Lost Art #45: Place Charles de Gaulle, Paris

Hello, everyone! 

During this time that we've all been locked inside, there haven't been many objects lying around in the street, begging to be painted on. But now that we're all venturing back out into the sunlight again, somebody was kind enough to leave this wooden desk drawer out on the sidewalk for me to find, and you know what that means ... the return of Lost Art! I painted this one on the Place Charles de Gaulle, looking up at the Arc de Triomphe. I hope that someone will pick it up and take it home, perhaps as a celebration of our triumph over the lockdown period, or in hopes that we will one day triumph over the injustices that people are rallying to fight around the world. If you find it, please drop me a line to let me know! I wish you all a bright and liberating summer! 

This painting, acrylic on found desk drawer,  38cm x 42cm x 16cm, was left on Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, on June 23rd, 2020, at 1:00 pm.

If you have found this piece, it is yours to keep, but please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #44: Square George Cain, Rue Payenne, Paris

Hi everybody! 

I know it's been a while. I've been doing a lot of traveling and have been distracted by other projects, but I wanted to lose at least one piece of art before heading to the states for the rest of June :). This one is on a disused laptop I found. I painted it in my friend Rich's favorite park, over in the third arrondissement of Paris (map below). Let me know if you find it! 

This painting, acrylic on found laptop, 32cm x 43cm, was left in the Square George Cain, Rue Payenne, 75003 Paris, on June 12th, 2019, at 1:00pm.

If you have found this piece, it is yours to keep, but please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #43: Porte de Javel Haut, Paris

Hi everybody! 

I'm finally back, after a long and intense summer where I wasn't able to break away and lose some art. I did nip into Paris around the 4th of July, and did this one while out on a walk with my friend David. But I never had the chance until now to come back and drop it off. So here's a memory of summer, for anyone who happens to be on the quai this afternoon. Let me know if you find it!  xo

This painting, acrylic on found toilet seat, 43cm x 38cm, was left on the Porte de Javel Haut, near the Pont Grenelle in Paris, on October 6th, 2018, at 4:30pm.

If you have found this piece, it is yours to keep, but please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #42: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris

Hey everybody! 

Finally the first days of spring! It's been a rough winter. There were only a few breaks in the nasty cold/snowy weather, and it's been hard to catch one of those moments, but I did finally manage to get out there! I was so excited to paint on this beautiful guitar I found sticking out of a pile of trash. I wanted to find a very special spot for it, and I think I did. I took it into the Pere Lachaise cemetery! I'll need your help though, as I'm afraid the caretakers of the cemetery will be apt to toss this one back in the trash again as soon as they see it. They stopped by several times while I was painting it to make sure I wasn't planning to play it. I fear that if I'n not there to defend it, it might get tossed out rather quickly. So I've left it early in the day, leaning against a tree, out of direct sight from the path that the guardians were taking. I hope there's enough time for someone to find it! And if you do, then please let me know!

This painting, acrylic on found guitar, 100cm x 37cm, was left at the intersection of Avenue Casimir-Périer and Chemin Serré, inside the cemetery Père-Lachaise in Paris, on March 21st, 2018, at 1pm.

If you have found this piece, it is yours to keep, but please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #41: Place de la République, Paris

Hey everybody! 

I know, I know, I know. I'm always saying that the next one is coming soon, and this one has been coming forever. But it's been an exceptionally busy year. Since my last Lost Art, I did another big portrait commission, a site-specific performance and projection in Holland, and just finished installing a new audio/video piece for a group show back here in France. I've been spinning around, and working hard in all directions. But I'm always looking forward to getting back to this project whenever I get the chance! As for this piece, I actually found the broken chair and began the painting at Republique a while back, but just never had the opportunity to finish it and drop it off. So here it finally is! The plastic chair is returned to the streets from which it came. I hope that somebody finds it and drops me a line. Let me know if that somebody is you! I also hope that you're all having a lovely late autumn, and that the cold doesn't stop you from going out to look for art in the streets. You never know where you might find it! (I'm losing it everywhere!) It's great to be back :). 

This painting, acrylic on found broken chair back, 47.5 cm x 40 cm, was left on the Place de la République in Paris, on November 25th, 2017 at 4:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #39: Place Maurice Chevalier, Paris

Hey everybody! 

I hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather! I managed to venture out and lose some art today, in a neighborhood I rarely get to, in the 20th arrondissement. I happened to have a broken piece of chimney pipe that I'd picked up in the street, and this church on the place Maurice Chevalier seemed like a good fit for its dimensions. I hope that somebody finds it and gets in touch! Now that the summer is here, I'm already looking forward to losing some more art in the coming weeks. As always, if you know somebody in the neighborhood, please share and spread the word. And if you have any questions about the project, don't hesitate to drop me a line!

This painting, acrylic on found broken chimney pipe, 16.5cm x 31.5cm, was left on the Place Maurice Chevalier in Paris, on April 26th, 2017 at 3:00pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #38: Port des Champs-Élysées, Paris

Hey everybody! 

It looks like spring is finally arriving in Paris, and that means that I'll be doing a lot more outdoor painting again. Our good friend David Wise was in town visiting from Toronto last week, and he was making a film about his trip. He thought it would be fun to film the process of making a Lost Art painting, so we picked up this old discarded record player and found a nice place to sit with it by the river. Believe it or not, I think this is the first time the Eiffel Tower has made an appearance in one of these paintings :). David filmed me painting it while he asked me some questions about the series. Then I took the painting home to dry and it took several days for me to find a moment to go drop it off. Today, I'm finally releasing the record player back into the world, and leaving it in the place where I painted it. As always, there's a map to the location below, for you treasure hunters who want to go looking for it! And if you have friends in the area, please share the post in case they might want to grab it. Also, keep an eye out for David Wise's film! I'll be sure to post a link to it here when it's available for viewing. I hope you're all having a lovely April, and I look forward to losing a lot more art in the weeks to come!  

This painting, acrylic on found broken record player, 33cm x 33cm, was left on the Port des Champs-Élysées in Paris, on April 26th, 2017 at 3:00pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #37: Place de l'Europe, Paris

Lost Art is back in Paris!

Hey everybody! It's not easy to find good outdoor painting days in the winter, but this past week in Paris has had a couple of great ones. And I also found this beautiful old leather briefcase sighing its last breaths on a lonely sidewalk, so I decided to take it on a walk with me and see if I could give it a new life to live. It's great to be out painting again, and trying to rescue curious objects from their demise, and leaving unexpected gifts around town. I hope that this one brightens somebody's day today!  If you know somebody in the area, feel free to share this post with them. Otherwise, if you're just out for a stroll around Paris yourself, swing by the Place de l'Europe and see if it's still there. Whoever finds it first gets to keep it! Consider it my Valentine to you ;). 

This painting, acrylic on found briefcase, 45cm x 35cm, was left at Place de l'Europe in Paris, on February 17th, 2017 at 4:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #33: Place Lucien Herr, Paris

Hey everyone! 

How did it get to be summer already? I've spent most of this spring working on a big portrait commission, so I haven't had the chance to get out and lose as much art in the streets as I would like. But it has been beautiful painting weather! So I'm excited that this week I finally found a moment to get back to work on my favorite project :). I decided to visit a favorite 'stop and think' spot of mine. I've spent many quiet moments in this small park, and had some profound thoughts here. So it's a very special place for me. I hope I have managed to impart some of my fondness for this place onto the bar stool seat that I found in the street not long ago. And hopefully it will find a good home! If you know anybody in the neighborhood, share this post and see if one of them finds it. More to come soon!

This painting, acrylic on found stool seat, 32.5cm x 32.5cm, was left on the Place Lucien Herr, in Paris, France on June 17th, 2016, at 4:30 pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #32: Boulevard Edgar-Quinet, Paris

Hello again, everyone! 

It's finally starting to warm up a bit, so I'm excited to get back to losing my art in the streets. A few of the paintings have recently been found, so there will be some updates coming soon! As for this one, I found a handful of hours last week to go sit on the Boulevard Edgar Quinet, near the Montparnasse Cemetery, and paint this (sort of) view of the tower. I'm still trying to spiral out into the parts of the city where I haven't left paintings yet. So if you're hoping to find one in your neighborhood don't lose hope! I'm sure I'll get there eventually! I hope you've all managed to survive the winter with your spirits intact, and I look forward to filling the streets with paintings over the coming months. I hope you'll let me know if you or one of your friends finds one! Happy April in Paris!   

This painting, acrylic on found hub cap, 42cm x 42cm, was left on the Boulevard Edgar-Quinet, in Paris, France on April 5th, 2016, at 2:00 pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #31: rue des Saules, Paris

Hello again, everyone! 

After a big break I was finally able to get back to losing some art. The past few months I've been traveling around the United States on a schedule too tight to be able to leave paintings along the way. I've been missing my "letting go" therapy sessions but today, despite the cold, I was happy to get back to it! I left this painting in the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood. One of the first areas I had the pleasure of living in when I first came to Paris. It was great to have a chance to re-visit these streets and lose some art here, I hope you enjoy finding it! 

This painting, acrylic on found wooden shelf, 49cm x 24cm, was left on the rue des Saules, in Paris, France on Feb 16, 2016, at 12:30 pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #29: Quai de la Marne, Paris

Hello everyone! 

It's been a busy but fun time lately, with FIAC going on and all kinds of art to see in Paris, so I almost forgot to find the time to set this one free! But I had a lot of fun last week, painting on this skateboard deck alongside the canal de l'Ourcq in the 19th arrondissement. That is, until it started pouring rain and I had to run for it!  Anyway, I've always enjoyed the view of this railroad bridge, which I often pass by when I'm running, and I'm glad I finally had the chance to paint it. Hopefully someone else in the neighborhood, who also likes the view, will find this painting and get a kick out of it. Or hey, maybe even a young skater will decide that the deck is worth saving and screw some trucks and wheels onto it! If so, I hope he or she drops me a line and lets me know. I kinda like the idea that one of my paintings might wind up grinding a curb somewhere in the middle of the night! 

This painting, arylic on found skateboard deck, 78.5cm x 19.5cm, was left on the Quai de la Marne, in Paris, France on October 23rd, 2015 at 4:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #27: Grande Rue, Moigny-sur-École, France

Hello again, everyone! 

I know, I know. It seems like every time I post one of these lately, I'm looking forward to posting more often. But then I get swept away by the rhythm of life and it takes me another month to get one done. Hopefully the suspense isn't killing anyone out there! Once again, we've been babysitting the little house out in the French countryside this summer, so I thought it would be fun to venture into some of the neighboring towns to do some painting. Last year, I did paintings here in the village of Courances and in Milly-la-Forêt, the bigger town nearby. This time I went just beyond the hedges and did one in the next-door town of Moigny-sur-École. I found this broken-off slate of terracotta roofing that seemed to need a new purpose in life and I painted this view of the Grand Rue onto it. I hope somebody in town finds and enjoys it! I don't know if I'll be able to do another one while I'm out here, but as always, I'll be hoping I get to do more of them soon. I'll be going back to Paris next week. I'm sure there must be a neighborhood there that I haven't gotten to yet! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know in the comments. 

À bientôt !

This painting, acrylic on found terracotta roof slate, 22cm x 32cm, was left on the Grande Rue, in Moigny-sur-École, France on August 20th, 2015 at 3pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #26: Rose Garden Park, Bethlehem PA (Update: Found!)

UPDATE: Lost Art #26 has been found!

My old friend Tara, who is living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was following the blog and noticed when I left this one not far from her house during my trip to the States. So she went out to look for it and found it before it disappeared! I'm so happy that this piece found a loving home. And I'm also very grateful to Tara, who was nice enough to send in this photo of the piece in its new environment. It's nice to know that some of these objects' stories have happy endings!  

Original Post:

Hello again, everyone! 

I haven't had quite as much time for painting on my US trip as I had hoped. But I wanted to make sure I did at least one while I was over here! I've been getting some requests to come back to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania so that's where I decided to paint my latest. I found this cool old oak barrel lid and took it into the park with me, where I enjoyed a lovely summer afternoon. I know of at least one person who will recognize the neighborhood and try to get over there to find this one! Whoever finds it, I hope it brightens their day :). And I look forward to getting back to this neck of the woods again in the near future. But for now, I'm on my way back to France!

This painting, acrylic on found oak barrel lid, 16.25" x  16.25", was left in Rose Garden Park, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on July 11th, 2015 at 10am.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #23: Palais Royal, Paris

It's official! Spring is now in full bloom. April in Paris, and all that jazz. The trees are leafy green and the temperature is getting very friendly. It even got a little hot while I was painting this one in the lovely garden at the Palais Royal. I headed over to the 1st arrondissement to do this painting so I could catch a glimpse of the Paris marathon on my way. I wished I could have been running in it, but since I wasn't registered, I was very happy to be doing something else I love: painting. Luckily, I found another soul enjoying the sunshine in the garden that day. I wonder if she noticed me painting her? In any case, I hope someone finds this one and enjoys it as much as I did! 

This painting, acrylic on found Styrofoam block, 22.25 cm x 22.25 cm, was left in the garden at Le Palais Royal, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris on April 23rd, 2015 at 4pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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