garden

Early in the morning Monet's gardens at Giverny shimmer with light. A few photos here of the many, many taken. I have words, but will save them for another time. For now, enjoy this teensy taste of these marvelous gardens.

Today the sun shone warmly. Hats and sunglasses were a necessity. Flowers lifted their faces to the light.

Claude Monet's lily pond, immortalized in so many of his paintings, reflected perfectly. It was that play of light and shadow that so entranced Monet. He once said that the light changed every 7 minutes.

The lily flowers open when the air and the water are the same temperature. Here they are just beginning to open.

Monet's favourite flowers are in shades of pink, purple and blue, but here and there bright splashes of yellow and orange draw the eye.

The gardens are a mad tangle of pathways and mixed beds. It's not manicured and perfect, but it's oh, so very attractive. Arches of roses frame small alleys, and Monet's pink house with the green shutters is a perfect complement.

Hello, pretty poppies.

One last photo. Would you have the daring to paint your house this colour?