Barges On The Seine Paris Watercolor Painting

Barges On The Seine, Paris Watercolor SOLD

This is the view from the walking bridge in Paris that connects the left bank with the right bank. Parisians actually live in these old barges and have made them into wonderful homes right in the middle of Paris. They have the right to live there as long as the boats remain docked and are not used for traffic on the river. This is one of my favorite painting spots in Paris, not only for the beautiful view but because there is only foot traffic on the bridge. It is a favorite hangout for art students and always a lively and fun locale. This is a studio painting because I wanted to take a long time on the drawing and work in a larger size. The cast shadows from the trees, movement in the water, all the details in the boats, and the distant bridge and city scape were pretty overwhelming but I did do some small drawings and color studies on location. When I look at this painting now I can still remember all the details and things I left out to make the painting more readable. When I start the earliest drawings I am always looking for details which I don’t consider essential for the overall composition so I can eliminate them.