Notre Dame

The weather, as careful readers will have noticed, has been iffy this trip. I've been able to do one or two watercolors most days, but not all. One day I had finished my first one just as things clouded over. I had my lunch and was pondering whether I would be able to paint again or whether I should just call it a day. I was right at Notre Dame and decided to wander inside and give the weather time to make up its mind. Of course I did a little sketching. I am utterly charmed by the series of chapels behind the chancel that have stars painted on the ceiling. I'm equally charmed by all the archways that branch out from each other.

 I did one quick one and one that was a bit more involved. It's a dark place to paint. It helps to have a good working knowledge of your palette, so you can make good guesses without much visibility. Crowds of people passing occasionally block your light completely, and most disconcerting are the people who blind you without warning by taking a flash photograph of you.

Apparently sketching makes you just part of the attraction for some of the tourists. I never mind people taking photographs if they ask. One woman wanted one of me with her grandson, which was cute, and a different day, a middle school girl group of students was delighted to see what I was doing, and I was happy to talk to them about it and have them take photos. It's more disconcerting without warning, especially in dark places. But Paris is much less crowded now than in the summer travel season, so it was a good time to hit a popular tourist spot.

And here's one random sketchbook page I'll throw in, since it doesn't have any obvious partners. One fun of having a sketchbook is making waiting so much more pleasant. Here I was waiting both for pizza one night and for a pretty serious rain shower to pass. I found a canopy to sit under and sketched the church with the heart-shaped windows I enjoy walking by.