I had a great time painting statues at the Luxembourg gardens, and I continued around the Louvre and in the Tuileries.

I've realized that I also have barely painted the Eiffel Tower, which most people think if first when they think of Paris. So I managed both a statue and the Eiffel Tower.

The skies have also been wonderful. The sky plus this statue on a corner of the roof of the Louvre caught my eye. I love this statue. My first sketch in Paris was of it. I just keep coming back.

While I was painting the angel, this lion caught my eye as well. There's such a wealth of things to paint in Paris that I could plop down almost anywhere and be occupied all day.

And then there's this one of the canal. I did it a few days ago when I was too busy to get a blog post up, so here it is. I had walked to a different quadrant if the city to meet a new friend for lunch, and I was glad to get out of my Louvre groove and see a little more of Paris.

I've spent two full days painting in the Luxembourg Gardens. My sister Deirdre who lived here for a while strongly recommended the place, and I have really enjoyed just taking a picnic and a book and painting and resting a bit on between.

I couldn't resist these sycamore trees.

I've also been enjoying painting statues. I've done several smaller watercolors of just a single statue. These are 6x8 instead of 7x10.

I had an only halfway intentional Sabbath. I somehow managed to forget my main watercolor book today, which left me with only my panorama one and a small one. I had one panorama I knew I wanted to do, but I was having trouble spotting others today.

I decided to do a few smaller ones instead. I started with a statue I spotted yesterday.

I checked my mail at lunch and found that the street musicians I'd met last week were playing today and decided to go see them. I did this small one while listening to them.

But mostly I was having a ball and just took a slow afternoon to hang out and listen to them. Here's a small video clip I took. Rene is from Louisiana and sings authentic blues, and Stephen is from Lancashire. Unfortunately the camera in the phone doesn't seem to be picking up his marvelous bass playing very well. More slap than bass, sadly.

I also did a couple of quick ink sketches of them in my journal. I'd done a watercolor of them a couple of days ago.

Then on the way home a couple was doing utterly beautiful tangos in the shady square in Abbesses. I settled in and watched for half an hour is so. Again the camera in my phone wasn't coping well with the shady light, but you can get an idea from this.

One thing I love about Paris

Is all the life right out on the sidewalk. this city is made for pedestrians, which is

perfect for me, and on the weekends it's like a street fair. Musicians everywhere. Lovely.

Whoops. I got behind and forgot to post yesterday's work. I'm trying for four a day, and the last two days I've managed that.

I was into statues today. I started with the horseman and ended with an I identifies writer in St. Georges' square. Anyone?

In between I took my lunch break in a sweet little park just across the Seine from Notre Dame. I stop in there for the shade and the wifi sometimes, and I love the copper beeches. Today I finally painted it.

I was walking across the bridge behind Notre Dame to Ile de la Cite when I spotted Stephen, an upright bass player I'd met last week. He and his partner were doing some great southern blues and a little jazz, and it was lovely to have that authentic sound of home, so I settled in to listen, paint the, and chat with them on their break.

Here's what they really look like.

Yesterday I stopped and painted on my walk downtown. I was sitting on the sidewalk, as usual, when I got mistaken for a street person. Someone actually dropped 62 cents right beside me despite my protests. Sadly it only took one block for me to find someone really needy to give it to. There are a heartbreaking number of homeless people here.

I also painted the Musee D'Orsay again. I love those big clocks. And I met a lovely couple from Strasbourg who stopped to see my painting. He's an artist as well, and I was pleased to be able to carry on a longish conversation in French about various media, plain air versus studio painting, and the urban sketching movement. I'm sure my grammar was appalling, but it's lovely to be able to converse a bit.

I had promised myself lunch and a painting at the marvelous Bistro de l'University. It's the best restaurant I've found in Paris, which is not surprising since my Cordon Bleu graduate friend took me there in April. I was just in time. They're closing for the holidays today. I'm glad I got to sketch the rich red walls and mirrors. It's the perfect Parisian place.

I went home by way of the small park and Metro sign I'd found in my last trip but hasn't painted yet. It's another shady small park tucked just off the bustle of a big Paris street, and I'd taken refuge there for lunch in April.

I had walked into town, so I gave myself permission to hop on the Metro and ride home on a day that topped 90 degrees.

Two satisfying days of painting with some lovely and unexpected social encounters as well. Perfect.

It was a chopped up day because I had to take Kosmo to the vet at 11:00. I was proud that I got up and out in time to paint the above sketch with the morning light, only 8 minutes or so from the apartment. I also managed grocery shopping on the way home before appointment time.

Then it was hot, so I gave myself permission to nap in the absolute height of the sun and went back put later in the afternoon.

I've been sitting right on various sidewalks all week to paint, so undecided to treat myself and paint from a cafe table with a glass of wine.

I started a second one too, but a van illegally parked in front of me, leaving me staring at this.

The light was moving anyway. I'll stop some evening on my way home to finish it.

I started out painting lions again this morning. I hadn't quite captured what I'd wanted to last time. And they're fun to paint.

Then I painted the bar at St. Germaine des Pres where my friends Allison and Michel took me for a drink back on the spring.

I had grabbed the wrong sketchbook this morning and was out of the squarer paper, so it was panoramas for the rest of the day.

I painted the Louvre. Again. I can't seem to stop myself. It really is my favorite building in Paris. At least this time was a quite different viewpoint.

I was kind of pooped and very hungry by then, but I've been trying to do four sketches a day when possible. I decided to go to the creperie where I had my first Paris lunch and get a sustaining crepe, sit down a bit, and use the bathroom (really the trickiest bit about being downtown all day). Afterwards I felt refreshed enough to do one more painting along the Seine on my way home. If you look closely, you can spot the Louvre.

The gardens along the side and back of Notre Dame are one of my favorite places in Paris. I decided to paint there, since so far I'd only been hanging out, eating lunch, and enjoying the wifi.

I love the flying buttresses.

I also painted the statue at the center of the garden.

And walking home I stopped to paint this funky building with lots of statues that remind me of the knights in Alice in Wonderland.

I'm not sure what the building is, but not seems to have perpetual concerts and events in the plaza in front of it. This summer it's beach volleyball.

Speaking of special summer events, I also took the time to ride the Ferris wheel I keep painting. It's got stunning views of Paris.

Here's the view from my bench where I'm taking a lunch break. I love this small park down the side of and behind Notre Dame. It even has free wifi, so I can do a little work on my break.

Here's the side garden. Cherry trees were blooming in April when I was here, and it is just as beautiful now.

In other news, here are the paintings I did yesterday. It was a productive day downtown. I finished four watercolors and then had a lovely walk home.

The Louvre again. I can't stop painting it. Above is the view from my lunch break on the Tuileries. Below is the Ferris wheel again. I love the frisson of old world and new world.

I regretted not painting the Musee d'Orsay last time. I love it's huge clocks. So I did two along the Seine yesterday. Cloud cover gave me sporadic sun protection as I sat out on bridges in the middle of the river, and a bagpiper provided entertainment for the ascond drawing.

Between the market in the morning and a vet appointment in the afternoon for the cat I'm sitting, I stayed close to home yesterday. I also had a little lingering jet lag, so I gave myself permission to have a slower day.

The one watercolor I did was intricate and time consuming, though. Lots of small detail, so the drawing phase took much longer than usual. This is one of my three regular metro stations. I walk to different ones depending on which direction I want to go. The lines all have different areas they cut across. I like this station because all the best food stores are on the way home.

I think the Louvre is my favorite building in Paris, though there are several that I really love. I keep coming back to paint this one, though. And it is helped by the gardens that surround it. I can usually find some shade.

This month there's also a fair going on, and I liked the juxtaposition of old with new, Ferris wheel beside centuries old palace.

From the same chair by the fountain (though not shade), I also did the following of one of the statues.

Another view Of the Louvre. I like the topiary trees as well. Very popular in France.

This is a fountain just north of the Louvre. I painted in quite a small radius yesterday.

Finally walking home after a bit of a jaunt over to the Left Bank, I passed under one of the Louvre arches and found this cellist playing. The music reverberated beautifully in the space, and I sat to both draw and listen a while.