cmoorelife

I love Paris in the fall

By

View from the Sacre Coeur

View from the Dome of the Sacre-Coeur

I’ve only ever seen Paris in the depths of winter before, so this autumn adventure with my mum was the trip of a lifetime.

I wasn’t planning to sketch, but after the 300 steep steps up to the top of the Sacré-Coeur, mum’s coeur was ready for a decent sit down. Luckily, I am always prepared for a bit of plein air painting!

Eiffel Tower

A memento I painted for mum, don’t tell her though as it’s a surprise…

It was surprisingly peaceful in the Dome, away from the swarming crowds below. I was able to peer over the edge, working quickly whilst ‘le petit train de Montmartre’ waited below.

My three top tips for Paris are:

  • If you have the luxury, save it for Autumn, after the schools go back.This has to be the most beautiful time of year to see the city.
  • Get the free Paris Metro app
  • Keep this essential blog post from Riana Lagarde available at ALL times. Although I found that there were more free pee’s than expected and Madame Pipi at the Sacre-Coeur has been replaced with an alarmingly chirpy attendant.

 

Leave a comment

I want to be a part of it

By

New York New York, I imagined it to be just like it’s pictured in Tony Sarg’s ‘Up and down New York’ but there were far fewer hats and there was no hurricane at the Flatiron Building.

NYC Flatiron

The flatiron building

NYC clipper ship

You’ll never get me on a clipper ship.

 

The Guggenheim

The Guggenheim. Shut on a Thursday.

The behind of Liberty

Liberty’s behind

 

 

Leave a comment

The colour of fear

By

Porthminster beach

Porthminster beach, St Ives

St Ives Harbour

St Ives Harbour – pen and ink

Be warned that there is a dark underworld of gull-gangs hanging out in St Ives.

 

They swig bootleg cider and place bets on whether tourist scalp has more protein than Cornish pasty. Then feed endlessly off both between 12 and 2pm every day.

My advice is NEVER sketch near someone eating a Cornish pasty in St Ives. Not unless you have a bucket and several heavy duty wet-wipes to clear up the mess. I know from experience.

Seagull attack St Ives

So ferocious they mess with your brain

The intense lightning storms over the UK this week started here in the South West.

I would have loved to sketch them, but it’s hard to mix up a good ivory black when you are cowering behind the sofa!

St Ives Harbour

St Ives Harbour

 

After all that drama, you might think those vivid colours were a result of adrenaline rush, but the light here is truly something else. Even a grim misty morning blazes with an eerie quality.

The Island St Ives

“The Island” from Barnoon cemetery

It’s not surprising that this landscape inspired an art movement.

I took a trip to Barnoon cemetery to find fisherman and self taught painter Alfred Wallis.

His grave is beautifully tiled by Bernard Leach. I was moved by this tribute to a man whose honest paintings, with their wacky perspective, inspired the early St Ives artists.

Lifeboat station St Ives

Pencil in the mizzle

St Ives harbour

The morning after the storms

 

1 Comment

No cars and no bras!

By

Today was a perfect day for Brighton’s ninth World Naked Bike ride. It’s a peaceful protest against car culture and oil dependency. Naked Bike ride Old Steine

Naked Bike ride Level

Those brave enough to, bare as much as they dare, to demonstrate the power and vulnerability of cyclists.

If you are feeling shy... wear a mask!

If you are feeling shy… wear a mask!

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time, particularly those in the fountain at the Old Steine!

 

1 Comment

Shoreham Fort

By

Had Napoleon III stormed the south coast, he would have come face to face with the large gun which sat on this emplacement.

Had Napoleon III took a day trip to Shoreham, he would have come face to face with the large gun which sat on this emplacement

Shoreham Fort was built in 1857 to defend against French invasion. Luckily, Napoleon III was too busy renovating Paris to bother attacking the good people of Shoreham. As it turned out, the real threat came 100 years later when the Barrack block was demolished.

The fort is now being lovingly restored by volunteers, so this little nugget of Victorian innovation stays with us.

1 Comment

London not by the sea

By

Greenwich Park, LondonI finally got to see the Turner by the sea exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich this weekend. It’s great to see such an amazing body of work in one place. I recommend getting the audio tour for some added context.

As well as more familiar paintings, you get to see some of Turner’s sketchbooks and unfinished works.

Tate modern, LondonI was so inspired, I had to immediately walk to the Royal Observatory and do a double page spread of Greenwich Park!

With that out of my system there was time for a quick stop at the Tate modern to sketch the silver birch trees before it got too dark.

1 Comment