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Paris in spring is said to be utterly romantic. Some years ago, my husband and I visited Paris for a week. It rained most of the time... but we got a few romantic strolls along the river Seine in the evenings. Of course we went up inside the Eiffel Tower. I had seen many images of this iconic landmark, the epitome of Paris, but that did not prepare me for how enormous the tower is in real life. It rises majestically over the city, and cannot be ignored. I especially liked the view of it from Montmartre, which is the view I've painted.

 

The painting shows my impression of the vast city and the huge tower. 

Of course I had to use an impressionistic manner to paint this. And I chose a French paper, Clairefontaine PastelMat Card. Some of the pastel sticks I used are of the French brand Girault.

On the computer screen, the painting may look quite detailed, but it consists of overlapping and adjacent strokes of pigments. Here is a detail showing the buildings seen just in front of the Eiffel Tower:

 

 

 

This detail is slightly enlarged. As you see, the buildings are mere random looking strokes, but at a normal viewing distance, your brain will understand them to be convincing houses in a city, and trees of a boulevard.

 

See a larger version of the whole painting here.