Portrait of a boy and I love Paris because...

Portrait of a boy

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015
SOLD ♥ 

Here's my most recent portrait commission of a
darling little boy.  The collectors have bought and
commissioned quite a few of my paintings and
I love working with them.

France from the air

Heading home --

already missing Paris
© Barbara Muir 2015

Two weeks ago tomorrow we flew out of Paris and I
was really sad to leave.  But just so I remember
and to share my thoughts with you, I'll tell you
some of what I loved about the place.

Our first night on the Seine
© Barbara Muir 2015 

1.  I love the people.  Everyone was so
helpful, and kind, and funny.  Just so much fun.

2. I loved the people at the Carrousel du Louvre
show (my reason for going to Paris).  The man
who worked at the entrance, the docents at the Louvre,
the women on the information desk
who gave me a candy that tasted like a strawberry
Macaron, and the people running the EA Editore
section at the show.  My thanks to Francesco Saverio
 Russo, Salvatore Russo,  Sandro Serradifalco
and Alessandra Mascitti. You are an awesome
team. 

Alessandra Mascitti and me

3. The city, pulsing with life all the time.  We
walked out of the Louvre one day to see
the street filled with people rollerblading.  Then
later saw a rock group performing by the Seine for
some event about the car, and right by the stage
was an area for children, where some little girls were
dancing in a circle to the music.

 Children dancing to a rock group's music

© Barbara Muir 2015

4. The food -- does that go without saying? The food
at the restaurants we visited was delicious, unique,
magnifique.

I realize I didn't actually get a picture of the

food -- we were too busy eating it.  And the

wine -- I forgot to mention that.  This photo

was taken in an amazing Indian food

restaurant. Very elegant.

© Barbara Muir 2015 

5.  The architecture. Everywhere we went in Paris the
architecture was so beautiful.  So much thought went
into the buildings, and so much care is spent on
maintaining them.  Parisians are aware that their
gorgeous public spaces attract people from all over
the world, and they take pride in that.

The Grand Palais
© Barbara Muir 2015 

View from a taxi
© Barbara Muir 2015 

6. The museums.  I have not been in good walking
condition since I hurt my knee last winter, and it
was sad not to be able to stroll in Paris.  But we took
taxis everywhere.  The Louvre of course is wonderful,
and huge.  We wanted to see the Musée D'Orsay, which
is amazing, but we could not get in. We also went to the
Pompidou Centre, but I could not stand in the long line up.
Still for you my friend these and many, many more
museums are a must-see when you visit Paris.

 Steven at the Louvre
© Barbara Muir 2015 

7.  The Seine and it's beautiful bridges.  We were
beyond lucky to be staying across the street from the Seine.
This meant we could cross at the light, walk down
a ramp and be sitting on the wall at the edge of the
Seine in a matter of minutes.  We loved watching the
people picnic all along the river.

 View of the river Seine near our hotel
© Barbara Muir 2015 

8.  Coffee.  There are places that don't understand or
value coffee, Paris is not one of them.  On one of our
loveliest afternoons when we couldn't get into the Pompidou,
we rested on wooden lounge chairs that looked
like sculptures in front of the Hôtel de Ville and then
walked around the corner to a café and had perfect coffee
in small glasses.

 Wonderful coffee
© Barbara Muir 2015 

9.  Stores:  The stores in the sixieme arroundissement
where we were staying were exquisite.  They looked so 
artistic that I kept walking by them thinking they were
 like galleries for clothes.  And they were tucked in
between cafés and art galleries.  But when we finally
went into the beautiful shirt store to get shirts for the
men in our family -- it was both a perfect gallery of
shirts on display, and a superb and charming store.

10.  Waking up and knowing I was in Paris!  Could
there be a nicer way to wake up.  To know that for the
whole day I would see Paris.  It started with opening
the curtains and seeing the pretty courtyard in the
hotel.  I do like being in Toronto.  And I love New York
City too.  Still I love the sound of the French language,
the courtesy, Notre Dame Cathedral.  There's so much that
I can't include it all.

The view from our hotel window 

© Barbara Muir 2015 

Notre Dame Cathedral

© Barbara Muir 2015