Happy Tuesday, and welcome to my new series--Travel Tuesdays! Each Tuesday (or let’s say “most”, I’m only human after all), I’m going to share some of my travel memories with you. My goal with this is to let you inside my art process by showing you the places that have inspired me, and also to share some travel tips with you if you ever end up visiting some of these places!
Since this is the first one, and you might be wondering why talking about travel is relevant on a website about art, I’d like to share my artist statement with you. Simply put, this statement defines why I create the art that I do and what I hope to share with the world by creating it.
“Travel has been an important part of my life from a young age. Growing up traveling alongside my mother, an avid photographer, I quickly learned the value of taking photos to capture scenes and moments of inspiration from places I visit. I fell in love with the rush of nostalgia and energy that came with seeing a memory captured in 2D, and pictures became my favorite souvenir.
As an artist, I use what I learned as a child and collect photos as visual memories that serve as reference for my paintings. Through a combination of watercolor and gouache paint with pen detail, I capture moments from my travels in an effort to make viewers feel the joy that a great vacation brings from the comfort of their homes.
I invite my viewers to come with me as I stare in awe at a picturesque landscape, but also as I pause to admire the layers of texture that make up an old roof. The purpose of my art is to provide an escape, add color to a home, and show people the world through my eyes: finding beauty around every corner.”
Now that you know a little more about me, I’m excited to share the subject of this week’s Travel Tuesday with you - Paris, France: the Seine.
Paris will always have a special place in my heart. My junior year of college, I was lucky enough to spend the fall semester there, studying fashion and collecting inspiration I still draw on for creating art. It’s on my mind currently, because I’m starting a series of paintings of Paris scenes! There are so many beautiful parts of Paris to talk about, so I’m going to share them over the next few weeks, starting with the Seine River.
The Seine River runs right through Paris, so it’s hard to call it a “must-see” because it’s more of a “can’t-miss”; if you’re spending time in Paris, I’m sure your path will take you across the river at some point. However, what I will say, is that it’s worth spending time just taking a leisurely stroll along the riverbanks. You can take some steps down below the bridges to a pathway right by the water where you can take a walk and enjoy some peaceful time watching the river flow through the city.
If it’s your first time in Paris, or you just feel like being a tourist (no shame!), a fun thing to do on the Seine is to take a boat tour. Since the river goes right through the middle of Paris, you can see a lot of sights, like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, from the boat, and a guide will tell you about all of the history as you float along. Plus, some of the tours let you bring your own wine and food on board so you can make a picnic out of it!
(click here to shop my print of the Eiffel Tower )
That’s all for this week’s Travel Tuesday! Make sure you’re following along on my Instagram (@clairecolemanstudio) to see the Paris paintings I’m working on now and where we’ll travel to next week!
Bon voyage!
Claire
