Patience and a Bit More Wine

Interesting times regardless of where you might be. The regulations here in Paris have been changing constantly and I've been half a day late for each of the opportunities I've needed to navigate freely in the city.  Regardless of the circumstances, my stay here has been, and continues to be excellent.  

Yesterday was day 100 of my personal challenge to paint en plein air oil sketches every day for one hundred days. They have, in no way, been masterpieces.  Nor, were they intended to be resolved paintings that display amazing design, composition, or color/value choices.

My three favorite oil sketches from the last nine days in Paris are the following:

View of Anne's Garden

Along Rue Botzaris

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Most of today was spent unsuccessfully tracking down a copy of Tour Paris à Pied (GR guide #75) and making an online application for a Pass Sanitaire so that I can attend museums, cafés and restaurants.  I was able to get the latest information from the Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères when I stopped in at the tourist bureau at Hôtel de Ville.  I'm hoping the info hadn't changed by the time I completed the application.

Fortunately, my studio had electricity again by the time I arrived back in Belleville.  My section of the street lost power in a bright flash of light early this morning.  I was unable to make my morning coffee.  Nor was I permitted to attend a café for my morning coffee due to the new pandemic regulations.  I opted to sketch through the open casement windows, hoping the power would return soon. 

Second postcard before adding ink lines

Still no power ... what next?  I made a tiny, blank flexagon from a strip of the Arches paper for oil.  I had to cut the paper down to the size of the carry case I made to fit into my backpack. Still too early for a glass of wine.

Still no power.  I headed out to find the GR 75 guide for the walk around the outskirts of Paris, thinking I might stop along the way and see if I would be served a coffee at Café Tabac in Jourdain, where I catch the Métro.  Café Tabac was closed.  Odd.

I'm now able to share an ongoing Illustrated Journal as an online option. I've been working on the getting it up and running for the past three days. Later today, when I returned from my journey and found the electricity had been restored, I was able to make the access functional. Prior to resolving the journal upload issues, I filed my application for the Pass Sanitaire.  Now it's time to drink wine!

My blog posts skim the surface of my days.  For those who are curious about the nitty gritty of my days ... my thoughts ... more of my sketches and paintings ... observations and connecting the dots of my life experiences, you may now obtain access to an ongoing illustrated journal.  It is currently in an experimental, beta stage until the first of January 2022 when I will decide whether or not to continue this new format of journaling. I'm looking forward to connecting my sketches and photos taken along my walks  with my journal writing.  During the last year and a half of pandemic isolation I realized how many inspirations had slipped through the cracks because my visuals were not connected to my journal writing.

Here's a link to obtain access to the Illustrated Journal

Tomorrow is another day filled with opportunity!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Chris Carter