Oil on cardboard – 9,5 x 7 inch – Unique work

It’s September, the weather is nice. The sky is a blazing blue. I’m with an artist friend and like every morning, we leave from the central station to go to the gallery. We ensure the opening, it’s important!

We decide, each time, which street we will take to reach Berenstraat. You will tell me that there are not hundreds of them either. Of course, nevertheless, all roads lead to Rome and we always manage to discover new streets with new views.

Suddenly, I stop, I turn my head to the right and there, what’s up ?…. This view! The same one I painted. I was glued to it. I took out my phone to take a photo. Thinking about it, it’s not the first time I’ve seen this place. Far from it, and yet it’s as if I’m discovering it right now. It’s weird. Maybe the color of the sky is important. It’s true that as soon as the weather is nice, the world looks different. Grey inspires me less. It’s always the color that guides me and brings me joy.

Once back in France, to prepare the next exhibition, I love bringing new paintings. I can’t help myself. The choice is always difficult and delicate. I make a first selection. I even ask my Instagram followers for their opinion. I let it simmer for a few days. Then, I reduce this selection. Sometimes I change my mind. I even go so far as to make the drawing and when it’s time to paint, I change my mind. The choice of this one was obvious. It was the first of my trio to settle on the easel. I was captivated by this large sidewalk leading to the bridge and other buildings. This street light on the side that lights up the night, that watches over passers-by. I have a thing with street lights. I love painting them. I deliberately chose soft, pastel colors to guide the eye little by little on the canvas.

All stories are possible in this painting. In the others too, but this one in particular. Each passer-by appears like a ghost, timeless. A hundred years ago and in a hundred years too, the landscape will not be very different. Let us slide and dream.