Our trip to Paris, France - Inspiration Files

We visited Paris at the beginning of this month and I’m honestly still buzzing from how much I loved it. I was so inspired and felt so grateful to have had a week there with my boys. There won’t be much to this post, it’s kind of a reference point for me to come back to as I work on some new paintings. Though, I hope you find some inspiration here too! Paris is beautiful and was restful for our souls and fueled my creativity in so many unexpected ways.

I painted a few smaller pieces while I was there, and have begun work on some Parisian inspired abstracts now that I’m home. I’m thinking I will make these available for sale as I finish them… I’ve found collection release dates haven’t been a good fit for this current phase of life that I’m in. So stay tuned if you’d like a little piece of Paris in your home!

My little lap studio. We stayed in a one bedroom apt, and my supplies were few so I just perched next to our window when we had a little down time and painted away.

I am surprised to say that one of the things I loved the most about Paris was their landscaping! Something about these textures and the fall colors made my heart sing. I may find a way to incorporate this into our outdoors here in Lexington, KY.

Paris at night… it’s as dreamy as it sounds. The lights glow and the streets are full of sounds of heels clicking, laughter, and chatter in the cafes. If you’re lucky, you may even get a view of the sparkling Eiffel Tower.

The worn cobble stone streets. Beautiful in the sun & the rain.

The buildings were all regulated to be built only to a certain height. So there is beautiful symmetry & open sky everywhere you go.

I loved finding moments to sketch what I saw. This sketch happened on our train ride to Giverny were Claude Monet’s home is located.

If you want to see a bit more of Monet’s home, it’s saved in a highlight on my Instagram called “Monet”. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip. He is an inspiration to me.

The very pond where he drew inspiration for his famous Water Lilies. We got to visit those as well. Made extra special & impressive after visiting his home.

Visiting the impressionists at the L’Orangerie was a dream. Happening upon a Degas exhibit was really special to me. I was introduced to him by my Grandmother & my obsession with ballet. She bought me an art print of his that is still one of my most treasured possessions. Getting to see some of his ballerinas with my husband and baby felt like a full circle moment.

I missed it the moment we left. Truly such a beautiful place.

xo, Mel