City Of Light – 2017 Christmas Watercolour Painting
It was the beginning of October 2017 when I decided to commence on this painting. It was to be the second Christmas painting to date. The first was my 2014 London Suburbia painting which drew numerous positive responses. With a quick sketch drawing of my initial thoughts on how the Paris painting may look when completed, I set about the start with a nearside building portraying the corner of a Café. I included all the detail of the exterior lights, windows and interior detail within the front rooms of the apartments. The painting is set in the period of 1961 to 1962.
I started to add the rear three quarter view of the Renault TN6C Paris bus and the Citroen DS taxicab. Further alongside the building towards the background I added the curved roadway with cafes and parked vehicles
I added LePoste yellow Citroen van, A Renault Hi Chocolat Van, a grey Citroen 2CV and another Paris bus to build the feel of typical Paris traffic. Towards the background I painted the rear of the numerous cars in traffic heading towards the mid point of the painting.
I start to include a centre island where the Paris Metro entrance is placed and also at the far end, a large winged statue. More detail work is done with the vehicles and the surrounding street.
It’s now time to start on the distant apartment building that faces two streets. I paint an overall orange paint to the bottom of the building which will be completed later. I place another Paris bus facing the cross traffic with a blue Renault 2CV going the other way. I made an overpass with a car tunnel below. Since its 1962, an advert for Jacques Tati’s film ‘Mon Oncle’ is displayed on the side of the bus with the great comedian and director standing outside the Cafe about to take a taxi to the airport.
The other side of the car tunnel I have begun to place a Christmas Fair Lot complete with tents and traders stations. I place stands where Wine, Cheese, Meat and Flowers are sold. There is also the start of a Christmas tree farm. The opposing traffic heading into the underpass has been filled.
More detail is now added with the background within the Fair. The far apartment building is now beginning to take shape. More detail work is added.
Beside the Apartment building, I start painting into the picture a typical yet significant French inspired church which you would find in the City, alongside that a multipurpose commercial building with spaces for billboards to be painted into them. I have placed a Carousel and a big Wheel for the background of the Fair and included a lighted banner wishing the public Happy Holidays in French.
We’re now finally at the finishing stage of the painting. The billboards are filled in with period commercial messages – Air France, Bijou Casino and Citroen Cars respectively. There are more commerce buildings and apartments to fill in the distance space and the exterior floodlights are given some life as are the Christmas message in French for all passing traffic to view. The main apartment building is given further detail and finishing touches including the illumination on the exterior of the structure. Pretty much finished with all the fine details with just the sky to fill in for the last stage. I spent time visualizing the colour to be used for the sky. I opted for purple overall with a feeling of low lying clouds just beyond the structures. Purple worked so well for the previous Christmas painting and it just made the completed painting a much warmer finish. I hope you will agree with the final finished painting below… as you can see the final painting looks quite different to the initial sketch drawing…
As of May 2018, I am delighted and proud to inform visitors that the original watercolour painting is now in private collection within the beautiful French countryside of the Auvergne, France where it truly belongs! Viva La France!
Original Watercolour Painting completed in London
Dimensions 22.5″ x 15.0″