The Paris Effect
A trip to Paris last September represented the realization of a dream for Linda Mitchell and Micki Dyson-Flatmo, two oil painters who rented an apartment and painted on the streets of the city for a full month. The apartment was within walking distance of the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay and just blocks away from the site where the first Impressionist exhibit was held. Studios occupied by Degas, Monet, Renoir and Manet were right around the corner. Living and working in such a historically rich neighborhood proved inspirational to both artists, who completed several paintings on location and others after returning home.
"Our trip was about trying to tap into the working energy of the city by having the experience of working there ourselves," said Dyson-Flatmo. "We wanted to try to understand what it is about Paris that produces such original and inventive work in the arts."
According to the artists, painting in a foreign country was not without its challenges, which included navigating the language, learning a new public transportation system, and adjusting to a noisy, crowded work environment with an international gallery of spectators looking over their shoulders. "We were definitely a tourist attraction," remembered Dyson-Flatmo. "We had our picture taken hundreds of times."
"It was an empowering experience for both Micki and me," said Linda Mitchell. "If you can paint on the streets of Paris, you can do anything."
The artists finished several plein-air pieces while on location in Paris and came home with photographs and sketches for other paintings. The work will be shown at the Cody-Pettit Gallery throughout March and April in an exhibit called "The Paris Effect." Photographs of Paris by William Cody will also be included in the exhibit.
Read more about the Paris Effect from the Northcoast Journal online.
To view a gallery of Micki Dyson-Flatmo's work, click here.
Visit Micki's webpage.
To view a gallery of Linda Mitchell's work, click here.
Visit Linda's webpage.