The Most Beautiful Calendar Ever?

New Victory Garden 2023 Wall Calendar, available wherever books are sold!

Greetings from a Parisian graveyard AKA the lonely month of August. There’s 10,000 step minimum to find an open boulangerie and a decent baguette.

I’ve hidden myself from my small child long enough to share my newest publication, New Victory Garden 2023 Wall Calendar!  If you kindly ordered the 2022 version, you’re in for a treat. It features 12 sumptuous illustrations of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers—along with tips on what to plant and when. At the end of the day, it’s a joyful and optimistic gift under $20 and something beautiful to hang in the kitchen.

If you are so inclined, please order a copy or two, request it at a local bookstore, share with a friend and leave a review on Amazon. Even if you can’t purchase a copy, every little gesture helps.

Enjoy a little taste of NVG 23 and some behind the scenes pics of the creative process.

Although I can’t walk down the produce isle without getting sick to my stomach after painting so many fruits and vegetables, if you’d like to learn my own watercolor process, take my course here.

New Book: Eaux de Fruits

Eaux-de-fruits_thefrancofly.com

Agua Fresca_thefrancofly.com_Jessie Kanelos WeinerHere’s a taste of my sweet new book chez Marabout Eaux de Fruits: Les aguas fresca désaltérantes, including 33 easy recipes for the freshest never-before-seen-in-France agua frescas. Take a chill pill and order here.

Save the date: Live portrait drawing and book signing at the Jumble Sale June 17th 12PM-5PM, Le Mary Celeste 1 Rue Commines, 75003 Paris. More here.

Photos © Richard Boutin

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Color Me Seasonal: FEB 2016!

Color me seasonal February_2016_HD.jpg

Happy February!  We are not just in the drudges of root vegetables season.  We are one month closer to the release of my book Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint), to be released March 15th, 2o16!  I know, I know.  Although I don’t have children of my own, this whole Edible Paradise thing has become the relentless star of all my social media platforms. But humor me for a second because it’s not small feat releasing your first book with a major American editor.  And every small feat is worth sharing, if you Instagram “like” it or not.  So let me just share that I received my advance copies and itsjustsolovelyicantevenseparatemywords!  But I’ll share the process of creating Edible Paradise from root to leaf sometime soon…

Whenever I get my hands on a book I have worked on, I always stare at it like the elephant in the room, not knowing if I really want to see what had become of my long hours and dedication. Will it be worth it?  It usually gets a quick flip through and gets quickly put away with all the others.  Although the final pdf of Edible Paradise had been validated for months now, seeing an accumulation of months of dedicated work can be emotional and fraught with anxiety.  Is this a result of perfectionism? Or just the fact that I may be more stone fruit 1315 copyprocess than final product.  Although I just got back from a few days in the Loire Valley, I trekked to my office at midnight on Friday night to pick up my advance copies.  If I may just share with you truthfully, I am in awe of this beautiful book. It’s not just your basic, copy and pasted coloring book. It really is a joyous celebration of what a year of eating seasonally can be. Regardless if you eat seasonally or not, it artfully revisits the beauty fruits and vegetables (and friends! There are major ladybugs to be colored in!).  Most importantly, how does it color?  I quickly attacked my copy!  I am creating a limited edition of Edible Paradise, all colored from front to back in watercolor, which quickly ate up my whole weekend in one voracious bite.  It’s good. It’s real good.

So please take a moment to preorder a copy here.  Or better yet, order two copies. As my grandfather used to say about handkerchiefs, “One for show and one for blow!”

In the meantime, warm up your coloring skills in the February coloring page above.

#colormeseasonal

 

 

 

PUNCH!

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Right in time to ring in the holidays, it is my latest publication Punchs et rhums arrangés, Editions Marabout!

© Richard Boutin
© Richard Boutin

It is a tutti frutti exploration somewhere between fantasy and reality, captured beautifully by photographer Richard Boutin.

© Photo Richard Boutin
© Photo Richard Boutin

Including 30 recipes for punch, infused rhum and cocktail-inspired finger foods, it inspires the libations and imaginations of the holidays to come.

© Kathrin Leist
© Kathrin Leist

In French bookstores November 4th, 2015.

Preorder a copy here.

Recettes du jardin à cuisiner et à colorier

Recettes du Jardin a colorer et a cuisiner, Editions Mango

I am very pleased to announce the release of my new coloring book Recettes du jardin à cuisiner et à colorier, Editions Mango. With 96 pages of seasonal, veggie-centric recipes by Franco-Japonese author Laure Kié.  I took care of the illustrations, but the color is up to you!

Recettes du jardin a colorier et a cuisiner
Adult coloring books have had quite the renaissance in France the past few years, becoming one of the bestselling genres.  I brushed off the whole thing until I sat down with Recettes du jardin and my colored pencils.  “I know how to draw.  Why should I color?” said the arrogant illustrator.  Sure enough, I spent the whole weekend storming through page after page.  But I get it now! Coloring is a tactile break from gadgets.  Each page is a rewarding exercise in concentration.  It’s like creative camomile tea, a much-needed digital withdrawal before bedtime.
Recettes du jardin a colorier et a cuisiner, Editions Mango 2
Note: the recipes are in French, but coloring has no language.
Recettes du jardin a colorier et a cuisiner, Editions Mango

Order a copy here.  Or preferably at the local bookstore.

Happy coloring!