Sunday, November 16, 2014

Michel Ropion : Portraits of the Himalayan people

To close out the summer months a couple of months ago, I posted my father's paintings of flowers . 
Then life took a bit of a tumble with unforeseen events. A deep breath is what I can now take to bring you part 2 of his body of work: his impressive collection of portraits.
Close your eyes for a moment to imagine these faraway places nestled in the Himalayas: Kinnaur ~ Ladakh ~ Spiti Plateau ~ Drokpa ~ Kangra Valley ~ Mustang ~ Sangla Valley ~ Sikkim ~ Dheraddun ~ Zanskar Valley ~ Nepal ~ Dharamsala ~ Annapurna ~ Kalimpong ~ Lahaul ~ India ~ Rothang Pass ~ Tibet ~
These magical locales will whisk you away to treasured places tucked along the northeastern ridges of India and Nepal, to the edge of Bhutan on the southern side; to the rims of Jammu and Kashmir on the northern end. From the rooftops of the Himalayas to the deep valleys down below, back up to wide expanses of Tibetan mountainous plateaus, my father has captured the spirit of nomadic communities living far away from the reaches of the Western world. 
With many treks behind them, my parents have long fallen in love with the region known as the Rooftop of The World. They are fascinated by the rich cultural diversity, by the melodic religious rituals, by the bold tribal jewelry, by the deep vermillion colors of the gilded monasteries, and especially by the warmth and tenderness of the people. 

They are truly at home when they are there. It is where my father paints.
















The paintings of my father, Michel Ropion, inspire my life. In my own home, I am lucky to have several of his pieces on my walls. They are bold, they are huge; they are riveting.

Tempted to have one on your own walls, his art is available though his own website: michel-ropion.com

I will close with my favorite line ~ the same one each time I am mesmerized like this:…"It's good for the soul"     … Enjoy, Adeline

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The amazingly talented Michel Ropion

I have been to India a handful of times. Each time, a fond memory lingers. There is simply an immense scale to the country. There are dizzying smells, from rich masala curry spices to fragrant floral incenses. There is a mass of people so grand, it touches the horizon. There are colorful saris hanging to dry along the edges of the Ganges River. There are deafening honking sounds on bustling street corners filled with rickshaws and British-era black Ambassador cars. That myriad of life has inspired the bazaar-like colors in my home; in my art and my photography, even in the jewelry I wear. 
One thing is very evident in my home - the stunningly beautiful paintings of my father, Michel Ropion.

If you ever venture out into the vast foothills of the Himalayas, you will quickly understand why the region caught the eye of my parents many many years ago. They have returned to northern India every year for the last 25+ years. It is there that my father paints his incredible canvasses. His paintings show the magnificence of the mountains surrounding him. He paints portraits of young and old with beauty in their souls; he paints Tibetan temples with their sacred auras in regal ochres and burnt ambers. He wraps his paintings of flowers in an enchanting timeless beauty.




Michel Ropion's medium is acrylic; he uses it as though it was liquid magic at the end of his fingertips. From Arches 300gm paper, to canvas boards, to giant 4'x5' canvas frames, he treats magenta pinks, chartreuse greens, and royal teals with pure majestic vibrance. 

I will do a new trio of blog posts -  this time of my father's art. With the first of three, I invite you to see his flower series, his mind-blowing colors, his irrefutable talent.

























As you can see, there is magic in the air when you look at these paintings. 
I find them exquisite. 
I hope you do to. Feel free to inquire about them. Just like I love them on my walls; you might too!

It is so clear to me that my father's art is so delightfully ~ good for the soul ~ 
Enjoy as always, Adeline