Sketching at 33 Acres Brewing Co

It's a grey Vancouver Friday afternoon and I'm hanging at 33 Acres, the new micro brewery a few blocks from my house. I'm with the Vancouver Urban Sketchers meetup group.  There might be better things to do on a rainy day but I can't think of one.  There are lots of us here, and the beer and conversation are both good.  As is the artwork. I've been peeking at my neighbors, and there are some cool things going on.  We're also doing portraits of each other on little pieces of paper and giving them to each other.  Fun. It's a great location pick. This place just opened up a few months ago. It's got a very indy feel in here, one might even say hipster (note the beard and knit hats in the background) but it's comfy, friendly and laid-back.  They have two beers on tap and usually a third 'seasonal' selection, although today it's just the two.  You can come in and hang out with your neighbors, or you can bring in your little brown jug and get it refilled to enjoy your beer at home. Ride up on your vintage bike if you like. Did I mention the hipster vibe?  Like all the other little gems in our neighbourhood, half the fun is the surprise of finding it here in the middle of all the light industrial buildings, office spaces and warehouses.  I always chuckle when someone is coming over to our house for the first time. They call and say 'I think I'm in the wrong area' and that's how I know they're almost here. There are little clusters of heritage houses tucked all in and around. You don't notice them at first, but once you do you can't help but be charmed by them.  Can you tell I love my neighbourhood?  

Back to Dr Sketchy Vancouver with Ariel Helvetica

Another session at Dr Sketchy Vancouver.  The lovely model was Ariel Helvetica.  We didn't arrive until just before go time, so were pressed right up against the bar again, hence the sharply angled view.  Next time we'll go early to get a better seat.  Good night all around though.  Will definitely be back! For more info on these sessions check out www.drsketchyvancouver.com (but if you get there before me save me a good seat).

Life Drawing with Dr Sketchy

 

As their website says, "Who says figure drawing can't be sexy?!"  I went to our local Vancouver Chapter of Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School for the first time last night. What a cool experience. 

Here's their 'about' from their website:

"Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art school is the world's premier alt.drawing movement. Artists draw glamorous underground performers in an atmosphere of boozy conviviality. Found in 2005 in a dive bar in Brooklyn, Dr. Sketchy's has now spread to over 100 cities around the world."

 

That about sums it up.  My artist friend Sandra White told me about it, and we bought tickets online.  We arrived at the Wallflower Cafe a few blocks from my house to a sold-out crowd.  Our model, Vanity Feral, was incredible; glamorous and fun.  I loved that she had the f-holes of a violin tatooed on her lower back.  Not sure if she's a musician or a fan of Man Ray's model Kiki Montparnasse, but either way they were perfect with her poses and her costumes.  After a series of one, two and five minute poses she treated us to a burlesque performance.  Afterwards we did a few 10 minute poses and one 15, all while sipping wine and listening to great music.  Two velvet-gloved thumbs way up.  I'll definitely be back for more.

Show Opening and Other Art News

Thanks everyone who came out to our show last Sunday! It was great fun. A special thanks to those of you who took a new piece of art or one of my books home with you, and to Oliver, my minstrel who along with Kurtis is providing the soundtrack to my life. I felt so honoured and surrounded by love and support.  

     News since then?  Two things:
Greg and I decided to load up some of my work into the car on Saturday and scout around for a place to showcase them after this show comes down.  In an afternoon we found two fabulous venues!  Will update when they go in, but they're both in Gastown and we're really excited about them. 

Secondly, I've known for a couple of weeks that the annual call for entry at The Ferry Building Gallery was coming up this Sunday.  I'd looked at all the amazing artists they hosted last year and had talked myself out of applying.  Then, buoyed by the positive feedback I've recieved this past week (thanks all), I woke up early on Sunday morning and decided to give it a shot!  I got out of bed, quickly framed three pieces, printed up all the things that have to go into an application and raced off to drop my work off, along with hundreds of other hopefuls, for the jury.  I tried to forget about it all afternoon, but when I went to pick up my work at the assigned time I was thrilled to see a blue 'congratulations' slip on top of my application!  I'll be in a show titled 'What About The Print' sometime in 2014.  Goes to show me, take the risk.  They can't drive to my house and invite me if I don't apply, right?!  I've always really liked that gallery. So glad I didn't let myself stop me from trying.  I'll post the show info when it's available. 

My longtime friend and art buddy Danyne Johnston, who was the other half of our show last weekend, also got in.  One of her pieces will be in the Juror's Choice show.   It's an incredible piece.  Congrats Buddyne! xo

 

Fun With Black and White; and Danyne's Tulips

There's something nice about good ol' black and white.  I'll be showing these alongside the linocut/watercolours starting September 16th.   The show is at The Unitarian Church on 49th and Oak, and the reception is Sunday September 22nd from 2:30 -5:30.  If you're in the Vancouver area come by!  My longtime buddy Danyne Johnston will be showing at the same time.  The tulips below are hers.   Love her stuff!

A Stack O' Prints 'Blowin' In The Wind'

 I've been getting into a total printmaking groove lately, working at Malaspina Printmakers Society and at the very high tech Carol's Dining Room Table Society.  The advantages of Malaspina?  The company and encouragement of other printmakers, tools, equipment, drying racks galore (I work pretty fast when I get into it) and an opportunity for interaction with the public when they come back to check out the studio. 

The advantage of working at home?  I'm close to the leftovers in my fridge.  The reason I'm doing some print at home right now is that a couple of the blocks in my current series were carved into softcut lino.  I'm sure there's a valid place for softcut in this world, but if you are planning to make prints and think you'd like to use a press, don't use them.  They kept leaping backward on the press, and I'd heard that they don't necessarily hold up to multiple runs under the wheel (hearsay, I know)  so I brought them home to hand-pull.  I'm using Akua soy based inks, which, once I got used to them, were easy to use and amazingly easy to clean up.  My one challenge?  Drying space.  I loaded up my trusty clothes-drying rack (holds 18 half sheet prints), then started clothes-pegging prints to the back of dining chairs.  Used that space up.  Soon I was out on the deck clipping freshly pulled prints to the backs of deck chairs.  My next move was going to be hanging them from the arms of the chandelier hanging over our outdoor dining table.  It was time to stop.  My house was a fluttering black and white sea of The Vogue and The Orpheum Theatre.

Verdict?  The consistency of the prints done on the press is great, and it's easy to focus when you're in an environment that's designed for getting stuff done.  At the same time, I'm happy with the quality I can get at home.  It's comfy, fun, relatively productive and...did I mention the proximity of the fridge?

More For The September Show.

Let's Make Some Noise
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250



Laughing Statues
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250

The Orpheum
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 6x12
$250



The Vogue
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 6x12
$250

Granville Island
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250

Bike Vancouver
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250

False Creek East
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250

1958 Ace Coaster Classic
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 12x12
$250

Midnight Showing
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12
$250

Here are some more for my upcoming show.  It's at the gallery in the Unitarian Church on 49th and Oak here in Vancouver. It'll run from September 16th to October 15th, and there's a reception on Sunday the 22nd from 2:30-5.  My increasingly famous nephews, 'The McQuaids' will be playing (I tried to talk them into calling themselves 'Carol's Nephews' but they wouldn't go for it) and there'll be wine and goodies. Come one, come all.  I'll be doing up an invite soon, as soon as I think of a title for the show. Suggestions welcome. 

This church is an amazing community member. They put on a great organic farmers market every Wednesday.  If you go check it out you'll hear The McQuaids in action. They play weekly from 4 to 7.  There are two awesome gallery spaces, one in the sanctuary and another called the Fireside Room, and they always have interesting shows.  My brilliant friend Danyne Johnston will be showing in one space while I'm in the other.  Right now theres a commemorative exhibition of Vancouver artist Don Slade full of these great, kind of retro nudes (yes, nudes in a church.  Very cool).   My friend Caede, who helps coordinate the gallery and the farmers market, bought the painting seen here on the invitation. If she hadn't, I would have. I love it! 

Lino Meets Watercolour With A Little Drama On The Side




Library Square
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 12x12



Astoria Hotel
linocut with watercolour
1 of 10
paper size 15x22
image size 9x12

 

I've finally come up for air. I've been drawing, carving, printing and painting up a storm.  Today I hauled my first 11 completed linocut/watercolour images out into the sunshine to photograph them.  It was exciting, and not just because of the sense of accomplishment.  While I was shooting them in the alley across from the house I noticed some commotion on the street.  I looked up and saw 4 police cars and a whole bunch of coppers, and one very forlorn handcuffed dude standing in the middle of it all.  There were some 'goods' scattered about the street.  I thought immediately of my unlocked house 50 steps away. I picked up my stack of prints and the weights I was using to hold them flat, scurried home, locked the door and headed a block away to a less dramatic alley to finish shooting. 

It's very exciting being an artist.

A little about these:  They're drawn, transferred, then carved into linoleum blocks, printed on a big ol' wheel press by yours truly  at Malaspina Printmaker's Co-op on Granville Island (my new favourite hangout), using oil based inks. When they're completely dry, I paint each one with watercolour. The lino/watercolour images are marked in an edition of 10, but because they're hand painted every one is an original. I'm also printing additional runs of each plate in black (10) and in sepia (5) with no watercolour. I'll be showing the full series at my upcoming show - details to follow!  If you want a sneak peak, click on my flickr photostream over there on the right. 

 

Reduction Success! An Easy DIY Register

YouTube is the best school ever. I watched a few videos on how to do a reduction print, sat down at the dining table and did this little run of 8 prints. They all worked!  I'm using  speedball oil based inks on watercolor paper. This image is 6x12. I ran the blue, then the red without waiting for drying time last night. I recarved the block then ran the black this morning. 

The process was pretty easy. I'm ready to try it with my more complex plates now. Not sure what I'll do with 8 of these. I thought I'd lose some to 'trial and error, but nope, they all survived. 

How I registered the paper:

I used a big piece of foam paper (mat board or foam core would work), cut it the same size as my paper, centered my block on it and cut a frame just big enough to fit the block into.   This was my register. 

I found a tray with raised sides and square corners big enough to hold the register.  A picture frame with square corners would work.  The raised sides hold your paper in place when you start to print. 

I tucked my register tight into the upper left corner of the tray, then tucked the inked plate tight into the frame. 

I just took each print, lined up the edge of the paper into the upper edge of the frame and gently laid it down and did the transfer inside the frame.  After each pull I checked that everything was pushed tight into the upper left hand corner of my tray.  Pretty simple, but it worked. 

Carol Goes To The Musée

After a six month shopping hiatus (see 'start of nothing new' post) I cracked. Right before our France trip I went out and bought a series of dresses that I referred to as the 'Carol Goes To The Musée' dresses.  I just rotated these dresses pretty much the whole month I was away and always felt comfy and fashionable.  And I kept getting asked for directions so I think they must have been fairly 'location-appropriate'

I've been carving complicated Vancouver scenes on Lino blocks this past week getting ready for my show, but suddenly last night got the urge to do something simpler. I did this quick, basic sketch of the dresses directly on a block with a sharpie pen.

Writing backwards was fun.  I've got it all carved out now.  When my ink arrives I'll print and post the results. 

Funny, when I went to my college reunion last week I had a conversation with a classmate (Hi Pam) who told me about a book called "Lessons From Madame Chic: 20 Style Secrets I Learned While Living In Paris" by Jennifer L. Scott.  The writer keeps a blog too, and on it she extols the virtues of what she refers to as the 'capsule wardrobe' - keeping a seasonal wardrobe of only 10 items to simplify life and keep you effortlessly stylish. It made me think about how much easier it was getting dressed from a suitcase than it is from my bulging wardrobe, pressure-packed into my heritage house-sized closets. She might be onto something there.  

Now as I've been writing my shipment of ink and printmaking paper has arrived from Curry's online art supply store!  Time to go play. 

Ciao for now, or as my dresses would say, 'à tout à l'heure'.

'La Tour' Page From the France Sketchbook

Another page from the France book.  This was sketched from a cafe table across the river from the tour (painted later). Greg says I should put a little 'cost' of each sketch in the form of adding our bar tab total in the bottom corner of each page.


Will post the book in its entirety soon.  I have a lot of bits and pieces I collected along the way that might still find their way in there.  Happy memories :)

Upcoming Show- 'Hey, You Got Lino On My Watercolour!'

This September I'll be having my first art show in ages.  I had months to prepare, so of course I spent all that time thinking about what I was going to do and left only exactly enough time to complete the whole project before I could begin (sound familiar anyone?).  I've been working like a maniac for the past week now.  I can't really show you anything, but I wanted to share my excitement.  I was having a hard time deciding whether I wanted to concentrate on watercolour or on printmaking when I had one of those 'you got CHOCOLATE in my PEANUT BUTTER!' moments.  Why not combine them?  I did some research with the help of mr. google, and discovered my new fave artist, Belinda Del Pesco.  She combines the two masterfully.  I looked through my old print stash and found a few images relief-printed on Stonehenge printmaking paper.  I tried throwing a little colour on them.   I was surprised at how well the paper took the washes, and that the ink didn't bleed at all!  I also really liked how the colour helped define the space. 


So now I've embarked on a carving festival, working on a series of 12 Vancouver images, mostly to do with community and gathering places.  I learned a cool way to transfer my drawings more accurately onto the linoleum - check out this video from artist Julia Forsyth.  All housework has ceased, our giant dining table is covered in test prints, inks, chunks of linoleum, breyers and reference sketches.  Our front and back decks are covered in tiny little curls of carved-out linoleum, and there are piles of heavy art books stacked around the house squishing things flat.  I sit outside and carve until my hands can't take it anymore, then come inside and work on sketches, ideas and research.  It's so FUN!

When I print at home I usually use Speedball Block Printing Ink.  It's water-based, easy to clean up and, it turns out, completely unstable if you add watercolour on top.  So now I'm waiting for a shipment of paper and ink to come from Curry's and will be carving away until it gets here.  Show is scheduled for September 15th.  More details to come. 

Moulin Rouge

Our month in Europe has come to an end and we've settled back into our Vancouver life. We have ten people coming for dinner tonight. That's actually a pretty typical Sunday here, but after a month of eating in restaurants, being cooked for and picnicking in parks, it was a brain shift to get back into entertaining mode.  

I took some time out from cleaning and prepping this morning to flip through my trip sketchbook.  Happy memories. This sketch is from one of our last days in Paris.  We sat at a cafe across from this scene for hours sketching and watching life come and go. While the Moulin Rouge has been completely gentrified (I'd be comfy taking my mother to the show) the street is still pretty red-light. One aging hooker working the corner beside our table came and went several times while I sketched this. The sky gradually darkened and the lights came on. It's such an iconic site.  Tourists kept stopping in front of us to take each other's picture with the  windmill in the background. After all the miles we've put on walking the street of Paris we're both pretty content to just sit, drink,our beers and soak it all in. 

Prinsengracht, Little Black Houses and Balls of Wool in Amsterdam

Did this skinny sketch from a cafe table just around the corner from the canal  house we're staying in here in Amsterdam. It takes a moment to see what it is, but its a peak over the shoulder of the building on the corner of our block.  It's not at all what I sat down to sketch. There was a great view of the whole canal, but after running home to grab my sketch bag I realized I didn't have a pencil. Greg went back to grab one and I started doing a little ink line drawing of this roofline just to pass the time. Two beers and a bowl of peanut chicken soup later this is what I had. Afterwards we took a canal boat tour. One of the million things we learned on the tour was that this city was decimated by the black plague. Thirty percent of the population of Amsterdam was wiped out by three different waves of it throughout the 1600s. When someone fell ill with the incurable disease their house was painted black. People brought them food and water, but they'd remain completely quarantined in their houses until they passed away. To this day those houses remain black in colour and will never be changed. This house in my sketch, now a popular restaurant, is one of them. Our house (not black), just out of view in this sketch, is sandwiched between two plague houses.  Theres no stigma attached to it now.  It was, after all, about 400 years ago. Now they're just beautiful, and one more interesting thing about this fascinating city. 

We spent the morning at the Van Gogh museum. It was my one 'must do' thing here in Amsterdam, and it was just as  magical as I'd hoped it would be. Four floors of his work, related works, and some really cool displays showcasing different aspects of his life and his art.  One of the cool unexpected little treasures was a wooden box of his where he kept little balls of colored yarn that he'd intertwine in skeins to see how the colors would interplay. There they were, all these little two-toned bundles of wool in the brushstroke colors of his palette that he'd wound together over 100 years ago.  Lovely. 

We're down the final night of our trip. It's been over a month for me. I have a sketchbook full of half finished paintings, ticket stubs, postcards and ephemera that will complete themselves (and appear here) over the next month or so, an extra 20 lbs of books to somehow stuff into a suitcase, a few little art treasures and about a kilo of bread, wine and cheese around my waist to work off after get home. I wouldn't change thing about this trip. The places we've stayed, the people we've met, it's all been perfect.  Sometime mid afternoon tomorrow I'll be anxious to get off the plane and resume my Vancouver life.

But in the meantime there's a moonlit canal-side restaurant out there somewhere  with our names written on it. Will update soon. 

Père Lachaise

We went to the amazing food market at Barbes Rochechoart in the morning, bought all the fixin's for a 'Paris Picnic', then headed off by metro to Père Lachaise to eat, sketch and wander. 

Text reads:

The last time I was here, on a gray midweek morning some 20 years ago, the cemetery was empty other than four still-drunk Irish boys stumble-dancing at Jim Morrison's gravesite. They were stripped down to their undies, drinking beer (and offering to share it with us) while their ghetto blaster warbled out old Doors tunes. Today it's a different scene.  There's a fence around Jim's grave.  Throngs of tourists press up against it taking photos. There are groups of school kids being toured about by guides.  I overheard two versions of La Vie en Rose at Edith Piaf's grave and a dum, dum dadum version of the Funeral March here at the gravesite of Frederic Chopin.  I've sat through several tour guide explanations while doing this sketch, and  if my understanding is to be trusted, his body is buried here, but his heart, as per his request, is enshrined in his native Poland where crowds of people come each year honorary their respects to his genius. Now that's spreading the love. 

l'Opera de Lyon

Sketched this sitting on the grass above the opera house in Lyon. I had a pocket of time before meeting a group from the school for a tour of the Painted Walls of the Croix Rousse. Just as I was about to get  up to go meet everyone around the corner at the Place du Terreaux the skies opened up and started to pour rain. My friend Julie and I felt it was a much better idea to sit on the terrace of the Opera House (on the left here) and watch some live music than to trudge around the rainy city like little ducklings behind our tour guide. Turns out it was an excellent decision, especially since my homework assignment that week was to go see some live entertainment and write an article about it.  Got the article written, avoided the rain, and was rewarded for good decision making with a beautiful display of sunlight on fresh rain-washed rooftops. 

Right now Greg andI i are sitting in the Gare du Nord, waiting to take the train to Brussels where we'll be greeted by our favourite Belgians, Flo and Brieuc. Bye-bye Paris, hello next chapter. 

Sacre Cour From Our Bedroom Window

Our time in Paris is winding down. We took the train out to Versailles this afternoon. So did every either tourist currently in France. If you come here, don't go to Versailles on a Tuesday. It's closed Mondays, and the Louvre is closed the following day, so all that pent up tourist traffic lands at the gates of the palace mid-day on Tuesdays. Lines to visit the castle were several hours long, so we opted to pick up a picnic, rent bikes  and explore the grounds. We watched Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette' the night before as a warm up. Wild to see how lavish and vast it really is. No wonder the townsfolk got cranky with them.  We picnicked beside the grand canal, full of people paddling around in little boats and overfed fish lumbering up to the surface to draw down chunks of bread people toss them.  We did hit the palace for a rushed visit right before close when the crowds died down. Afterwards we found a little tapas restaurant by the train station and feasted on paella, then trained back to the city and walked the streets of the Latin quarter until we could walk no more. 

Now, back at the apartment, I figured it's one of my last chances to perch in the bedroom window and sketch Sacre Cour. I will miss saying goodnight to this beautiful view every night before bed.  It's so close it feels like I could reach out and touch it from here. Magic. 

Marche aux Puces, Paris

Ah, the Marche aux Puces in St Ouen Clingencourt. It's yesterdays treasures and today's trash all jumbled into a chaotic maze. Armed with our map (it's not one market, it's many) we fought our way past row upon row of knock-off Nikes and cheap clothing to get to the far more interesting markets shooting off of the Rue de Rosiers.  Our favourite by far is Vernaison. We were on the hunt for some cool vintage flatware, and while this place isn't where you'll find the deal of the century, the selection was vast, and there was room for wheeling amd dealing.  The overall experience was fantastic. We chose these beauties from about 1880. A set of twelve. They're in pretty great shape, especially considering they've been in use longer than Vancouver has been a city.  Seriously. The knives are still the original steel. One of them is a little pitted, so if you come to our house for a 12 person dinner party and you are the last person to arrive, you're getting the pitted knife. Consider yourself warned. 

Our other 'treasure' is a lovely little painting done on a slat of tongue in groove. It reminded us of Normandy, which has been on our minds, and of our house.  We think we have the perfect spot for it at home. 

On our way home we Stopped on Caulincourt for an apero and some live music. They love their jazz trios here.  Afterwards we walked to Clichy to check out the cinemas, but instead stumbled on a street book sale and rounded off our one day of shopping with some great book bargains. Loaded down with all our new treasures, we collapsed into a Belgian restaurant for espressos and a dessert that included speculos (my fave Belgian cookies) and made us excited all over again for our upcoming visit to Belgium.

Not that we're in any hurry to leave here.  

Louvre, Orsay and the Van Gogh Effect.

Text says:

"Sitting at the Marly Cafe absorbing the scene here at the main courtyard of the Louvre. Architectural genius or "a scar on the face of Paris" (we watched the da Vinci Code last night)?  Well, I've always been a fan of contrasts, and the way the reflections of palace and sky are dancing across the panes of the pyramid as I sketch seem fitting in this historical and cosmopolitan plaza. We did a big tour of the Musée d'Orsay earlier In the day.  I found myself, for the second time in my life, standing in front of an original Van Gogh with tears running down my cheeks. Something about the way he paints makes me feel his hand on the brush and see the scene through his eyes. So many amazing works here at the Orsay, not the least of which is the building itself. Afterwards we walked the Tuileries and ended up here. Now, Greg's been hugely patient while I sketch my way across this amazing edifice, it's time to cross the Pont Neuf and go explore the left bank..."

Le Festival Soirs d'Été at Place de la République

Took the metro to Place de la République last night (thanks free Paris Metro app, so much easier to get around) to catch Le Festival Soirs d'Été.  What a scene. The Place is huge and gorgeous and recently reno'ed, and the people watching was fantastic!  There's a kiosk in the middle of the Place selling wine and beer, but most people bring their own.  Even in a crammed party crowd like that people are picnicking here. Love it. 

Saw this band, Boulevard des Airs, kind of Manu Chau-esque. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vKSi8jH6N8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Afterwards we wandered the hood and found a great late night dinner spot. 

Just found out from my lovely Belgian buddy that their king has abdicated, and that his son will be crowned while we're there. How's that for a Forrest Gump moment?!  

Now it's off to the Musee d'Orsay for us, with maybe a little picnic in the Tuileries.  Did I mention that I love Paris?

Paris, mais oui!

We're in Paris!

But wait, I skipped a few chapters.  

After leaving Pommard I drove through Bourgogne to the airport to get Greg. It's way more fun on a honeymoon to actually have your spouse with you.  We got in the car, asked the gps to take us to Lion Sur Mer, hit the 'avoid toll roads' option to get the scenic route, and headed off. 3h30 it told us. That's livable. 

Cut to 3h30 later. We're in a traffic jam not even really out of Paris yet. Time to destination? About the same as when we left.  Crazy traffic. My thigh was trembling from having to ride the clutch for hours on end. Seven hours later we reached our destination. Jasmin was there to welcome us with an aperatif (love this country) at Villa Louis, a wild, art filled former dance hall/casino/museum that has stood on this beach for 150 years.  It was here when Napoleon Bonaparte became the first president of the French Republic.  It was here when the allied troops stormed the beaches we look at through our upper floor window. Crazy.  It's chaotic and magical, stuffed with collections and treasures.  In the morning we did a little history tour of the d-day beaches.  Very moving.  More on that later (sketches too). 

We left Normandy for Paris that afternoon, this time picking the fast route. The gps took us straight through the heart of Paris. In rush hour.  It was a bit white knuckled, involving high levels of teamwork.  The Arc de Triomphe was insane!  The car right in front of us got rammed by a truck that managed to squeeze between two non-lanes and disappear. So could have been us. Greg scanned for danger as I tried to stay steady on the wheel, and somehow we managed to get that car parked 6 floors under the Gare du Norde, down a ramp that could double as a spiral staircase, at exactly the right time. Thank you gps. 

So now here we are. The apartment we're staying in is lovely, airy, with a view of the rooftops of Paris that I will never forget. We're in the heart of Montmartre. Day one we headed up to the Place du Tertre and breakfasted while I did this sketch. 

Afterwards we visited Sacre Cour and wandered the streets of our hood for hours. We dined on rue Lepic (where both Van Gogh and Hemingway, two of my faves, once lived), then ended up back at Place du Tertre for a very entertaining nightcap. 

Here's a quick sketch of the rooftops from the apartment. Did I mention that I love this place?