Le Port-Marly (France)

Port Marly, that you may know from the "The Flood At Port Marly" by Alfred Sisley, is situated near Bougival and , actually, not far from Paris. There are no more big floods since 1876 , but the river, barges and houses - all are there. Scrolling the path near the river you will find panels with a reproductions of Sisley, Pissarro and others , who used to paint in the area. It's a little bit alike travel in time. They called it 'Route des Impressionistes' ( The impressionist's road ) and you can do a walk in this "live museum" for free.


It also something else very cool there. Every year on May 1st, the local Rowing Club of Port Marly is running Impressionists Regatta. They called boats by names of artists. We painted, sitting on the steps of the club and had fun to hear discussions :
"You should take Renoir today"
"No, I'm going with Monet, I prefer Monet or Degas"
etc


We had a very pleasant time in Port Marly : scrolled the Impressionist's Road , met very nice people and of course painted on location.


Here is Andre - first day of our plein air. This painting was finished and sold at the same day.


Port Marly Banks of the Seine
Watercolor , 40 x 30 cm.
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015

🔴 SOLD



Port-Marly (Ile-De-France, France) -
following steps of Sisley and Pisarro.
Watercolor, 25 x 15 cm
© VANESSA STASHINSKI 2015


Last days of summer on Seine , Port Marly
Watercolor, 42 x 30 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015

... and more boats ...


Boats in Port Marly , France.
Watercolor on Fabriano 100% cotton paper, size: 30 x 25 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015

Walk with French Impressionists

Awesome , just awesome to be able to step after Sisley and Pissaro: to see the same river , buildings, roads. Some of signs didn't change, others are half-hidden behind huge trees ( over 100 years , it's not a joke), some roads were developed , some buildings were destroyed, etc. But still - all this real and completely touchable.

However , here is just an little "taster" from V&A, incomplete and subjective. Hope you enjoy . Feel welcome to text us in comment below or to message us on FB.
Cheers,
V&A

MARLY LE ROI
Marly - town in the same area and formally it's not Bougival . The central part of the town is charming and cosy, we were lucky to have possibility to paint in Marly quite a lot in 2015.
But here is the big royal park in Marly - it used to be a hunting area of Louis XIV , actually being a part of Versalles. Of course the palace, sculpture and other "extras" were destroyed at time of French Revolution, but they didn't touch trees. Sisley did few paintings there.

PORT MARLY
Of course Sisley and his floods. Based in Marly-le-Roi from 1874 to 1877, Sisley painted seven painitngs on the flooding of the Seine in March 1876.

LOUVECIENNES
Camille Pissarro

BOUGIVAL
Pissarro and Sisley

So, what is next ?

ALFRED SISLEY (1839-99)

LA FABRIQUE PENDANT L'INONDATION , 1873

50x65cm

- Look, look ! It's there !

- Where ? I can't see

- There, right from the bridge 

Following Sisley's steps - road to Marly-le-Roi

La Machine ! 

Passed the bridge , seen more boats, locks, people that living aside a channel

... and then we met HIM 

For Bougival Impressionists Walk proper map and description follow the link. There are also other areas around Paris , usually up to 20 km from the city, are relevant for this kind of walks.

The fairy-tale of Bourgogne - by Andre

RAVIERES in Bourgogne - awesome village, very warm ambiance.


To be heard on the roof tops
Watercolor
ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015 - in Ravieres


Old watermill
Watercolor
ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015


Morning at the canal
Watercolor
ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015 - in Ravieres

The fairy-tale of Bourgogne - Flavigny

DAY 2
FLAVIGNY - SUR - OZERAIN in BOURGOGNE , FRANCE

At the next day Antonin and Anastasia took us to Flavigny - which is in Bourgogne, but in another part of province. Ravières is beautiful, but Flavigny is breathtaking !


Street in Flavigny
watercolor, 20 x 30 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015 — in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (Bourgogne, France)

At time of plein air work we were asked for permission to take photos . "I'm going to write an article about four of you" - explained the lady. We left the place and, being busy with other things, we forgot about the promise. About a week later we found the article ( in French) , and it was a very pleasant "surprise".


Here is the link and the screenshot ( not sure it will be online forever ;-) Flavigny-sur-Ozerain : un autre point de vue sur les beautés de la cité médiévale


Andre - painting is almost finished


Antonin was painting the church.
Anastasia did the church from another side


* Photos were taken from the article

The fairy-tale of Bourgogne - Ravières

We have been invited to visit and paint in Bourgogne by artists and our friends Antonin Passemard and Anastasia Dukhanina. But may be should say " ... we have been invited to visit and paint in the fairy-tale ...." etc. After being in different places on the globe , Antonin and Anastasia landed in beautiful medieval village of Ravières in Bourgogne, France. They are excellent artists, both.


It was pretty short - just couple of days, but definitely very pleasant and productive time.

DAY 1.
RAVIERES

The first day we spent, painting in their village. It's so much to paint there, that not sure a year will be enough to capture all beautiful views at the place.


Watercolor
VANESSA STASHINSKI 2015


The WaterWay
Watercolor
VANESSA STASHINSKI 2015


There are red roofs of Ravieres by Vanessa. Captured those , staying just 2 streets up from the friend's house. The comfy place to paint ( relatively to Paris !) , it only was bloody cold to stay there

Versailles

I bet, when I say "Versailles"- you think about the palace and gardens, you think about imperial schick. Don't you ?


So, Versailles is a city . Yes, expensive and stylish , but still this it alive, big , busy place where people live and work. Two train stations , buses , tracks, emigrants of all sorts, road works, etc. etc.
Man, not sure it was a good idea go to paint in the market square in market day. We found ourselves in the center of boiling pot - bikes, bicycles, cars, police, gypsies, tourists, moms with babies, office clerks at lunch time, tourist crowd with maps and opened mouths, Japanese tourists with cameras, people carrying grocery from the market in wheeled bags, transport, loudly signaling in traffic jams ... And in the center of all this mess , shrouded by exhaust fumes, deaf from alarm signals and bustle , keeping tight-tight to the wall - we were all day doing aquarelle there .

I feel it was worth the effort. Will be very glad to hear what do you think.


"A La Gaite"
Watercolor on 300gr Canson
© VANESSA STASHINSKI 2015

This one was painted on comission. The owners of A-La-Gaite are owning also the painting now . I was quite happy with result and felt a bit of sorry to give the painting to them.


Restaurant "Au chien qui fume" .
watercolor, 20 x 40
Guardi artistico torchon 300 Gr
© ANDRE STASHINSKI — in France.

"Au chien qui fume" in English sounds sort of "( The place of/ belongs to) The Smoking Dog. Nice name, isn't it ? :-)
If you are watching picture carefully - you will see the sculpture of the dog with pipe in the mouth on the corner of the building .

Carnet de Voyage - Paris

September 2015


At Montmartre, Rue Saint Vincent
Watercolor, 42 x 30 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015


"Le Bonaparte" - Rue Bonaparte, Paris
Watercolor, 31 x 23 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015


"La Maison Rose" at Montmartre , Paris
Watercolor sketch, 30 x 21 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015


Pont Neuf , Paris
Watercolor, 25 x 15 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015


Rue des Francs Bourgeois, Paris
Watercolor, 25 x 15 cm
© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2015