MARTIN FREGEAU

In the Studio

Time-lapse of the painting process

Excerpt from the Studio Journal

Reflections and notes from the creative process

« That morning, I was simply looking for a good cup of coffee. In the end, I came back with a memory… and, several months later, with a painting. »

« There are paintings that are born from long periods of artistic reflection. You look for a subject. You study the light. You think about the composition. You wait for the perfect moment. And then there are those that begin with a bad breakfast.

I was staying in Paris to take part in a cooking workshop. For the occasion, I had booked a room in a small hotel in the 7th arrondissement. The hotel itself was rather pleasant. The breakfast, however… It consisted of an assortment of pastries that seemed to have seen better days. Perhaps several of them. They were dry, tasteless and, in their own way, seemed nostalgic for the days when they had just come out of the oven. As for the coffee, it was simply undrinkable.

After this first culinary experience, I made a radical decision: on the second morning, I would find my own breakfast. So I got up early and went for a walk around the neighbourhood, looking for a café brave enough to be open at such an early hour. That is how I came across a small café just two streets away from the Esplanade des Invalides, which had only just opened its doors.

I did not need to study the menu for very long. The traditional formula: a strong espresso and a croissant. he verdict was immediate. The croissant was warm and clearly fresh from the oven. The coffee was excellent.

I settled at a small table outside. The street was almost deserted. Paris still seemed to be hesitating between dawn and day. The temperature was perfect: neither too warm nor too cool. For a few minutes, there was nothing else to do but drink a coffee, eat a croissant and quietly watch the city begin its day. I savoured the moment just as much as I savoured my breakfast.

And, which is rather unusual for me, I took out my phone and photographed the table. Looking at the picture more closely, I suddenly thought: Well… perhaps I could paint this.

After all, artistic inspiration can sometimes come from a great museum, a spectacular landscape or a life-changing encounter.

And sometimes, it simply comes from a good cup of coffee and a warm croissant. »