Today was such a nice day. Since there wasn't any school, I decided to spend the day wandering around the area called Montmartre, which is known as the artists quarter and is where you find the beautiful Sacré-Coeur (which means "Sacred Heart" in French).
From the steps of the Sacre-Coeur you have an amazing view over the city of Paris. And on weekends (and holidays like today) hundreds of people gather and sit on the steps listening to street musicians and performers who entertain the crowd (see Video Clips at the end of this post).
In the winding back streets behind Sacré-Coeur you will find dozens of cafes and shops. But most notably you'll discover many artists displaying their works for sale in the place du Tertre. Wandering around the square are even more artists carrying sketchbooks offering to do portraits of tourists as they wait.
I never had my portrait done in Paris before. But since everything about this trip is different than all the other trips before it, I decided to have one done. I found an artist that felt right - his name was Theodore. He was an older gentleman and what appealed to me about his offer was he said that when he was done, if I wasn't satisfied, I didn't have to buy it. Sounded like a fair deal.
Theodore was a very interesting character. Originally from Romania, he had spent a little time years ago in the US. He spoke quite good English and took his time doing my portrait. I saw other artists around me do 2-3 in the time that Theodore worked on mine. I really appreciated how much he cared about doing quality work. And while I'm never happy about how I look, I have to say the portrait came out really nice - I'm so glad I had it done! It's something I'll always have to remind me of the month I lived in Paris. Anyone who has the skill to capture the likeness of someone on paper, has my deepest admiration. So what do you think, does it look like me?Click here to view all of today's photos (11/11/08)
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3 comments:
It's beautiful!! It does look very much like you...I think. Theodore captured your expression and likeness very well. Your mom is going to want that...you should have one done for her. ;)
It's easy to tell how very much you are enjoying this trip and emersing yourself into the French experience!! Likewise...I'm enjoying the blog.....thank you for the constant updates!! Take care.....ps: cooked anything good in your little kitchen yet???? Au revoir!
~S
I'd say it was a worthwhile purchase! I think it does capture you quite well. Now...if you would just smile a bit more! :-P
Actually Garcia... I was laughing almost the whole time! I don't know why Theodore sketched me 'a la serious' - I was wondering that myself! Truth be told, I think I've had a permanent smile on my face the past two weeks.... my cheeks hurt ;-)
p.s. And to Ms. S.... Oh yeah, I have whipped up some YUMMY things in the kitchen. I've been trying to take pictures of stuff - and ingredients. At some point I'll get all these gazillion photos posted!
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