Painting The Town

Sometimes, you just want to do your own thing. International Delight is giving away $5,000 to flavor your world in their Warm-up the Winter Sweepstakes. One way to spice things up? Travel! Los Angeles County Museum's current exhibition, Renoir in the 20th Century, fuels my desire to return to Paris. I've read about 135 pages of Susan Vreeland's mediocre novel, Luncheon of the Boating Party, which attempts to portray the life and times behind this Renoir masterpiece. My impression? It's missing the passion and emotion that drove this rebellious group. Perhaps the exhibition will compel me to finish it. Montmarte, where Renoir lived and worked in Paris, is one of my favorite arrondissements. The neglected gardens at his studio inspired him to paint its profusion of colorful dahlias, and his Moulin de la Galette is a lively composition of the Sunday afternoon festivities in this nearby beer garden. The LACMA show focuses on the later years, which he spent in Cagnes at what is now the Musée Renoir. Apparently, Renoir's home has been well preserved, and there are 10 original paintings, along with his personal possessions, on display. Not your flavor? Devise your own. Then, warm-up your winter and enter.

Voilà - the link to the Warm-up the Winter Sweepstakes:

https://idwarmupthewinter.icmodus.com/default.aspx?bhcp=1