My name is Anna, and I'm a groupie

A Nathalie Lete groupie!!!!

On Monday I drove two hours to see the wonderful Parisian artist, Nathalie Lete (seen here wearing one of her limited edition Blue Illusion cardis), paint in the window of the Blue Illusion store at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast. It was worth every kilometre!

I blogged about Nathalie painting a window in Japan back in March, and then Pip blogged that she was coming to Australia, then Cintia at  mypoppet mentioned that she'd seen her (and her window photos are actually much clearer than mine), and then I discovered that she was coming to Queensland, so I coerced my mother and sister to look after my kids and off I went.

I arrived at about 1pm, thinking I was late, but Nathalie had been delayed at the airport. So I browsed with the proferred macaron and French champagne until she arrived (it's a bit dangerous to shop with a glass or two of champers under your belt, and the clothes were VERY nice, I'm just saying) and got straight to work.

 She was dressed in black and navy, with stockings and sweet heels, a purple apron and with a quirky, aqua pendant hanging on a long necklace. She mixed up her own paint (from powder) and started with the Eiffel Tower - which she was obviously incredibly familiar with.

By the end she had decorated the pane with butterflies, birds (including one complete with feathered top hat), flowers, a rabbit, and ladybugs. She then very generously signed Blue Illusion catalogues (which she has also illustrated), chatted and posed for photographs.

Her artwork will also be on the next Blue Illusion Catalogue, and the painting will stay on the window until Christmas goes up in November.

I'm so inspired by her style of painting and her whole body of work. It's quirky, colourful and decorative - is there such a thing as 'mature naiive' painting? And as a person she simply oozes French-ness.

A lady in the crowd recommended this book to me -

so because I was in some kind of French frenzy I even managed to find a copy of it at a bookshop at Pacific Fair and am about 4 chapters in already. It's great. I'd love to take my daughters to Paris when they're old enough.

For the record I did not buy any Krispy Kremes while I was there. And that's significant.

 Because I was at the Gold Coast and love the beach, I had to put my toes in the ocean before heading home (via Ikea!).

A fabulous day. And the inspiration is dripping off me. Can't wait to put a brush to canvas.