So, after we got rained on – again – and headed to our hotel, we were very tired and I was starting to feel weary. Neither of us really wanted to do much of anything at that point, so we ended up ordering room service. For me, that meant a green salad. For Dave, it meant a salmon and pasta with the obligatory basket of bread. We watched a movie on our portable iLuv player, since there was no English-language tv or newspapers available. It was a fairly early night, but after a lot of walking, it was fine. Dave had his conference the next day and we didn’t want him to be too tired for that!

Drawing of Paris Lamp post on Champs Elysses

On Friday morning, Dave and I had some time together before his conference. We decided to walk down the Champs-Elysees, where all the designer shops, fancy cafes and five-star restaurants are. We aren’t really into the designer fashion scene, but it was a pretty street to walk down. And, unlike much of the rest of Paris, it had a wide sidewalk that made it easier for us to walk together. It was quite hot and humid that day, but we found a newsstand that had an English version of a world newspaper and Dave purchased it immediately. I was still fairly tired from the day before, so we found a cafe and sat down. I pulled out my sketchbook and drew. Now, this is what I expected to see in Paris!

Drawing of store window in Paris, France

Of course, I was not prepared for the crazy chain-smoking Parisians. OMG! The chain smoking along with the espresso… No wonder they are all so thin – nicotine and caffeine! And they sit for hours, alternating between smoking, ordering an “encore” (another) of cafe, and talking on their phones. In that way, they’re much like New Yorkers… obsessed with multitasking! I guess, really, that was me, when I was playing executive – minus the smoking, the multitasking, the coffee… all me!

Drawing of a cafe scene in Paris, France

And so, after a coffee and a Metro ride home, we grabbed some lunch at a cafe near the metro. Dave had to change into his suit for his meeting and headed to the other side of Paris.

As for me, I was going to rest for the afternoon – nap, draw, watch some French TV for the heck of it and then I was meeting Dave for dinner at the Senat building, where the conference was having a traditional French dinner. So, I napped, added some color to the sketches above, and watched some movie on TV in French. Yes, I watched a movie in French! I got the plot, for the most part. It was about a woman who discovers she has breast cancer, but is having trouble with her photographer husband and doesn’t tell him. Of course, it turns out fine, because the tumor is removed and she doesn’t seem to need chemo or radiation, and their marriage is healed by her disease… Yes, I got all this by watching and getting the gist of what they were saying in French. It was an entertaining hour and a half – mostly because I could figure it out and because it was so much like a US film wold be on Lifetime!

Drawing of Senat Building in Paris, France

Later that afternoon, I dressed for the dinner. I was all dressed up in my little black dress and shawl, and I brought my jacket with me, because it had cooled off. I was to take a taxi to the Luxembourg Palace, where we were to have dinner. It appeared to me that this was not really a palace, and I hoped that it was prettier from the other side! As it turns out, the building of the address was actually the Senat building (yes, Senate without the “e”), and it was not at all palatial! However, I got there, and I was 45 minutes early. This, of course, put the people in the reception area in a tizzy. I was far too early, and they were not prepared for anyone yet. I said I’d come back and went to try to find a cafe. No luck, as it was already dinner time and the cafes were now set for dinner. So, I plopped myself across from the Senat building entrance, waiting for Dave’s bus to arrive. I pulled out my journal and I drew! It was fun to watch people walk by me and look at my drawing, looking across the street to see what I could possibly be drawing! I guess I looked pretty comfortable there, since a few people asked me for directions.

Drawing of iron work at Senat building, Paris, France

Dinner was lovely. Dave went to the head waiter before service started and reminded him of my allergies. He handed him one of my allergy cards and he said it wasn’t going to be a problem. And, truly, it was not. We sat with the US contingency (very few of us flew in from the States) and I got to meet the delightful wives of some of Dave’s colleagues. I’ve known the colleagues for a while, since I tend to go to meetings with him. No, I don’t mind when he talks shop. All my years in health care administration helps me to keep up with the conversations. They served a lovely six-course dinner, all courses were adapted for my allergies, and the evening was a delight.

Dinner ended after 10:30 and we were on the other side of Paris from where our hotel was. So, we went in search of a taxi. Taxis in Paris are highly unionized. You can get a taxi only at taxi stands or through your hotel. It took a 20 minute walk and about 20 minutes more for the first taxi to decide to work. They were lined up chatting rather than driving… Anyhow, we got back to the hotel and went straight to sleep. The next morning, we went down to breakfast (aside here, I need to tell you about the breakfast room, but I’ll do that later in this post) and quickly ate. From there, Dave left for his meeting, where he was going to present his paper. I had plans to go to the Musee d’Orsay for the day. And, honestly, it was the best day I had there.

Musee d'Orsay clock, Paris, France

I rested a bit in the morning, making sure I had all the energy I could for the day at the museum. I walked to the Metro and then through the Tuileries in the drizzle and got to the Orsay. There was a huge line. And I took a look around and I saw a man selling his paintings along the Seine across the street from the museum (right). breath and decided I’d just bare it and get ready to stand for an hour before going in. No, I did not need to do that. My quad cane to the rescue again. I had the lovely advantage of a gentleman taking me to the front of the line and letting me in immediately. You know, I don’t get this kind of treatment when I’m here in the US!

Man selling his artwork along the Seinne across from the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France

I took my time walking through the sculptures on the entry floor. So lovely and it was so amazing to be right there, next to these amazing sculptures. I took lots of photos. I was overwhelmed with the inspiration, so I was not ready to draw. I figured the photos would serve as memories and I could draw at a later time. I decided to go up to the top floor and work my way down. I saw every piece of art in that museum. I stopped at every picture, looked closely at the brush strokes of the Masters, and I studied them. I took photos of some of the parts of the paintings I wanted to remember – how they used shading on a certain face; how they used something I use in my work and I could find another place for it. I took photos of an amazing mixed-media sculpture made in bronze and fabric. The horse and man are in bronze, but then it appears to be a thin canvas painted in black (gesso?) that serves as his cloak. I was constantly surprised at how much of what we do now as artists has, in some ways, been done for centuries!

Mixed-media sculpture - clay, bronze and fabric

I took a break in the middle of the day for lunch at the museum’s restaurant. I thought it would be a good rest for me and they were, happily, undaunted by my allergies. So, I sat and ate and, as it turned out, at the table next to me, an artist sat down. Sheila Giles-Oddy sat and chatted with me. She is a pen and ink and watercolor artist. She’s from Toronto, Canada, and we had a lovely chat. She and her husband had been to the Orsay five times and they never tired of it. She and I exchanged cards and she invited me to call next time I am in Toronto. And I shall! Sheila, if you’re reading this, it was so lovely to meet you! I will definitely let you know when my husband and I come to Toronto.

Dave’s talk was received well, and at the end of his day he was exhausted. I was, too. I mean, I had been on my feet for 8 hours. So, we ordered room service again and decided to stay in and watch a movie on our iLuv. We watched Across the Universe. Or, rather, I watched, Dave slept. It was quite a cute movie. What a great way to use Beatles tunes!

The next day, we had breakfast (petit dejuner) in the hotel. Now, this little breakfast room was a source of entertainment each morning we were in Paris. Petit dejuner was included in our hotel rate, so we could get started each morning. To get there, we had to either take five flights of stairs down, or take the elevator to the basement. The room was filled with tiny chairs and breakfast tables that were pre-set with coffee cups, saucers, a napkin, and a small plate.  Everything else, except the coffee, was set up on an a table that was about 2 meters long (see, I got into the Metric System while there!). There was coffee American-style, brewed and available for us to just keep refilling our cup as much as we wanted. The room was stuffy, small, and hot; there was no air circulating in that room. They had a small fan running, but unless you were blessed to sit at the table right next to it, you didn’t feel it. And there were bad croissants and odd yogurts (granny smith apple yogurt?) and corn flakes available. They did have hard boiled eggs, which I was able to peel and make into an egg-white breakfast, so all was not lost!

The characters at the breakfast changed each morning. The first morning, we sat next to a couple that was from Australia. Like us, they were visiting Europe for the first time. She had a milk allergy and Celiac Disease and could not eat anything that was there. We chatted and told her we’d found the supermarket and where she could find soy milk. It was nice to speak English before the coffee kicked in! LOL Another day, it was all business people, rushing to get their food and coffee down and to head to a meeting. (It was amazing to me that with all those carbs Parisians and the French in general, appeared to be quite thin.) Another day, two German women sat near us, and were clearly as much in a fog as we were. Perhaps that’s why one of the last days there, we noticed the rather large man and his son. The . The language they spoke was either Italian or Spanish. Dave thought Spanish, I was convinced it was Italian. The man reminded me of Marlon Brando from The Godfather. He even had the scratchy authoritative voice! His wife put together a plate that was overflowing with lots of croissants and muffins. His son was sent to do the same soon after that. Both were gone almost immediately. We didn’t even see them eat them, just knew there was activity going on by the amount of food that seemed to disappear in moments.

Later that morning, we stopped at le marche (the market) and picked up some fruit. Then we sat at a Cafe for lunch. We were tired and looking forward to leaving Paris. We packed our clothes and prepared for a quiet afternoon. We went out to dinner and to sleep early. We were ready to leave Paris, really. We needed the quiet of the country, and the next day, that was to happen.

More tomorrow!

After that, I stopped at a quilt shop I’ve been eying for a long time! I haven’t taken the time to visit in a while, but it’s also been a while since I have bought fabric… So, I went ahead and treated myself to some fun fabrics I couldn’t live without! They’re to the right! YUMMY!

And today’s drawing is an EDM Challenge. It’s Challenge #2 – Draw a lamp. It’s the lamp from my art desk. Monochromatic, because the lamp is a brown and white antique-looking Ott Lite. I like it and it’s my constant companion on my table.

That’s all for now. Back to doing some other projects I can’t share until after Mother’s Day!

To the right is a drawing of my pencil sharpener. Not a perfect drawing, but a drawing, nonetheless. It’s really rounder at the top than my drawing shows, but I did blind contour drawing and, well, this is how it came out! I used a Pigma Micron and some Albrecht Durer and Lyra watercolor pencils.

To the left is a drawing from the Every Day Matters challenge group – # 91 – Draw an apple. I drew this from a photo, since I’m allergic to apples. Yes, apples. I used a Pigma micron and Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils for this.

Remember how the other day I wasn’t sure whether I liked the paper in the hand*book journal. I’ve now gotten used to working with the paper and I do, indeed like it. I will be happy to take this journal to France when we go. I just need to figure out which watercolor pencils to bring, since I can’t bring all of them with me! That will be part of the process in the next few months.

washes do OK, so if I decide to bring watercolor pencils, that could work. Today I used some graphite pencils, watercolor pencils and a Pigma Micron .05.

Anyway, here are today’s drawings. I don’t usually draw pictures of men. I decided I should get a sense of the proportions of men’s faces. I did several drawings from photos in a magazine. The drawing of the couple above is loosely based on an ad in a magazine. The man in the picture above I like. The woman’s face however, is a bit off. The drawing to the right is also based on ads in a magazine.

Left is a montage of three different faces from the magazine. I thought it was time to start playing with some color, so I added watercolor pencils for some color. I tried to stay somewhat true to the images in the magazines.

I got brave from here and started doodling some faces. Those are to the right. The hand on the guy on the left of the page is in great need of some rework, but I decided that I probably just need to spend some time working with hands. I tend to freeze up when I look at them and try to add them. That’s something I want to change. Maybe that’ll be tomorrow’s drawings?

Today I’m tired and achy. But at least I’m up to posting on my blog! To the right is EDM Challenge 23 – Draw your Foot. Since I went and had my manicure and pedicure while Eliana was here, I figured drawing the foot was a good thing to do. I drew the cool little flower and the lines at the top of the big toe – the only one you could really see (I have teensy toes and even more teensy toe nails!). I decided not to use any color in this and to see if I could create it with just the Pigma Micron 02 and 08 pens. I like how the pants leg came out, in particular. I rarely do this kind of shading, so it was a good challenge.

To the left, you see a drawing of my reading glasses. I have several pairs of reading glasses – mostly from Target’s dollar spot! I buy them in bulk when they have them there. I have found that since my 38th birthday (yes, two and a half years ago!) I’ve needed to wear these reading glasses with my contacts to see up close. Reading without the is greatly straining on my eyes. So, I figure some funky glasses should be owned. The pair depicted here is actually black, clear and gray – sort of a plaid.

My husband is just finishing up doing his rounds at the hospital. He’s taking me out to lunch when he gets here. It will be my first time out of the house since last Monday. I’m sure I will be exhausted when we return home, but getting out of the house is really necessary right now. Have a great Sunday, everyone!

EDM 31 – Draw something you collect.

I brought my grandmother’s vintage train case into the den, where I am sitting in front of the TV. I drew the train case open with the photos in it. My grandmother took very good care of it. Her address from The Bronx is still in it, easy to read! The mirror is still perfect, as well. It’s quite heavy, or I’d use it for travel. For now, however, it will remain in my studio as storage.

While the pictures and the train case were here, I posted more of my vintage photos and cabinet cards for sale on my “Supplies for Sale” page. Take a look. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, send me an email and I will see if I have what you need in my collection!

EDM 164 – Draw your camera.

I also drew my point and shoot Canon Powershot Elph. This camera has been with me for a while. It’s 4 mpx, which was huge a few years ago! It will be coming with me on all my trips, since it fits so easily into a purse or backpack.

Now it’s time to relax and try to keep from getting more fatigued. Hmmm… Perhaps a nap?

I had hoped to post more drawings from today, but, as usual, I have some major fatigue from yesterday’s treatment. I’m going to take a nap now…

While my niece was here, I did get some time to do a bit of drawing. As always, drawing always keeps me grounded. That’s why it was even more important for me to do it while I was hosting the family.

To the left is my CreativeTherapy response to “What makes you, you?” which is Catalyst 7. Here is the journaling that goes with it:

“Like a tree growing from the rocks of the Grand Canyon, I am a survivor. I work my way past obstacles that might make others sit back and cry. I may not be flourishing with bright green leaves all the time, but I am strong and I can and have survived many challenges through my life. That makes me, me.”

To the right is a drawing of two pillows that were on the floor of an office I waited in yesterday. They looked so soft and inviting that I had to draw them. Even better, they fit EDM Challenge 138 – “Draw something soft”!

Tomorrow is my treatment. I’m drinking lots of fluids in the hopes that the IV insertion will be a smooth one. Last month it took six tries before we got it in and that’s just not OK! So, I’m drinking lots and lots of water to keep myself hydrated.

First, we met for a great dinner at Lockwood, the restaurant in Joanne’s hotel, The Palmer House. I went up to Joanne’s room and we exchanged gifts. FUN! Joanne loved the tote I made for her and said she would definitely use it! She gave me a fantastic doll pin that represented each of us and a fun tote from Target that features spoons! How apropos! We had a lovely dinner and planned to meet the next morning for breakfast at my hotel.

Tuesday morning we met for a long leisurely breakfast. We talked non-stop! And then we went to the Chicago Art Institute. Because Joanne is a member, we were able to see the Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer exhibits without tickets. I had my walker, so we had to find our way through the maze of elevators and floors. I suppose a map would have helped, but neither of us picked up one. The fabulous docents and guards were very willing to help.

We enjoyed both exhibits, but were both pretty tired from standing so long. And, well, we can both always eat! So, we went to the Garden Cafe in the museum for a lovely lunch. We both splurged and had dessert – I had coconut sorbet (YUMMY!) and Joanne had some fabulous-looking ice cream with chocolate sauce. We sat and talked for quite a while and then both decided we were “museumed out”! So we went to the gift shop. It is always fun to walk through museum gift shops. We had fun, but suddenly, I became quite tired. I purchased my gift for Angie and we headed back outside to catch a taxi to my hotel.

We sat in the hotel and talked, waiting for Dave to complete his day of meetings. He came in around 4:30 and we had 5 pm reservations at a lovely little Italian restaurant within a short walk of the hotel, Volare. It was a great meal and very affordable. I highly recommend it. All three of us enjoyed our food!

From there, we grabbed another taxi and wen to see Wicked. Now, for those of you who don’t know, The Wizard of Oz is my FAVORITE movie of all time. Wicked came to Phoenix, but was completely sold out in a short time, so I didn’t get to go. When I found out it was playing in Chicago, I emailed Joanne from my Palm Centro and asked if she was interested in seeing it with Dave and me. We were so lucky to get Center Orchestra tickets! I got an FM receiver from the Auditorium so I didn’t miss a thing. That, combined with my Baha, made for a great experience! If you get a chance to see the musical, do! It’s funny, filled with lots of great dancing, costumes and satire. And the music is so much fun!

The next morning, I met Joanne at her hotel. Our plan was to have breakfast and then to go to the Blick Art Materials across the street from her hotel. It called to us. We had no choice but to visit this two-story art materials mecca. We had so much fun that an hour quickly passed! Joanne was able to get a bunch of Golden’s products she needed for her Art & Soul classes. I was able to find a few things I couldn’t live without that could easily slip into my suitcase! We went back to her hotel to drop off her bounty, sat in the lobby and talked, and then went to a nice long lunch.

I walked back to her hotel with her and we said our good-byes. It was a lovely time, especially knowing that Joanne is coming to Art Unraveled in August, so we will have more time together soon. It was a fabulous time, as we both knew it would be. I’m still amazed at how friendships can become so incredibly strong over the Internet and then can blossom into “real life” friendships.

Wednesday evening, Dave and I went to dinner at Shula’s in our hotel. We were both tired and wanted to have a quiet dinner, which we did. We both needed a good night’s sleep, since Thursday was our travel day and Dave had an early breakfast meeting.

Thursday morning, I slept late while Dave went to his meeting, and then I took some time to draw. I hadn’t taken much time to draw while Joanne was there, since we had so much to share!I was definitely ready to return home. The flight was pretty bumpy, but I didn’t get sick – a huge victory!

I added in some pictures I drew while i was in Chicago. They’re really quite simplistic, but it felt good to have a pen in my hands and to truly observe things. I don’t think I’d have noticed the fabulous columns that make up the Wrigley building without observing it to draw.

Today I’m preparing for our family to visit for Passover. My 7-year-old niece, Eliana, is coming to visit with her parents. We’re having two Seders here at the house. We’ll bring my FIL and MIL over for them and for other days during the week. I’ll be doing art with Eliana! She wants me to teach her some things. I’m happy to oblige! Uncle Dave will teach her some magic tricks, too. It will be a fabulous week, if I can keep track of my spoons!

I’ve, of course, started to feel some of the fatigue that undoubtedly comes with the treatment, but so far, I’m doing OK. I have been taking easy this weekend – lots of movies, iTunes, reading and, maybe, some drawing.

I did quite a bit preparing for this and the trip. I had a lot of little things on my to-do list that I needed to just get to! On Wednesday, I was able to repair the 53-year-old wedding album of my MIL and FIL’s wedding. During the move, the already frail book lost the top of the posts. I was so happy to find long 3″ posts and 1/4″ extensions at California Paper Goods. That’s what was needed to stabilize the pages. The side of binding of the book needed repair, to. I used bookbinding cloth from The Paper Studio to reinforce it on the inside.

Thursday Angie loaned me her copy of the new special issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Studios. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting! It was so wonderful to see how other artists organize their spaces, how the work within them, how they decorated them, and the amount of space they have (or don’t have!). I was inspired and wanted to immediately take some of the ideas I got from Studios and put it into action. I pulled out my Color Mists and I added color to some paper mache torsos in the studio that have been plain and saved for far too long. I added color to them and I used them to decorate. (Click on the photo to the left to see the annotated version that explains what everything is!

In addition, I added some color to a wine crate with the Color Mists, too. And then I added some of my artwork and pieces that have been given to me to this area. Click on the photo to the right for an annotated version.

I also grabbed the hammer and some nails and I started to hang some things that have been just sitting on shelves. Mostly, artwork that hasn’t yet sold. I will take photos of that at another time.

Yesterday we planned our trip to Europe. Instead of spending three weeks, we decided to just spend two. We are going to go to France only, instead of gong to both France and England. There is so much we want to see in France and we want to relax and enjoy our time. We will spend 8 days in Paris, drive through Provence, and and head to Nice for the rest of our stay. Or at least, that’s what we’re planning as of now!