In the north of Paris lies Montmarte, a 130m mountain with the extraordinary Sacre-Coure basilica on top, and not to mention a lot of tourists. Popular for it's view, Montmarte was a famous meeting spot for artists, and now seems to be an expensive 'yuppie' (or the French equivalent) upperclass neighborhood teeming with souvenir stands and rather cheap looking artwork. At least there was no McDonalds. The funny thing about it, was that if you got off the crowded streets by even a block or two, there were virtually no people and you could enjoy the peacefulness of this very classy and beautiful district.
Behind the hazy silhouette of the Eiffel tower is the distant blurr of the horizon. To paint this effect requires careful timing. You start with the pink/blue sky, and when it is still fairly wet add in the horizon. Wait for it to dry, and then put on the Eiffel tower. While you are waiting for the background to dry (which could take between 1 minute and 10 minutes depending on the humidity), work on a different part of the painting. I worked on the details of the cars in the foreground and the rooftops near the front while I waited for the sky and horizon to dry (and also waited for an annoying tourist to get out of the way). The very last thing was the lamp post in the foreground, which was painted right on top of the other layers.
Eiffel Tower View from Montmarte, watercolour 7.5 x 11" cold press, 2009 (No. 1240)
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