The month of May--what a marvelous month to be in Paris! I tried to soak up every bit of the French capital that I could. In addition to croissants and delicious stinky cheeses and visits to museums, I spent hours out and about with my easel, painting. Painting on location is a way to really SEE. It forces you to slow down and take in all the aspects of your surroundings.
One of my favorite places to paint in Paris is along the quais of the Seine. The river is always a different color, depending on the sky, the sun, the winds, and the time of day. So no painting of the same spot is ever the same! And did I mention the beautiful bridges, and the reflections they make in the water?
I also love to paint in the gardens. It's hard to say which is my favorite--the Luxembourg Gardens or the Tuileries. Both have wide passages of white-ish sandy gravel, creating shapes and angles that are very appealing. Both are punctuated by monuments of quintessentially French architecture (the Sénat building at Luxembourg, or the Louvre at the Tuileries). So much to savor!
I'm illustrating this post with several paintings I did on location in my favorite spots. These and more are available at the time of this post (July 7, 2025) on my website, here. Take a look, and enjoy this virtual trip to Paris!
