Winter’s portrait glows
Beneath a varnish of rain
Celebrating dawn
*
When I lived in Paris, hanging out with the artists in Montmartre, a ‘vernissage’ was always an excuse to party. Originally, the name applied to the days preceding an exhibition, when artists would hang and then varnish their work as a finishing touch… and this was often a time when patrons were invited to a private viewing.
In the Montmartre that I knew, a ‘vernissage’ was technically the same thing… but referred equally to the party that was held by and with the other artists to celebrate a stroke of good fortune for one of their number.
Watching the sun rise on this rainy, winter morning reminded me of those days of light, colour and laughter… and the smell of wet oils glistening on the easel.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Magnificent…
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Thank you, Bette… Nature is a wonderful painter.
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So amazing!
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Every dawn is a gift 🙂
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Absolutely!
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Fantastic that you have mentioned the Vernissage in Montmartre. I love Paris. And being a painter I used to feature Paris’ streets in the open air. There was a small gallery Studio 41 in Rue Dauphin (if I’m not mistaken) where my painting had been displayed till 2018. Now the gallery has moved house. (Somewhere to a suburb). I haven’t contacted yet the owner, Marc.
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I loved Paris too and living there for a while was a privilege.
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Yes, definitely. I used to have lunch in the building of Louvre, the entrance to the contemporary exhibition Carussel du Louvre ( in the large canteen), I once took part in in 2014. I’ve now realised that Ive missed Paris. Maybe, I’ll go there this autumn.
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I’ve missed Paris for far too long now.
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Also thank you for such a nice account. Xx
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🙂 x
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Such a wonderful idea, Sue…
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🙂
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I learned something new! The explanation really made the poem – could this be more like a haibun?
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In a true haibun, the prose should be more immediate… and not exxplain, rather it should add another layer of meaning 🙂
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