daily painting titled Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate

19cm x 12cm, oil on panel (approx 7"x4") Painting status: SOLD
This painting is available as a limited edition print
Daily painting for Tuesday 15 November, 2011
Posted in Still life paintings

17 Comments

What I want is the receipt (recipe) for the chestnut/chocolate cake! No, seriously --
Good contrast, warm and cool colors, and, of course, you did a great job on the foil, not to mention the chocolate!
....there's just one thing missing...the glass of wine to accompany the chocolate :)
For some unknown reason I couldn't leave a comment about your magnificent large still life forwarded yesterday, so I'll keep it short. Fabulous ... as is this one. Silver foil ... is this an artists version of masochism? I put on half a kilo just looking at it.
Hey Julian, WOW...WOW... WOW. How tantalizing.!! Dark chocolate, my Fav.!!! The shine on the foil is Perfecto Mundo!!! Well Done, kudos, Tish.
You paint beautiful with a lot of skill. Your paintings are beautiful to look at. I find your paintings devoid of any meaning, though. Is that enough for you? Do you not get bored by doing the same subjects in the same style over and over? Is it because the money is so good? Regards, Mien
These paintings are the visual diary of a well-considered life. What could be MORE meaningful.
Well thanks for the complimentary part of your comment at least. I heard the author Justin Cartwright talking on Start the week on BBC Radio 4. Bridling at having his literary output described in a sentence or two he said that whenever he was asked what his books are about he replied they are about writing. It's a good answer and I have adopted it, my paintings are about painting. The theme of Postcard from Provence is my life, my family's life, here in Provence and specifically my life as a painter. I paint with the seasons so you won't see a clementine between March and November nor a cherry in December. We often pick what I paint or at least eat it after I've painted it. It might surprisingly convey no meaning to you, another painter, but it does have meaning for me and I presume conveys at least some of that to some of the people who receive my daily email—it's ironic that you should have posted your question on a post that shows a subject that I've never painted before. And no I don't do it for the money any more than I imagine you do, I earn money by doing it but that seems to me a perfectly normal state of affairs. I've created a link from your name to your site so at least people can see where you are coming from. Your work looks interesting and I wish you good luck with it.
I don't usually comment because I don't consider myself qualified but I am constantly enchanted by the way you always lead me to the beauty of simple things and of a simple life, well lived. I get your 'meaning', so maybe I have a better appreciation than I thought.
Hear Hear Julian
I came across this unattributed quote recently, and I'll say no more. "People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves."
Each day,when I see the new painting of you,Julian,it is like endlessly looking at the waves coming from the skyline of an ocean to the beach,towards my bare feet;each of them seems to be like the others,but it's an illusion,each of them owns its proper identity,proper charm colors size sound beauty,like the clouds,like the faces too...each of them is worthy of painting.Relentlessly.Cezanne,Sisley lucian Freud,Arcimboldo,Monet,Botero... knew that.
I find this comment much to say about YOUR life.....if you have followed Julian and HIS LIfe through the years, you could not possibly leave such a comment or ask such questions....but even if you haven't followed his life, the paintings speak for themselves!!!
It was very interesting to see the kinetic and interesting combination of colors to depict such a new texture for you. I could hear the aluminum crackle. Excited to see you explore a new food group, again one of my favorite, right up there with the cheeses and glasses of wine. Keep up the great inspiring work!
I also want to say as a comment with regard to the other painter from yesterday, it seems pretty clear to me that Julian is a painter in love with the process of looking and painting. Whether it is a tighter rendition or something more kinetic, Julian has fabulous eye/hand coordination, which yields incredible alive textures, something I invariably comment about. One can only paint like this if one is in a state of constant looking, painting and practicing. You can't achieve this unless you are a serious painter who loves to paint! It is clear Julian marvels at the small sweet things in life, and happily we all get to benefit by these nearly daily gifts.
I receive joy and comfort from Julian's paintings. The food we eat is a wonderful gift of life; particularly in the sharing. It is as if we are all guests at Julian's table. And the stories make them come alive. There is nothing pretentious or shocking about Julian's work. It seems to me that great artists are often caught in the repetition of a subject; changing tones and light, capturing it in a new way. I have in mind the lily pads and haystacks of Monet.
Amen!!