Paris Urban Sketchers

I got a chance to meet up with the Paris Urban Sketchers the day after I arrived in Paris in April.

They had scheduled a meeting at the Parc de Sceaux for the Hanami or Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

It seemed that all Parisians of Japanese origin had come to picnic under the lovely old cherry trees of the Parc, which put on an amazing show of pink.

The cold weather and threatening gray skies did not seem to bother anybody except me. It was very cold.

Three days before my departure, I was able to attend another outing at the "Grand Train," a sort of railroad cemetery with some lovely old locomotives. It had been converted into a sort of park/picnic area for families...and thankfully, there were no tourists. I sketched a group of women with a locomotive behind them in my recycled, trashy sketchbook/journal using watercolors and brush pen.






Then I started on a beautiful red locomotive in excellent condition. This I had to finish later as it started to rain.

Seeking shelter in a nearby café, we sat around tables that the owner kindly lined up for us, and shared sketchbooks and stories. I surreptitiously sketched a Parisian sketcher at the other end of the tables and then asked her to sign. Thank you, Estelle.

And so, I would like to send a big "Hello" and "Thank you" to the Paris Urban Sketchers who began and ended my visit to Paris in such a wonderful way. My blessings are many...