Kanako Watercolor Exhibit – Paris Travel Edition

By Sylvia Bury

Watercolor is inspiring. When my friend @tinypaleokitchen sent me a photo of her first poppy after ten years, I was touched. I strongly feel that this type of painting brings a much deeper meaning.

With a drop of water, you move your brush on a cold press watercolor paper. Through different layers of transparency, you unveil a unique perspective of the being, of the past and of the existence - controlling water, highlighting the whiteness of the paper, choosing the colors, and getting the right feeling, even though there’s a bigger risk in overthinking.

Watercolor painting might not look extraordinary compared to other techniques, but it gives powerful impacts on me. Hence, this time I would like to share with you a story of a Parisian artist using solely this aquarelle technique, in hope that this too will spread motivation and infuse you all with an inspiring energy.

^{Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

Kanako Exhibit

Her name is Kanako, wanting to draw since she was kid. She arrived in Paris on December 31, 2005, with a big dream of working in this city of love and therefore staying here.

Kanako sold postcards of her own watercolor paintings on the street. One day, a girl stopped by while jogged in the area and bought one of her cards. One year later, this girl created a start-up with her sister and they need an illustrator. It was in 2008 and they reached out to Kanako who since then worked full time at My Little Paris, providing day-to-day illustrations of the Parisiennes. My Little Paris comes in an app too, click here to get it - Good to have when you’re in Paris, or if you happen to love Paris in general.

She expanded her ground and found some jobs with the brands like Vogue, Dior, Cosmopolitan and some publishing houses. We knew Kanako from the signature look in her drawings. Not long after, we saw her works displayed in large scale along Champs Elysées Avenue in collaboration with the city hall in 2013 and also on the facades of the under-construction building of La Samaritaine since January this year. Her persistence pays. With her tender strokes of brush, she captures the daily life, the struggle and the silly things of living here in Paris.

^{Just Another Saturday Night in Paris - Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

^{Une Parisienne, ready to reach her dreams - Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

^{Literally Spa - Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

^{Self Portrait - Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

Dates

Now, it’s her moment to shine brighter. La Galerie Glénat is the place for her fans to see the artworks first hand – the first personal exhibit of Kanako. Available this month only, from November 8 to 25, 2017.

How to Get There

La Galerie Glénat is located in the heart of Le Marais, 22 rue de Picardie, 75003 Paris, not far from Carreau du Temple. If you need to take metro, you can exit at Temple Station (Line #3) or Arts et Métiers Station (Line #3 and #11) and walk 6-7 minutes from there. It opens everyday from Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 11am to 7pm.

If you like Kanako’s paintings but couldn’t get to Paris, you can get the original artworks here

^{She might not be in SteemIt but she might have painted our community well - Photo Courtesy of Kanako Exhibit}

@tinypaleokitchen inspired me to write about this aquarelle exhibit. I met @tinypaleokitchen at The Writers’ Block. She writes beautiful stories and also draws in watercolor. You can find fun and interesting contents from her here.

Come over and say hello at The Writers’ Block, a place where we can meet and have fun with the other writers. I wish everyone a wonderful day and see you there!