Watercolor Sketching at the Musee Bourdelle, Paris

It’s finally happened!  There is a slight crispness in the air.  The temperature has been dropping into the 60’s at night. Instead of highs in the 90’s, today it will be in the 80’s!

Here is another sketch from a fall sketch outing to the Musee Bourdelle.  This charming museum, tucked away in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, was the home and studio of sculpture Antoine Bourdelle.  It gives you the sense of what an artist’s atelier actually looked and felt like in the late 19th century.  In the late 1920’s he started to turn his studio into and actual museum and today the museum houses more than 500 of works of sculpture, paintings, and pastels.

Bourdelle was one of the pioneers of 20th century monumental sculpture and was commissioned for works worldwide, including the United States; Washington D.C., Honolulu, Texas, Minnesota, California and Ohio.  In 1893 he joinedAugust Rodin as an assistant and became a popular teacher.

This sketch done sitting in the garden, is the second of the day, and is quicker and looser and than the first one I did.  When we arrived to tour the museum we had a beautiful, cool, sunny fall day but a few hours later while sketching in the garden the typical gray skies of Paris took over.  C'est la vie.

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Watercolor Sketch: Paris, Luxembourg Gardens

Even though the weather really isn’t feeling quite fall like yet here in Florida,  I’m starting to get into an autumnal spirit.  I’ve decorated for Halloween and baked a few batches of muffins the last couple of weeks.

I thought I would post today a watercolor sketch I did while living in Paris.  This one was done one October morning of the small cafe in the Luxembourg Gardens.  I had gone out with a sketching group and was bundled up in a coat, hat and scarf it was so cold.  If I had been on my own, I may not have persisted with this one!   It was nice towarm up with a nice coffee in the cafe across the street after painting, and admire each other’s sketches.  I nice way to spend a beautiful, but cold fall day!

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Sketching on Gray Days at the Musee Guimet in Paris

We have had a lot of gloomy and rainy weather since Monday.  It’s making me nostalgic for Paris, so today I’m sharing a page from my Musee Guimet sketchbook.

The museum is in the 16th on Place d’Ieana and has the largest collection of Asian art in Europe.  This place was my sanctuary on those cold gray days, when I was getting stir crazy in the apartment but by no means wanted to spend any time outside!  I would pass the whole day sketching in the museum.

This sheet is a montage of different pieces on display there.

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John Singer Sargent's Dorothy, Portrait Study

When I visited the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, I often saw artists copying some of the masters' works. There is a program where you can sign up and request to do this on certain days in the museum.  I heard the Orsay even provided the easels, and they have the ledgers from when the artists currently hanging in the Orsay signed in to do copy studies at the Louvre.   This is one thing I regret not looking into and doing when I lived there.

When I returned home I took a portrait painting class in oils.  The assignment was to do a study of apainting by John Singer Sargent.  I was very excited to do this study of his painting Dorothy because I rarely paint portraits, this one would be a good exercise in painting whites, and an opportunity to really study Sargent’s brushwork.  If you have never done a “copy” study, I would highly recommend it.  Here is the link to Sargent’s Dorothy which is at the Dallas Museum of Art.

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Tang Women from the Musee Guimet in Paris

Here is another sketch from the Musee Guimet in Paris.  I love using charcoal pencils for these sketches.  It's so responsive to the paper that I can barely put any pressure on them and get some really interesting sketch marks.  I have been planning on doing a painting of these girls, but I'm not quite sure want I want to do yet.  Still percolating in my brain.

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Musee Guimet Sketch

Here is another quick sketch from the Musee Guimet in Paris.  When I lived in Paris, I became a member so that I could go any time to do quick sketches of all the wonderful Asian artifacts there to keep up my drawing practice.  If you are in Paris, I would recommend a visit.  It’s a beautiful museum in the 16th, never really super crowded like the popular museums. There is a nice cafe on the lower level for lunch and an annex to to the museum down the street which houses more artifacts and a Japanese Tea Garden where sometimes they do Tea Ceremony.  This was a real respite for me when I needed a peaceful moment to escape the hustle and bustle.  If you live in Paris, I would highly recommend seeing some of the music and dance performances from Asian cultures from all over the world in their wonderful theatre space!

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T Mode, Paris

For all of my Paris friends, this is a wonderful event that takes place every spring in the Marais.  Around 100 artisans will be exhibiting, hand made jewelry, clothing, purses, and all kinds of accessories.  All are very unique and one of a kind.  I have collected several pieces from a wonderful jewelry artist, Wathiny, who participates in this event every year.  For more information on her work, Wathiny Bijoux, www.wathiny.com

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Sketching at the Musee Guimet

Even before I lived in Hong Kong, I've had for quite some time, an affinity for Asian cultures.  I love the food, art, and many of the customs.  One of my favorite museums in Paris is the Musee Guimet.  It is the largest collection of Asian art and artifacts in Europe.  I didn't live too far from there, just a couple of Metro stops. I became a member so that I could go and sketch as often as I wanted to.  It was a nice way to spend a cold winter's day!

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