Notre Dame

Notre Dame is the first painting created in Paris this trip. I'd painted in the park on our previous adventure in March 2013 but obviously the temps were different (this is August 2018) and foliage fuller.  It's hard to start each trip's first painting. And, even though this park is a bit out of the way of the crowds, there was someone looking over my shoulder from toning the canvas on.  I get used to it but not immediately.

Randy's shirt was a casualty of pigeon droppings.  First painting, first bit of trouble. It was rather amazingly gross.

As he left to go get cleaned up a Spanish speaking family sat down next to me.  Pigeon does it again to this young boy. I hand them my towels and off they go.  Clean up the remainder of the seat and a young couple are planning to sit down.  I warn them ... but they take a seat anyway and they managed to escape unsullied. I decided to call it quits before anything landed on or near me again.

Painting plein air,  you are in all sorts of lighting conditions and it seems none are perfect. In this case I was under the pigeon tree, in the pretty deep shade.  It was a pleasant surprise to see it in the light -- even better than I thought! Yay!

The little girl was added later but she was in my plans while sitting there in the park.