Neighborhood Sketches

The park in my neighborhood, the back side of Montmartre, is Square Leon-Serpollet. It's a beautifully designed public space, with multiple levels of playgrounds, formal gardens, and ball space. It's got lots of nooks and crannies and a little bit of something for anyone in the neighborhood. It's also big enough to catch some sun early and late, when the streets and lower floors of buildings are canyons cut off from direct sunlight. So good in a city to have spaces like this.

The cherry trees along the top level are blooming right now. I sketched them last evening while I was out doing errands and then waiting for the pizza place to open. (7pm, which is late for this American, but the pizza made by guys from Naples is worth it.)

I was happy with the sketch and enjoyed doing it, so I went back this morning to do a fuller version.

I've been telling myself that one full watercolor a day will be enough to give me the show I want to have of Paris this fall. Given the chancy weather, I'm not always able to do more than one. Yesterday's painting was a little further down my way to town, but still on the Rue du Montmartre, so I'm lumping it in as a neighborhood piece.


I am loving being able to paint in Paris, but I will say that some pieces are easier than others. The morning light really grabbed me for this one, but it was a challenge to finish. It was a fairly busy street right at, apparently, delivery time. So van after large van parked illegally in front of me, blocking my view as I worked. Coupled with sun that kept disappearing when I COULD see, the light in this is not quite as steady and consistent as I would like. It wasn't the most "romantic painting in Paris" moment that I've had, but there have been some lovely ones of those too this trip. All things considered, I am not unhappy with how this piece turned out. Some days that's truly all you can ask for.