This week I really enjoyed painting scenes of Nice and the surrounding countryside. Working from life, sitting in the street or park has provided me with a new and refreshing perspective to begin from. The first painting I did this week is of the view from atop St. Paul De Vence. While I was there I could only sketch the background and take a picture. Then, in the studio, I painted the scene on canvas with acrylic paints. With my artistic freedom, I added a small stream and a home in the top right corner, and removed the statue. 
The second painting I completed this week is a street view of Old Nice. We spend a lot of our time walking around in the old town, so I tried to capture the flavor of my favorite back street. My watercolor is a bit more neon than the actual street, but then it does sort of look that bright when it’s very sunny. 
By far, I really enjoyed all the comments from passersby while I painted the watercolor in the street. Several people came up and told me “c’est jolie” (that is pretty) and one couple came up right when I was finishing up and told me that the end product was beautiful; they had walked by an hour and a half before when I had just finished my basic sketch. A very memorable experience. I made some nice memories and created some souvenirs for myself through my painting this week. Au revoir! Émilie