OK, so I’m showing off my sketches, which are from my heart; in fact, they are my heart - my most personal expressions.

 

I was visiting Paris last December, for the second time in 2007, this time, to attend LeWeb3 Conference.  Booked a hotel room in a 2 star hotel that really, really was depressing when I first saw it - small, dark, draby, especially the first day.

True, I wasn’t in it much - with so much to see and do in Paris, but in my funky mood, I decided, that first night, a Sunday night in Paris, alone, in this barest of rooms, to draw my laptop on the desk, if we can call this a desk.

 

Last fall I atteded and spoke at the XChange Conference in Napa Valley, California.  In my hotel room, during the first night, I drew the door to the bathroom, as I sat, in exhaustion, from the trip.

A few weeks later, back home, I drew a view from 15th Street and Prospect Park, in Windsor Terrace, not far from where I live, using some crayons.  I kinda thought about how my life was going, moving faster and faster - and wondered about someone nearby.

 

Just before the Brooklyn Hurricane, that really happened last year, I drew a tree that was soon to fall - as were many trees nearby, and around where I live.

Soon after, I sat down to draw an iced tea, but didn’t get far with it - maybe I went far enough.

Getting back to Paris, the only other sketches I did last December were these two, while visiting the French Paintings in the Louvre.

 

I fulfilled a fantasy I had, a desire I had all year, to sit in the cafe right next to the large French Paintings, and draw the view of Paris outside.  I felt satisfied that, had I done nothing else that trip (and I did much more) I accomplished my purpose for coming, even as I realized that all Paris had to offer me was the past - it’s past and my past.

I realized that in this life, as much as I admire the art of the past, perhaps something I even had a part in, I’m American, don’t speak a word of French - nor do I want to.   What I really wanted to communicate was my feeling - the feeling of the moment where I brought past and present together.

I was actually thinking of meeting Robert Scoble that day, but it didn’t happen - thought I might bump into him at the Louvre, was Twittering, and trying my best, to take in enormous amount of painting information that was flowing into me at that moment.   I had to sit down, have brunch, and take in all the energy flowing in around me and channel it into this these two drawings.

Later, I left the Louvre, walked and walked, tried to find a cafe where a Seesmic event was taking place - read about it on my Twitter feed, but I could not find it - and I cursed the French for building a city where just about every block was it’s own name - and then I got over it.  After all, I’m in “their city” so I thought and felt.

Too bad I wasn’t in Denver yesterday…well…I’m rarely in Denver at all ..but if I had been, I’d would have gone to a group opening at Robischon Gallery for a friend, Marsha Wooley, who had 4 paintings in the show.

I reviewed Marsha’s New York art opening last year and also went on a Paris Trip with a group of painters she led in late May/early June in Paris and Aix-en-Provence.   I definably want to do that trip again, hopefully next year.

I forgot to post this study I did last week while still in Aix-en-Provence.

I sat in a cafe on one of the main streets in Aix-en-Provence and had dinner, magically, almost, as I was creating this oil pastel study.  The light was changing slowly and I started late, but managed to finish just before all light was gone.

BTW, there’s a link on Webmetricsguru.com where I put all the movies for the Paris Trip up as part of one post..and that post currently ranks as #5 out of 42 million for the keyword “Paris Trip”.   Paris Trip - Day 1 and the rest of the trip plus Aix-en-Provence

 Enjoy.