#24 – Il s’est passé quelque chose
November 2015
Acrylic on canvas (1m x 1m)
Moonlight and mystery surround the genesis of that painting.
I created it in one straight painting session in November 2015. That particular evening, my dear artist friend Britta was painting at home with me. Each of us was deeply concentrating on her own canvas and we were back to back, turning around to see how the other was doing.
We must have painted 3 or 4 hours without exchanging many words, each of us feeling the presence of the other. It was a beautiful November full moon. From the winter garden windows, I could only sense the night outside, the street was quiet.
I don’t remember much, except that my hand seemed to be guided to make some marks, picking up different tools very naturally and completely shape-shifting a bright red/pink painting into an atmospheric woodland bathed in soft and mysterious moonlight.
I remember immersing myself in mark-making with a painter’s knife the branches, revealing the red shades underneath. I also used little sponges to give birth to the soft “pompoms” with white and green paint. This was the night were I discovered this beautiful shade of fluid phtalo green which I am very fond of. This and yummy thick titanium white paint gave me a deep inner peace as I covered the canvas.
I am touched to have been able to experience this inner flow in the moonshine, accompanied by the gentle presence of Britta. So yes, something happened that night – which is the English translation for the title of this painting “il s’est passé quelque chose”.
Epilogue
My friend Steffi chose this painting as a birthday present to take home with her. I have told the story of the other painting that I thought she would have preferred in my blog entry #23 – Steffi, Shakti et moi. Something happened there too…