Painting the People of Paris ...Impressions of France part 2

'Paris Break'             7x10              pastel                 ©Karen Margulis
purchase painting here $125

 It seemed as though we walked for miles. In fact according to my Apple watch I did walk for 10 miles during the short time we were in Paris. Walking in Paris was a feast for the senses. The colors, smells and sounds brought the city to life. I wanted to capture it all and put it in a bottle.

I have to be content with my memories and the photos I was able to take. I imagined myself on a photo safari. We were moving fast so I had to react quickly. A click here and another there as we briskly made our way through the crowds.

detail of painting 

I wanted to take photos that captured the flavor of Paris. I wanted to capture the essence of what Pais was about ....my impressions of Paris. Once again I found myself enthralled with the people. Riding the BatoBus introduced me to the wonderful sights of Paris....Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tour. But I found myself focused on the people lining the banks of the Seine (read part 1 here)

As I walked I noticed the people. So many people and at all hours of the day. Busy people, people laughing, kids playing ball, dogs playing ball, people relaxing at streetside cafes. The people were interesting and colorful. They filled the city and gave it energy. 

The buildings formed the landscape of the city and the people were the spices.

 I wanted to paint them.

Color!

But we were on the move and so I could only take photos. I held my camera discreetly against my side. I kept it turned on and when I saw an interesting scene I clicked the shutter. I didn't want to be obvious and I didn't stop or slow my pace. Did I get any good photos? Not many. I got many photos of feet!  But I got enough to remind me of the flavor of Paris. They will inspire some fun paintings!

Here are a few photos of my quick walk around Paris.

connecting....just not with one another

We had a fun evening at this cafe

Dogs are welcome

evening shapes and colors

 About today's painting: I printed one of my photos and took much liberty with it. I used a piece of gray Pastelmat paper. My goal was to simplify the clutter and leave out the things that weren't necessary such as the men walking in front of the cafe. I also didn't want the figures to be detailed. They are simple shapes....suggestive of people without putting in too much detail.

the badly reproduced photo that I used for todays painting