Rue Martainville

I decided we needed a “staycation” break in my Zoom watercolor classes, so this month we’re going abroad for our painting subjects! Recently we used this scene of Rue Martainville in Rouen, France.

I visited Rouen for a month in 2014 and lived in a 17th-century apartment on the second floor. There were several cafés and chocolate establishments nearby on Rue Martainville and I would sketch in the day and paint at night, accompanied by wine and cheese. As I visited various places and quietly sat and sketched, taking in the sounds and smells around me, I discovered a sense of place. I saw how we are all the same, going to work, dropping off school children, people walking their dogs, playing chess in a park, merchants tending their beautiful store windows.

The Classes and Events page has information on scheduled classes. This week I am “in Italy”! This month, each Monday class will do a simpler version of the scene from the previous Saturday’s class.