A weekend in Paris for Blooming Beautiful Floral inspiration!

Published: Sat, 05/15/21

WEEKEND IN PARIS!

Let's take a trip to Paris for Floral inspiration!

In January 2020, before this crazy Covid stuff hit us all up, I had a trip to France to visit

my daughter Lily. She was then only 19, working as an au pair in Paris which was not without it’s

challenges for her.

Some of you know my Lily. Lily has grown up alongside my Blooms teaching I started in my barn

kitchen as a single mum in Kapunda back in 2002.

We had a lovely weekend together catching up in Paris last year in January.

I was also in France for French Art School preparation for the forthcoming season.

During this trip I gathered a large amount of inspiration which has subsequently been shared in my

Blooms Painting Workshops and programs.

Winter in Paris allows more subtle colours to shine in the

pastel and tertiary colour palette range

Despite it being winter, with very beautiful bare trees lining the Seine,

there was a stunning array of flowers in the florists.

I thought I’d share the inspiration of these Blooms and the

enjoyment of those precious few days with you.

A stunning bunch of tulip bouquets in a Paris Florist.

And window shopping admiring stunning creative treasures & chic styling.

Lily managed some time off from her hosts, and we meandered through Saint Honore with it’s lovely

little boutiques full of little tempting treasures. Who doesn’t love a good window shop?

We checked out the fashion sales along the Rue de Rivoli, and dropped into café’s, enjoying warming

French onion soup, a glass of wine.

We shared a typically Parisian French Brulee. You have to tap and

crack the caramelised surface with your teaspoon several times to reach the creamy depths of vanilla

heavenly custard underneath.

You have the last bit! ...No you!

There was a peaceful hush over Paris, with it’s winter palette of greys, lilacs and pastel colour

evening skies over the Ile de Saint Louis. I enjoyed a view of an ancient stone gargoyled church

through my (tiny) third floor hotel room’s window.

Lily showed me her Paris including recycled clothes shops in the Marais, as she shared how tough it

was managing a couple of determined Parisian toddlers prone to tantrums in public places!

There were many very funny stories associated with these challenges too. All the while I kept coming

across colourful florists dotted throughout our walks and enjoyed many pockets of intensity

photographically capturing the magic.

From top left to bottom right; Gorgeous fake parrots and green and turquoise vases in the Marais, a stylish pair of boots on a stylish Parisienne, night falls on the Seine at the Pont des Beaux Arts, the ancient church next my hotel, drizzly but atmospheric weather, and an art gallery window.

In winter in Paris, the florists manage to assemble a sometimes unseasonal array of flowers.

Perhaps to keep the spirits up of the Parisians in their apartments through a long winter.

There were jewel coloured tulips, delicate skin to blush tinted roses, unusual carnations in musky

dusty shades of chocolate and caramel, green and maroon tinged hydrangeas, hellebores in many

hues, intensely coloured velvety anenomes, ranunculas the colours of pastel pink marshmallows and

just as pillowy, frilly pin cushion blooms in shades of burnt orange to gold, and hedonistic creamy

concoctions parading their sass through rose varieties and dreamy feathery hydrangeas.

Somehow this stunning inspiration from Paris has translated to delectable

paintings for my students to learn from in my Big Blooms Hydrangeas online

project which is helping lots of newbie artists

to achieve mastery over their painting. To check out how you can take part in this

wonderful online lesson visit;

https://bloomsartistcommunity.com/workshops/big-blooms-hydrangeas/

Many students who have taken the Big Blooms Hydrangeas project have sold

their paintings because when friends saw them they wanted the paintings.

I am thrilled that the inspiration sprinkled throughout the programs has such a

great reach and benefit for my students! Earn while you learn!

Then there is always the fun of observing life in Paris for Parisiennes such as

moving furniture into a little apartment that has a narrow access!

I love discovering blooms I don't know when visiting Paris

Luckily we can make beautiful moments last forever through capturing them in our paintings

Sigghhhhhhh!

Above is the Paris Rose, a project I shared how to paint online during Covid,

which continues to unlock painting for students around the world the Blooms

way and shares a touch of pure Paris rose magic. To try this for yourself visit;

https://artscreativehub.com/workshops/blooms-live-online/

It’s true we can only live in the present.

However luckily for us, the human capacity for memory when we close our eyes to recall splendid

times past brings it all back in a visceral way.

We can also paint our best moments.

Magnificent moments can be recalled and continue to give pleasure.

My Blooms Painting Workshops are SUFFUSED with Paris Blooms Inspiration as well Aussie inspiration

Learning how to paint blooms to capture astounding colour expands awareness of the

beauty that is around us at all times, no matter where we find ourselves.

It always amazes me just how much beauty is right under our noses.

Once you become an artist, delighting in the everyday and seeing loads of possibilty is

yours for the taking providing enjoyment at a high level.

It’s like lifting a veil.

Learning my Blooms Painting Method fast forwards your learning.

It’s empowering. Like filling up your tank with new possibilities and positivity.

Below; a painting by student Blooms student Lou Piper created in the Sydney

Blooms Workshop. The Blooms inspiration was from a stunning red poppy I

saw in French writer Georges Sands garden in Nohant, France.

Now it gets to live and provide joy forever!

I share lots of stunning Blooms inspiration in my workshops including from

Paris to make your paintings an instant success.

For forthcoming BLOOMS PAINTING WORKSHOPS in

PERTH Eve of May 26, then May 27-30, 2021

MELBOURNE Eve of June 28 then June 29 -July 2 daily

the BAROSSA Eve of August 11 then August 12-15 daily

SYDNEY Eve of Dec 15, then Dec 16-19 daily

HAMILTON NEW ZEALAND Eve of Oct 11 then Oct 12-15 daily

https://artscreativehub.com/workshops/

But back to daughter Lily. Little did we know what was to come.

We finished our time with a super charming visit to the Musee Marmottan in the outer burbs of

Paris. Well worth the trek. Lily, newly aware of the cost of living, insisted we take the bus.

She showed off her skills in knowing the Paris transport system! I was most impressed.

At the Musee Marmottan we discovered a whole lower ground level full of Claude Monet paintings.

There is nothing better than musing at leisure through a fabulous art gallery, especially with THE

master of painting as the muse. What’s not to love?

After our weekend, Lily was back to the au pair routine. I headed off for my week in La Foret du

Temple to talk renos with my tradesmen and connect with my team in a non-busy time.

Then headed home to Australia and shortly after to Los Angeles to see my US BLOOMS painters.

By March, we can all remember that time where no one knew what was to come.

It was time to air lift Lily out of Paris and get her home to safety. She was sad to leave Paris but also

ready to come home with the world going pear shaped.

Within days of being home she was in a skype interview from our lounge room in Kapunda, with the

head tutor of the IFA, a fashion college near Montmarte in Paris. Incredibly she was successful in

gaining a place to study fashion, design and sustainability. I believe it’s the only course in the world

to stringently cover the waste issues and recycling options from the fashion industry.

After a lot of jumping through hoops we got Lily back to Paris in September 2020 to start her new

chapter as a student in Paris with a French student visa.

Lily is loving her new life as a student in the heart of Paris. She has managed to emotionally stay

afloat throughout Paris lock downs and found her tribe with great friends.

Lily started out with a 12 m square apartment and now has happily landed on her feet in a 30 metre

square apartment right behind the Rue de Rivoli on the Avenue de L’Opera thanks to a connection

through my sister Liz ( who has been living in France for decades married to a Frenchie).

Best of all, there’s room for me on the couch when I can get there next!

We talk nearly every day, and I love the stories Lily shares.

My son Hannibal continues to study painting in Adelaide. I will share about Hanni another time and

about his portrait paintings but if you can’t wait, go to Instagram and look up hannibalcoatesart I’m

super proud of them both. It was my biggest fear as a single mum. How would my kids turn out?

Everyone has their Covid story. I hope yours was manageable. I hope you all kept and continue to

keep safe. And that you found a silver lining in amongst it all.

Do let me know what yours was like.

Email me your silver lining at [email protected]

As Covid conditions have taken away some things from us, it has also created a massive appreciation

for what I almost took for granted.

I am so thankful for all the beautiful inspiration I have had in France , Australia, NZ and LA from my

teaching trips pre Covid. I celebrate that we are able to have some live workshops again.

How inspiration translates to awesome paintings

This painting of the Paris Velvety Anenomes on the left which I demonstrated at

the Sydney Blooms Painting Workshop two weeks ago takes me straight back to

my weekend with Lily in Paris when we visited a florist in the Marais. I've never

seen such stunning specimens before or since. You can see these flowers in the

photos above. They were a pleasure to paint.

I'm looking forward to finishing this one now I am at home!

The figs are by my assistant Janneke Kelly from inspiring reference created at

the Melbourne Blooms Painting Workshop. I teach students how to make their

own.

It’s been wonderful to connect with my students on zoom, to take them forward through their

painting throughout Covid.

Especially with Blooms Masterclass Online where I have a long term

relationship with students nourishing their art path and my New Edition Make Money From Art

Program. Their achievements for me have been the silver lining during a year without overseas

travel.

ONLINE PAINTING PROGRAM MENU

Here is the link for all of my inline programs if you are craving to create some beautiful paintings of

your own;

https://bloomsartistcommunity.com/workshops/

Above; This gorgeous Paris Anenomes painting is a video e-lesson presented in the New Edition How to Paint Blooms Online Program inspired by some gorgeous blooms in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

So what’s next?

PERTH BLOOMS from May 26th then MELBOURNE BLOOMS from June 28!

Here is the link again for all of my workshops.

https://artscreativehub.com/workshops/

Hope to see you there soon!

Love and paint brushes,

Jacqueline Coates

Jacquelinecoates1`@gmail.com

Enquiries to Janneke Kelly [email protected]

Janneke Mobile 0412 587 438