Missives from Paris

have arrived in this weeks post.

Using the front of envelopes, I continued to play with my new paints.

Then filling them with Paris paraphernalia I chose to mail them

to myself just for the fun of it.

I would have preferred pretty postage stamps, but having left them with the concierge to post I ended up with a Paris metered stamp over pictures of folded airplanes.

They are still fun and the folded plane images are clever.

Fortunately my adorable lover indulges me in my whimsy and creativity.

He surprises me with a ditty that makes me smile, and the necklace,

beautifully and meticulously handcrafted by a French woman,

his Valentine gift to me!

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Sennelier art supplies ( Couleurs pour artistes )

On the left bank of the River Seine and directly across from the Louvre Museum is an amazing 123 year old art supply store.
Sennelier's was frequented by Cezanne, Picasso, Degas, and many other famous artists.

It is family owned and operated since 1887.

They create many of their own paints and pastels.

This is pure joy to visit, and a visual delight every where you look.

I came away with Sennelier gouache in Lemon Yellow, Carmine, Cerulean Blue Hue and Titanium white.

Later that afternoon I played with my new paints to see how many different colors I could create with these 3.

I filled one blank page out of my journal before I ran out of time and space on the page.

I love color mixing and the unlimited possibilities !

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Paris Valentines

I spotted the charming store front from across the street and was instantly drawn to it.

Upon closer inspection I viewed the perfect Paris Valentine display.

Happy hearts day,
and greetings from Paris,

with love,

XoX p

Preparing for Paris...

I am creating a new journal to fill while I am in Paris.
I've been pilfering through piles of paraphernalia in search of miscellaneous papers to combine.

I enjoy drawing, especially people, and airports are a great place for quick gestural style sketches, so sketching paper is a must, water color paper too, just in case I find time.

The rest is whatever I find to work with. Much of it is too light to hold up to the stress of travel so I pick up some paint swatch cards to fold and glue on the ends for durability.

With a few snips with decorative scissors we have pretty and practical.

Of course we need to include pockets for the little odds and ends that need a secure place to be tucked away, such as post cards, hotel stationary, match books and maps.
Most of the papers I prefer to leave blank until I reach my destination and the energy there takes over.

I can already envision using the local Paris newspapers classified ads pasted in as the perfect background for a charcoal or graphite rendering of an ancient architectural design.