( CNN ) -- They were a Parisian group of artists that gave birth to the Impressionism art movement , so it is perhaps fitting that one of their devotees records the French Open with those broad brushstrokes . Year after year , Joel Blanc makes the short pilgrimage from his Paris studio to the Stade Roland Garros for the tennis year 's second grand slam , aiming to encapsulate the tournament 's magic onto his canvas . In a style reminiscent of those Impressionist forefathers , he brings to life in his paintings what he witnesses taking place in front of him on the famous red clay courts . `` When I begin the painting , I do n't know exactly what will happen but I know what I want to introduce in the beginning . After , it 's a story of life , '' he told CNN 's Open Court show . `` I know how it begins , but I do n't know how it finishes . '' A key principle of Impressionism was to paint outdoors rather than inside a studio , so it 's a style tailor-made to Blanc 's own way of working . It 's an approach that has won over tennis stars such as Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal -- both fans and owners of the Frenchman 's paintings -- or television companies , who invite him to cover sporting events . Making his first visit to depict the action on the main court of Philippe Chatrier in 2004 , Blanc has returned every year since , attracted by both the stadium and the French Open 's allure and charm . `` Roland Garros is my favorite place , '' says the 68-year-old . `` It 's very special , it 's near to my studio , I 'm like a neighbor . `` It 's like a fascination in Paris , the time of Roland Garros in Paris is very special so there is a real attraction , '' he says . `` I am very proud to be there . '' The painter had to wait some time , however , before that short pilgrimage from his studio could become a reality . In the same way that the original artists of the Impressionism movement , established in Paris in the 1870s , initially drew criticism for their apparent trivial approach to art , Blanc had his own detractors -- his parents . They wanted him to forge a career as a surgeon or dentist rather than become an artist -- something that ultimately put him in good stead years down the line . `` I have to thank them for that as they obliged me not to be an artist just like that , they obliged me to learn anatomy at school , '' says Blanc , who was born in Toulon in the south of France . `` But all those years of learning actually gave me the great freedom for painting -- from horses to the body , from landscape to anything I have to draw . I know the proportions , I know everything . I 'm able to do it . '' From the late 1880s the public 's perception became more favorable towards the Impressionism movement , much like the trajectory of Blanc 's career . Following an education at the Ecole des Beaux Arts , Blanc first developed his passion for capturing the moment in equestrian events -- making a living out of depicting horses and their riders . And in keeping with the tradition of Impressionism , he also often found himself recreating scenes from the French countryside . It was not until far further down the line , though , at the age of 57 , that Blanc got his real break as an artist when he was invited to cover the World Athletics Championships in Paris in 2003 by French television station France 2 . `` I knew this was what I wanted to do . I was supported by the runners as I put all my body into my work , so I was like one of them , '' he recalls . `` This woman asked me to finish a painting and give it to a 100-meter runner at the end , so I finished it in 10 seconds and gave it to him ! '' That success prompted another invitation from France 2 to cover the following year 's French Open . `` In my work , I need to have a challenge and draw something that other people ca n't do , so I turned to sport , '' he says . `` What I feel when I do this type of painting is a communion with what I draw . `` I have to be not inside ( the athlete ) but it 's something like communion -- my eyes and my hand . I do n't take care of my hand , it 's only a problem of mind . '' Blanc , who has covered other sports such as golf and rugby , thrives on the unpredictability of capturing these instant action moments . `` Every sport has its own specialty . For example , polo ... it 's like a fight , it 's very quick and the movement of horses change in a second , '' he says . `` So if you do n't decide what you want to represent , it 's like rugby , it changes very quickly . If you do n't decide quickly , you are lost . You have to clear your mind in every sport . '' When Blanc first put his easel on the side of a tennis court , he was unaware of the endless possibilities that were about to unfold both on court and in his mind . `` The first time I thought , like for golf , that tennis was always the same , '' he says . `` I have been painting Nadal and Federer for years and years when they were always in the final , in Monte Carlo and at Roland Garros , and I could say it 's always the same story . `` But it 's not , because there is an adaption from one to the other and the strategy of each one is very specific , and the movements then change . And the movement has to be taken in the very instant . '' Sport is by nature cyclical , adds Blanc , but the same events every year bring fresh inspiration . `` If something new does n't happen then the people will be bored by that , but every time we all witness something new without fail . ''
Blanc paints live at the French Open 2004 . The Open Court second painted at Nadal in 2004 . Blanc has also painted sports as diverse as rugby , golf and athletics .