Evening in Montmartre

Montmartre in Paris is one of the liveliest places I have ever been. It used to be a bohemian area outside of Paris when Toulouse Lautrec lived there. Today it is crowded with artists pandering to tourists, souvenir shops, night clubs and some of the best restaurants and cafes in Paris. The sun was just setting, streetlamps and shop lights were coming on, and there was this warm afterglow which I wanted to capture. It only lasted a few minutes and the pictures I took didn’t live up to my memories. Therefore, I referenced the photo’s but relied more on my memory when I painted this. The camera is a wonderful tool but if artists depend on it to much it can restrict their development. I like using my zoom lens and and all the other cool things my camera can do and I take lots of photo’s but I also enjoy painting on location and working from memory.