From Steve's Drawing Table:
"Fall In Paris" Oil On Canvas
It seems right to feature this painting for the October newsletter for two reasons. First, the colors are perfect as obviously it's a fall scene. People tend to love the colors in it. Secondly, I did this oil painting from a picture I took 25 years ago this month, and the subject is still very important to me. The woman is my wife when we were on our honeymoon in Paris, France.
During that trip we did the typical tourist things while in Paris: Eiffel Tower, museums and lots of cafes. We rented a car and drove to the countryside and explored little towns, stayed at bed and breakfasts and drove by scenic rolling green hills on foggy chilly days. We still laugh about the morning I went to rent the car and drove back to the hotel to pick up Scottie downtown. Morning rush hour, people and cars everywhere, narrow one-way roads, and I was praying I wouldn't kill anyone! I accidently knocked the side rear-view mirror off the car with a light pole, which fortunately plopped onto the passenger car seat. Good thing the window was rolled down! When Scottie came down to the car, the side mirror was sitting on her seat, and I had some explaining to do.
I took a photo of Scottie at some Parisian park, which I used as the reference for the oil painting a few years later. I tried to capture the bright orange of the leaves and the bright green of the still-green grass, and contrast it with the darker colors and smoother strokes of Scottie and the tree.
Even though I did this painting years ago, it still gets a good reaction from people who often comment on the color and brush strokes. I like the painting too, it's a fun memory of an awesome honeymoon in France together.